10 traditional French foods you must try in France

French cooking is well known all over the world because of the delicious, varied and elegant meals and fashionable ways of preparing food. From coq au vin to crème brûlée French food is an example of a culture that puts great stock in cooking. The preparation of French dishes is as basic as it can be while using the best quality of the ingredients to prepare the meals. The French culinary culture was inscribed into the World Heritage of Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2010. Any lover of good food should therefore consider going on a culinary tour in France as a way of sampling the original meal.

To most visitors, the French food is as simple as the wines and cheese that are brewed in the country. From the soft and buttery feel of the brie to the almost putrid smell and taste of Roquefort to the deep rich colours of burgundy wines to the clean fresh taste of chardonnay wines there is something for everyone. However, French cuisine is much deeper than the wine and cheese that everyone enjoys round the globe. If you wish to taste a cup of coffee in the French café or to taste the meals in a starr’d restaurant, the trip to France and its cuisine will hardly remain inappreciable. For these culinary delights all that one requires is a France Visa to sample these delights on first hand.

Here are the 10 traditional French foods you must try in France

1.Soupe à l’oignon

Soupe à l’oignon is a French soup made from beef stock and served with bread and cheese. It was invented even in the Roman period but the dish that was prepared in the 18th century. The soup is made from onions which are first caramelised and brandy or sherry can be added during a long and slow cooking. It is thick and rich and is one of the French culinary specialties taken mostly in the winter period. If you are more adventurous there is also soupe de poisson à la rouille – fish soup from Marseilles, served with garlic and saffron mayonnaise.

2. Coq au Vin

Coq au Vin is the dish that became famous after Julia Child, chicken cooked in wine with mushrooms, onions, garlic and lardons (pork or bacon). The name of the dish translates as ‘rooster in wine’ but it contains chicken or capon not an expensive and tender bird, a rooster. The wine which can be used can be different however most often Burgundy wine is used, but there are variants with wine from Jura, Alsace even Champagne. Coq au Vin is one of the examples of the possibility of French cuisine and is a bright example that slow browning is an effective way of getting tasty dishes.

3. Cassoulet

Cassoulet is a French slow cooked beans and meat dish, that can include white beans and pork, duck, sausages or even lamb. This is a solid food which is called cassole after the cooking utensil; this food was created in the south of France, in Toulouse, Carcassonne and Castelnaudary. The easiest is simple and it is associated with French country cuisine; it could be what the chef has on him or her at the time of preparing the food and therefore it is personal to the chef. This recipe is suitable for the colder months where one would prefer to have food that has been well cooked and which contains a lot of taste.

4. Bœuf Bourguignon

A sort of beef casserole in red wine, Bœuf Bourguignon is one of the most famous French dishes. It has even been adopted into the French foods from what was a food for the commoners the peasants. It is slow-cooked and meat to absorb the wine and broth takes several hours of preparation. Originally it was a method for soaking two days marinated cheap cuts of beef to tenderize it and to make it more flavourful which is a part of French provincial cuisine. This is why every August Burgundy honours its culinary traditions with the Fête du Charolais for which Bœuf Bourguignon is the meal of the day.

5. Chocolate Soufflé

Chocolate soufflé is a very much liked dessert that looks like a cake on the outside and which has a liquid inside. This dish was made in the early part of the 18th century and the word ‘Soufflé’ is actually from the French word ‘Souffler’ which means blow or puff with reference to the rise in this particular dish. The outer surface of the chocolate soufflé is tough, while the inside is tender and therefore it is quite enjoyable to consume the desert. But the most popular is sweet one with chocolate, however cheese soufflé also looks quite yummy and provide rather nontrivial variation to this dessert.

6. Flamiche

Flamiche is the Flemish word for cake and it is a dish prepared from puff pastry which is a French delicacy that originated close to Belgium. It is a little like a quiche but can have leeks and cream or other vegetables and/or cheese. There is also a pizza-like version with no top crust, which makes it yet even more of a light meal. Flamiche is a representation of French and Belgium cuisine and is very popular because it is very simple to prepare and is present in almost every restaurant. If you are interested in other recipes from the south, you might fancy pissaladière – a thin crust pizza with anchovies, onions and olives.

7. Confit de Canard

Confit de Canard is a dish of duck meat which is preserved and cooked by the confit method this is one of the oldest methods of preparing food. The duck is seasoned with salt, garlic and thyme before it is left to stand in the refrigerator for 36 hours before roasting it in its own dripping. Other than making the foods tastier, this is healthier than frying and is the best method of preparing foods. Confited duck is tender and crispy and is taken with boiled potatoes. Although every region in France adores Coq au Vin, this dish is associated with the Gascony region and the best chefs prepare this dish from the tender meat of a duck.

8. Salade Niçoise

Niçoise is from Provence and is actually a French salad which is taken with food or as food. This is done by incorporating such short life vegetables as tomatoes, green beans and lettuce to the boiled eggs, tuna, anchovies and olives to make the salad more appealing and yummier. Salade Niçoise should be had warm in summer because that is in fact lighter dish with perfect combination of how it feels and how it tastes. There are other recipes of this dish but other proteins are added or the vegetables are substituted but the general idea is the same – a delicious and hearty meal that is Mediterranean especially Provencal French.

9. Ratatouille

Ratatouille is a vegetable’s dish that originates in Provence and is prepared in almost all areas of the country. The method of preparation of the dish includes frying the vegetables such as the zucchini, eggplant and the bell peppers and then arranging them in a baking dish and baking them until they are tender. The French cook’s debate whether the vegetables should be cooked in this manner and then combined, but in any event, ratatouille is always delicious and filling. It can be taken as an appetizer, main entrée or desert accompanied by fresh bread and red wine. If that doesn’t sound exactly like something you’d like to get your teeth into, there is a Basque version of this dish called piperade and it contains ham and sometimes eggs.

10. Tarte Tatin

Today one of the favourite desserts in France Tarte Tatin was an accidental discovery in the year 1898. The upside-down tart of the Hôtel Tatin was an accident of Stephanie Tatin who, having cooked apples in sugar and butter put a pastry base on the top of the caramelised fruit and served the tart upside down. It is a very soft buttery dough with caramelized apples inside and together they taste fabulous which is why such type of dough cannot be regarded as anything other than a part of the French cuisine. This has become a gastronomic mistake of the first order and is now a standard dessert which people appreciate for its lack of sophistication and density.

Conclusion:

French food has a significant portion of dishes that are conventional and ceremonial in France and dishes of regional cuisines with taste and sentiment for food. Here below are some French food recipes: Cassoulet, Bœuf Bourguignon, Coq au Vin, Confit de Canard and many more tasty and simple foods to the most exquisite and traditional foods. Other desserts such as Chocolate Soufflé and Tarte Tatin are also enjoyed since they symbolize the desire of the country to produce more outstanding well-cooked meals that have already made their mark on the World map of culinary. From the Soupe à l’oignon to the Salade Niçoise French cuisine can offer all the ranges of experience that could be offered.

If you simply take a bite from these meals, you will know the real French food and how peasant food became French gourmet food in France. For every dish there is a message, be it the type of taste used in the preparation or the manner in which the dish is made from the most fundamental components and processes. But to really capture the essence of France one has to taste such foods because they are the pleasures of French culture and the pleasure of good food goes on forever. To start this scrumptious affair, the first process of attaining the France Visa is the key to tasting everything described above first hand.