Parisian Gastronomy

Gastronomy in France is a huge topic that must be lived to be understood and appreciated. You can taste the specialties (foie gras, truffles, seafood) or simply a quality cuisine in many good French restaurants in Paris.

Obviously, it is impossible to come to France without eating cheese. It is eaten after a meal with bread and very popular with certain wines.

France, it is also about its pastries and cakes. The croissants, chocolate and other breads such as baguette, are a specific gastronomical heritage.

If you want a romantic dinner, we suggest you a cruise with the Bateaux Mouches or Bateaux Parisiens.

Whether it's carefully simmered dishes by our mothers, dining out at a restaurant, or cooking with friends, mealtime remains a special moment of privilege and sharing for the French.

For breakfast, the French have coffee, tea, hot chocolate, or fruit juice. They usually accompany their beverage with slices of buttered bread, a croissant, or a brioche with various cereal jams.

At lunch, a typical meal consists of an appetizer (raw vegetables or deli meats), a hot main course, cheese (camembert, brie de Meaux, goat cheese...), and/or dessert (usually a fruit or a small pastry). When they're at work, most French people eat at their company's self-service cafeteria or grab a salad, a simple sandwich, or a single hot dish to go.

During snack time, children enjoy nibbling on a pain au chocolat (or chocolate-filled pastry, known as chocolatine in some regions of the country), slices of buttered bread with jam or spread, a piece of chocolate, or biscuits with fruit juice.

The French dine around 8 p.m. while watching the evening news. They traditionally have soup in winter (a still widespread habit in rural areas with a variety of soup recipes!) or a small appetizer in summer, followed by a main course, a small piece of cheese, and if there's still room, a fruit or a yogurt.

Delicious Dishes Galore
It's impossible to fully explore the culinary specialties and all the deliciously prepared dishes that abound in the various regions of the country. Whether it's beef, pork, veal, rabbit, or poultry-based, bring out your largest cast-iron casseroles and your prettiest terrines, our recipes are endless! There are indeed numerous regional culinary traditions, making it ultimately impossible to present French cuisine on a single plate: each region has its own expertise, culture, and local products.

Savory or sweet galettes, available in over 200 different recipes in Brittany, chicons au jambon (Belgian endives wrapped in ham) and Maroilles cheese in the North, magret de canard (duck breast) and foie gras in the Southwest, raclette and tartiflette in the Alps, choucroute and Flammeküeche in Alsace, bouillabaisse and soupe au pistou (Provencal vegetable soup) in Provence, escargots and coq au vin in Burgundy... The one common element on the tables of these different regions is bread. The famous "baguette tradition," found nowhere else. Whether it's the original (white crumb) or customized according to preferences (with sesame, five grains, sourdough...), very few meals go without this bread that is so dear to the French. Because bread is an integral part of what is called here "terroir products", like cheese, wine, or meat. They all hold a special place in the cuisine and the hearts of the French, who, despite a slight global trend toward uniformity in eating habits (especially with fast food and sandwiches), are not ready to part with them.

For restaurants in Paris, we recommend the creative cuisine of Chez Francis with a view of the Eiffel Tower, the oldest restaurant in Paris Le Procope, or a romantic dinner on the Seine.