One of the best cuisines in the world is French. For the French, it’s nearly a way of life, and for those who have tried it and fallen in love with it, it’s a passion.
French cuisine combines a variety of famous foods in France, some of which can be startling at times, with wonderful flavors while maintaining a healthy diet.
You should taste all these well-known French meals if you enjoy French cuisine or if you want to learn more about the famous foods in France.
They have helped to establish Paris and the rest of France as destinations for upscale, delectable, and extraordinarily diverse cuisine.
All these delicious famous foods in France will truly transport you to France.
1. Cuisses de Grenouille
We had to start our list of famous foods in France with cuisses de Grenouille since, although it is a staple of French cuisine, it has a misconception that must be dispelled: No, French people don’t regularly consume frogs’ legs.
In reality, most of us haven’t even tried them ever since their price is astronomical. They taste somewhat like chicken, albeit a little better, softer, and more delicately.
Typically, they are made by sautéing them with butter and garlic.
2. Soupe de Poissons
Fish soup is also a famous food in France, a very straightforward, low-cost dish that originates from the port of Marseille, the Mediterranean Sea’s second-largest city in France.
It was created by local fishermen who used their unsold fish to make this stew; as a result, the cheapest types of fish are frequently used.
The fish is patiently cooked with a tomato purée and delicate herbs in the original recipe.
Currently, soupe de poissons is a favorite dish all throughout the nation, particularly in the winter.
But eating it in Marseille, where they top the soup with a unique saffron mayonnaise called rouille, is still preferable.
3. Salade de Chèvre Chaud
Salad sales in French restaurants have increased ever since consumers started to care more about eating healthily.
The best goat’s cheese in the nation is made in the southwest of France, where this one is from.
These famous foods in France have a base of green leaves with balsamic, olive oil, and (for an even better flavor) walnut oil!
If desired, you can add cherry tomatoes, walnuts, apple slices, or little pieces of bacon.
Slices of toasted bread are placed on top, followed by warm goat’s cheese and, perhaps, a touch of honey.
This one is one of the many gourmet salads available today in French restaurants.
4. Tomates Farcies
These stuffed tomatoes are tasty and popular famous foods in France that are typically handmade, providing yet another healthy choice.
The filling is made with ground beef, breadcrumbs, onions, and fine herbs, though meat substitutes are also an option.
The filling is placed inside the tomato after it has been seeded, which allows the tomato juices to permeate the filling as it cooks slowly in the oven. Simple but excellent!
5. Gigot d’Agneau
This is the next on our list of famous food in France. The most consumed meat in France is not lamb; it is beef, duck, hog, and chicken—almost anything else.
It is a nation where rabbits, horses, pigeons, wild hogs, and even wild deer are eaten (although less frequently currently).
Some people may find this surprising, but this is the legacy of centuries of peasants, lords, and monarchs hunting for wildlife.
However, let’s return to the lamb. A leg of lamb is slowly cooked on a rack in the oven as potatoes bake on the rack underneath.
The meat juices that drip onto the potatoes are the deciding factor because they impart extra softness and flavor.
Carré d’agneau is another common way to prepare a favorite piece of lamb, although it is fairly pricey because it is a noble cut.
The navarin d’agneau is another option; it is comparable to boeuf bourguignon (more on this one later) but lighter and made with white wine as opposed to red.
6. Poulet Basquaise
A true poulet basquaise is produced from free-range poultry, and this Basque Country-inspired braised chicken recipe uses certain uncommon breeds of chicken (or duck) from that area.
But what distinguishes it is the accompanying sauce, piperade, in which the meat is cooked and made more soft.
The distinctive espelette pepper, a tiny, mildly spicy indigenous type that is traditionally dried on the walls of cottages in the Basque region, is included in the piperade along with Bayonne ham, fine herbs, tomatoes, and other ingredients.
7. Flammeküche
It sounds German because that is what it is. Kind of. A specialty of Alsace, formerly part of Germany and now speaks a dialect related to German, is flammeküche.
This is the regional equivalent of pizza: a thin, crispy flatbread topped with dairy products from the area, including fresh cream, cheese, onions, and bacon.
The tart is known as a blazing tart because it is prepared in a brick oven near flames.
8. Soufflé
The word souffle comes from the French word meaning “blown,” which describes what happens when the beaten eggs are cooked in the oven and virtually blow up.
It can easily collapse, so making it properly is always difficult, but the result is a meal lighter than air.
The most common versions are chocolate soufflé and lemon soufflé, although other options include adding mushrooms or even serving it as a dessert. Cheese soufflé is the most traditional version.
Béchamel, maybe the most recognizable of the several French sauces, is frequently served with soufflés.
It is a silky, white milk-based dish that is also used in lasagna, potato, and eggplant meals and can serve as the foundation for more elaborate sauces.
9. Salade landaise & Salade périgourdine
The landaise and the périgourdine are two gourmet salads that have a lot in common and practically the same recipe.
