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One of the most revered in the world, French cuisine is a beautiful marriage of fresh, high-quality ingredients and nuanced flavours. French cooking techniques like saute, confit, flambe, and French food items like croissants, coq au vin, and desserts like creme brulee are well known the world over. Stemming from a strong culinary history, these famous French foods are also great representatives of different regions in France.
Short Rib Bourguignon, for example, comes from the region of Burgundy and uses local dry red wine to impart a taste like no other.
Each region in the country has its own recipes and takes into consideration fresh local produce. Over the decades, these famous French food items have also evolved to have as minimal food waste as possible. This is achieved by utilising each part of the vegetable or meat in some or the other way. Versatile as ever, the cuisine is perfect for both fancy candlelight dinners and casual coffee brunches. From painstakingly crafted famous French meals to famous French snacks that you can grab on the go, we have curated a list of some famous French food items to try.
Here are some famous French snacks to start with
1. Vol Au Vent
A puff pastry, Vol Au Vent is mostly savoury and is filled with fish or chicken with mushrooms cooked in Madeira sauce. It has two parts, a main pastry with a hole in it where the filling goes and a part that covers it like a lid. It is served with an accompanying sauce.
2. Chaussons Aux Pommes
Famous French bread and bakery goods are always a good idea. Chaussons Aux Pommes is a traditional turnover kind of pastry wherein apple compote is placed on a sheet, covered with a pastry sheet, and baked.
3. Croque Monsieur
A classic French bistro sandwich made of ham, Gruyère cheese, dijon mustard, Croque Monsieur is one of the most famous French snacks. There is also a version of this famous French snack called Croque Madame where a poached egg is placed on top, in comparison to Croque Monsieur where the bread is dipped in a beaten egg.
Here are some side and main dishes that make up famous French meals
4. Bouillabaisse
Made with fresh seafood, this famous French food from Marseille in the South of France is an underrated soup that you must try. This soup is often used as an entree and consists of seafood like scorpion fish, conger eel, lobster, and mussels. A vegetarian version of this soup can be made with leeks, potatoes, and saffron.
5. Tartiflette
From the stunning region of the French Alps, this famous French food is made with a soft melted cheese called reblochon. This scrumptious dish, in addition to cheese, also uses fried onions, ham, and potatoes.
6. Coq Au Vin
Possibly the most famous French food to be known, Coq Au Vin combines two ingredients very important to the French. While coq or rooster is the French national animal, vin or vine is one of the most prestigious products of the country. Marry the two and you get this famous French food that is too good to miss.
7. Confit De Canard
A traditional recipe from the Southwest region, Confit De Canard is another famous French food item you must try. This filling dish is made by grilling or frying a duck in its own fat. It is often paired with garlic potatoes that are roasted in the leftovers of this fat, making it a meal you will not forget.
8. Cassoulet
Cooked in an earthen pot called cassole, this traditional dish from the Southwestern part of France contains duck meat, sausages, white beans, and lamb cooked slowly in a tomato sauce. This is often paired with any famous French bread like baguette.
9. Escargots
We cannot talk about famous French meals and not mention Escargots. Snails or escargots, as they’re locally called are a delicacy in France. Cooked in their shells in a butter garlic parsley sauce, Escargots are also consumed in other countries like Spain, Italy, Portugal, Tunisia, and Morocco.
To end your hearty meal, opt for these famous French desserts
10. Mille Feuille
Literally translating to a thousand layers, this famous French dessert is made by layering puff pastry and cream filling. You can also add fruits of your choice on the top, or drizzle chocolate sauce to make this more tempting.
11. Eclair
Sinful and delicious, this famous French dessert from the city of Lyon, comes in a variety of flavours and textures. It traditionally however has a chocolate or coffee-flavoured filling. It is a form of choux pastry, which means it is puffed and the textural mishmash with the creamy filling and icing makes for a fun treat.
12. Mousse Au Chocolat
While Creme Brulee has been the most well-recognised of all the creme-based French desserts, Mousse Au Chocolat isn’t far behind. This famous French dessert is light and airy while being decadent, making it perfect to end your wholesome French meal with.
Disclaimer: The details mentioned throughout this blog are sourced from publicly accessible platforms. At Zeezest, we intend to share factual and verified information. Should there be any inconsistencies or variances in the information provided, please understand that these are entirely unintentional and not meant to mislead.