Cassoulet at Au Bon Saint-Pourcain
Website Buzzfeed published a list of 44 classic French meals you need to eat before you die, and I’m pleased to say I’ve already had 26 of them (many multiple times as French food is my absolute favorite).
The dishes I’ve had (and love), some of which are pictured here from photos taken during my most recent visit to the City of Ligh, includet: Coquiles Saint-Jacques (scallops), baked Camembert, moules marinieres (mussels), blanquette de veau (veal stew), buckwheat crepes, soupe a l’oignon (French onion soup), cheese souffle, steak tartare (raw beef with raw egg, onions and spices), pot-au-feu (one-pot dish with meat, bone marrow and vegetables), magret de canard (duck breast), cassoulet (white bean stew with duck, sausage and thick-cut bacon), pan-seared foie gras, confit de canard (preserved duck leg), bouillabaisse (saffron-flavored fish stew), soupe au pistou (an almost pesto-like soup), ratatouille (stewed vegetables), roasted chicken with garlic, aligot (a creamy potato dish with cheese and garlic), fondue savoyarde, tartiflette (a baked dish of potatoes, cheese and bacon), gratin dauphinois (scalloped potatoes), coq au vin (rooster cooked in wine), raclette (an alpine dish of melted cheese), quiche lorraine, boeuf bourguignon (beef stew), and escargots (snails).
Confit de Canard at Arena
Among those I’ve yet to try, I’m most excited to taste: gougeres (cheese puffs), navarin d’agneau (lamb stew), gigot d’agneau pleureur (lamb shank), pike with lobster sauce, poulet basquaise (Basque chicken with peppers and tomatoes) and piperade (a spicier version of ratatouille with baked eggs).
The list is broken down into regional specialties. From Normandy, Brittany and the Paris region, I’ve tried 9 of 12 recommended dishes; from Southwestern France (Mediterranean and Spanish border), I’ve tried 4 of 8; from Southeastern France and the Alps region, I’ve had 8 of 14; from Northeastern France and the Alsace regions, I’ve eaten 5 of 9 dishes; and the only dish recommended from the French territories of Martinique and Guadaloupe, cod accres (deep-fried cod with Caribbean spices), has not yet made its way onto any menu I’ve come across. Yet.
Boeuf Bourguignon at Les Philosophes
How many have you tried? What stands out on this list as something you’re absolutely going to order during your next (or first!) visit to France?