Green leafy vegetables, tomatoes, and cucumber serve as the foundation for the landaise, which is then topped with more upscale components like asparagus, apples, and, most significantly, many slices of cooked duck.
Typically, a piece of foie gras is also included, along with a slice of toasted bread.
Similar but considerably richer is the périgourdine, which also has heated potatoes, gammon, walnuts, and bacon.
Also note that even heavier salads are made with potatoes, mushrooms, and figs from the duck gizzards.
This is not the lightest salad, as you might expect, but it is a tasty way to enjoy fatty meats that yet count as the “healthy” choice.
10. Petit Salé aux Lentilles
This is the next on our list of famous food in France. This one is the first of numerous recipes with pork as the primary component.
Small portions of meat that have been preserved in brine are referred to as “petit salé,” which is French for “tiny salted.”
These little pieces are cooked separately, rinsed to remove excess salt, then added to a dish with sausages, black lentils, onions, and carrots.
This traditional winter dish from the countryside is not served in restaurants. It is likely handmade, though you can get pre-cooked versions at stores.
11. Côtes de Porc & Ventrèche
100% pork is used in this. Ventrèche, also known as poitrine fumée, is meat that has been salted, dried for about a month, and occasionally smoked. These famous foods in France are simply pork ribs.
Similar to Italian pancetta, this specialty from the southwest of France is very popular when grilled over a barbeque with flavorful herbs and placed on bread for a satisfying sandwich.
However, côtes de porc and ventrèche are frequently incorporated into more sophisticated dishes and can be combined with beans or lentils in vegetable soup or purée.
12. Hachis Parmentier
This is the next on our list of famous food in France. Hachis Parmentier, a French take on shepherd’s pie, has mashed potatoes on top and a bottom layer of ground beef flavored with fresh herbs.
The potatoes are finished with a gratin because everything is cooked at once in the oven. It’s a straightforward yet exquisite marriage of flavors and textures.
Despite the lengthy preparation period, these famous foods in France are typically handmade suppers for the whole family and the first of many dishes on this list, including potatoes. A side of green salad couldn’t hurt!
13. Sole Meunière
You would anticipate France to have several fish specialties given that it has access to three separate seas (the Mediterranean, the North Sea, and the Atlantic Ocean). So, both yes and no.
Although we have several wonderful seafood dishes, the majority of them feature shellfish and crabs.
The pioneers of French gastronomy never thought of fish as being “noble” enough to make a great deal out of them. This is one of the fish dishes on the list for this reason.
The family of flatfish known as sole is widespread in Europe and has sensitive, fine, white flesh.
Meunière describes the cooking method: dusting the filets with flour and then sautéing them in butter.
At the end, lemon juice and parsley are added. It’s a straightforward recipe that combines delicious textures and flavors in a single dish.
14. Quenelles
Quenelles, the signature dish from Lyon, the third-largest city in France, are incredibly rich.
This is due to the fact that the dish’s main ingredients are white flour, eggs, Gruyère cheese, milk, butter, and water.
The five components are combined to create what resemble miniature sausages, which are then slowly baked in the oven.
Additionally, minced white flesh, like that from chicken or pike (yep, fish! That’s the most traditional recipe!), can be added.
A dish that is unlike anything I’ve ever seen or tasted before: light and fluffy in texture, subtle in flavor… but very, very rich!
But these famous foods in France wouldn’t be complete without a thick layer of sauce almost completely encasing them.
In fact, according to three-star French chef Daniel Boulud, the sauce makes the quenelle 50% more enjoyable because it makes it less intriguing without it.
And he probably has a point. The Nantua sauce, a concoction of crayfish, tomatoes, cream, nutmeg, peppers, or the renowned béchamel sauce, gives the meal its distinctive flavor. But deliciously filling!
15. Gratin Dauphinois
Gratin is next on our list of famous foods in France, It is cooked in the oven and has a crunchy topping, typically made of cream, cheese, or breadcrumbs.
This is ironic given that the term “gratin” originally referred to the bottom of the dish, which had to be grated off the plate since it had burned during cooking.
Noodles, potatoes, veggies, and cheese gratin are just a few options. But the gratin dauphinoise stands out among them all.
It is a French Alpine dish of sliced potatoes cooked in a shallow pan with cream, milk, and nutmeg.
The dish gets its name from the Dauphiné area of France. When prepared properly, the potatoes’ outermost layer and the cream get crispy without burning!
Although cheese was not originally used in the recipe, it is now frequently added. What a fantastic winter dish!
16. Coq au Vin
This is also one of the fantastic famous foods in France that were developed centuries ago (some contend that it was already in existence during the Roman Empire’s invasion of the region that is now France).
However, we didn’t rank it higher on this list because it has become less well-known over time.
Furthermore, the “rooster in wine” is frequently a chicken and not at all a rooster.
The recipe itself is a stew in which the chicken is cooked over a long period of time with a combination of onions, carrots, garlic, mushrooms, and of course, a substantial amount of robust red wine.
Some recipes go so far as to include bacon, butter, and beef stock, creating yet another hearty dish fit for the colder months.
17. Coquilles Saint-Jacques
After three substantial dishes, try something a little lighter. Scallops are called coquilles Saint-Jacques.
However, there are various distinctive ways that the French prepare these delicate, famous foods in France.
My favorite is leeks sliced and sautéed in butter since the two flavors combine so well and complement one another.
This dish calls for boiling the scallops individually, placing them back in their shells, and then topping them with breadcrumbs and a little cheese.
And guess what? Put them in the oven to toast!
18. Tartiflette
This meal is another famous food in France, which is now quite well-known across the country.
Its main ingredients are Reblochon, a mountain cheese from the region, smoked salt pork, fresh cream, and (again!) gratinated potatoes with onions.
The crème fraîche adds moisture to the preparation’s bottom, and the Reblochon sprinkled on top adds flavor and crust.
If the main course wasn’t rich enough, tartiflette is frequently served with a green salad on the side and smoked ham.
And although these famous foods in France are fantastic for the winter, you can enjoy them anytime for supper with friends or family.
19. Fondue Bourguignonne
When it comes to winter fare and getting together with friends, this one is even better: The fondue bourguignonne is a very sociable specialty that is only made for a small group of people (often a minimum of four people, though some places do it for two).
There is a pot of hot oil on the table. Each visitor is given a platter that contains several pieces of raw beef, though other red meats may also be served.
The meat is placed inside the pot, where they wait for it to cook. When the meat is done, submerge it in one of the many available sauces.
The most popular side dishes are green salad, potatoes, and cheese. Despite its name, this beef fondue is from Switzerland, not Burgundy.
Nevertheless, it is incredibly well-liked in France and merits a place on the list.
20. Fondue Savoyarde
This one is even more enjoyable for a fantastic dinner with friends on a chilly winter evening!
The fondue savoyarde, a French and Swiss Alps dish, uses bread and cheese, while the fondue bourguignonne contains meat.
That’s correct; there isn’t a pot of hot oil in front of you, but rather a pot of melting cheese with a few slices of bread to dip into it.
More specifically, the local Gruyère, Beaufort, Emmental, and Comté cheeses are combined with white wine and garlic to kick it well in the traditional recipe.
Do you know these famous foods in France resemble sushi in certain ways? Really?? Yes, mastering the specific skewer that is used to penetrate the bread requires time and practice.
Losing it in the saucepan can be simple once it has been dipped in the cheese.
Due to this, the cheese fondue is a wonderfully enjoyable and social way to taste great cheese; in fact, if you go skiing in the Alps, this is by far the most popular supper option!
21. Raclette
This is the next on our list of famous food in France. Raclette must be discussed if we are discussing the two fondues because it is also a Swiss dish, one of the favorites of the famous foods in France, which involves a lot of cheese, and is, as you’ll see, wonderful to enjoy with friends.
The term “raclette” refers to three distinct things: the dish, the cheese that is melted (although traditionally, it was done over a wood fire), and the electric grill.
The question “passe-moi la raclette” can seem perplexing at first, but in the end, it’s perhaps the most challenging aspect of this dish.
Putting chunks of raclette cheese in a skillet, melting them on the raclette grill, and then topping baked potatoes with your melted raclette are the only steps required.
I’m done now! It is also served with cured meats like gammon, prosciutto, pancetta, or salami, along with some greens to make a complete meal.
22. Rillettes
Without actually being a pâté, rillettes is a type of pâté. It is one of the most popular meals on our list of famous foods in France, which is referred to as charcuterie (more on this later). It can also be produced by ducks, geese, rabbits, or other animals.
It is made from tiny pieces of pig that are cooked slowly in their own fat. Then pickles and rillettes are spread cold on toast.
It works incredibly well as a sandwich but is typically served as an appetizer.
It may be found in France at any charcuterie stand, and it’s not unusual to encounter homemade versions in rural areas.
23. Soupe à l’Oignon
Onion soup is ending our list of famous foods in France that have been a part of Spanish cooking since the time of the Roman Empire.
It was a very straightforward recipe that was long considered a “poor people’s dish” but eventually made it onto restaurant menus.
These famous foods in France comprise a soup made with pork stock and caramelized sliced onions (although vegetarian variations are available), topped with crisp croutons and cheese that melts into the remainder of the dish.
Conclusion
What comes to mind when you think about renowned French cuisine? Croissants? Baguettes? Cheese? Despite the fact that these are all typical French recipes, there is a lot more to discover!
French cuisine is an adventure. You should try it, especially if you’re in Paris or another French city.
You’ll have a lot to look forward to when you visit France if you enjoy reading this article and learning about some of the famous foods in France.
Our post has examined the history and preparation of some of the most well-known French foods.
Therefore, enjoy these famous foods in France for your next French-inspired supper, whether traveling to France or just searching for some fresh inspiration!
