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The Top Five Most Famous French Foods and Where to Buy Them June 22 2022
Ever wondered which french foods are the most famous and where to get them?
The French cuisine is one of the most famous cuisines in the world, it has a reputation for being one of the best. It's also considered to be one of the most innovative, with chefs and restaurants constantly creating new dishes.
In this article, we are going to list five of the most famous french foods and where you can find them.
Escargots (Snails)
Escargots are a type of edible snail. It is a delicacy in many Western countries and is usually prepared by briefly roasting or boiling the snails in seasoned water. If this sounds a little too out of your comfort zone, just remember that they’re often coated in garlic and butter. If that doesn’t convince you I would describe their consistency as similar to that of a mussel
There are many different kinds of escargots, but the most common ones are the French Snails. They are also known as petit gris, black foot and Burgundy snails. Likely due to the dish being French.
You can buy escargot’s online or at some specialty food stores that specialize in French cuisine.
Croissants
Croissants are a pastry that is made by rolling layers of dough into a crescent shape and then baking them. They are often eaten for breakfast or as a snack.
Over the years Croissants have permutated and evolved into different forms as well, many people would be familiar with the chocolate croissant (which is sometimes mistaken for a pan du chocolat), almond croissants (a personal favourite of mine) and Nutella croissants.
Ironically, the croissant itself is believed to have been invented in Austria in the 18th century. The French version was created by an Austrian baker who opened a bakery in Paris called “Vienna Bakery”. But we’re still going to count it.
Croissants can be found at most bakeries and supermarkets. If you’re looking for a quality croissant you should try your local French patisserie
Foie Gras
Foie gras is a French delicacy that is made from the liver of a goose or duck that has been specially fattened.
The dish is often served as a spread on sourdough bread, toast, or crackers. In some countries, it can be found in jars and cans to use as an ingredient in other dishes. It is quite a funky taste that I would recommend on any cheeseboard that features a quality blue cheese and cornichons.
Foie gras can be a controversial dish because of the way it is produced. So some foodies may choose to do some background research on how their Foie Gras is produced.
If you’re looking to buy foie gras it can be difficult in Australia however some online stores offer foie gras
Cassoulet
Cassoulet is a traditional French dish consisting of white beans, sausage, and various cuts of pork. The dish originates in the region of Languedoc and is considered one of the national dishes of France.
Traditionally consisting of the leftover meats from the week, cassoulet has elevated to such a status through it’s sheer & undeniable rich taste.
The cassoulet is usually cooked for hours in an earthenware pot with a thick base and wide mouth, called a cassole. The crust on top can be either browned or left to form a natural crust.
This dish can be prepared from scratch or for those not looking for the hassle, cassoulet is sometimes sold online in a canned form.
Soufflé
Soufflé is a French dessert that is made with eggs, sugar, and either chocolate or cheese.
A soufflé is a type of dessert that originated in France. It can be made with either chocolate or cheese and it has risen egg whites on the inside.
The Masterchef fans reading may know that making soufflé at home can be quite a trying experience. Endlessly repeating the recipe in hopes this time the soufflé may finally rise, and if you think you’re up to the challenge, we recommend this beginner-intermediate soufflé recipe from the eggs.ca website.
Once again, if cooking is out of the question, you can generally find soufflé at your nearest French Bistro
Our Special Mentions
Obviously, due to France’s impeccable range and history of food we cant go over all of Frances amazing cuisines. However, we can (and have) listed a few more options below for those who want to learn more about french cuisine.
How To Make an Authentic French Charcuterie Board June 21 2022
So, you’re looking to make a French Charcuterie board. Maybe you’re looking to impress some friends, or maybe you’re looking to explore the tastes of France and get a little bite of what France is like. Regardless, it should be noted, for many Australians an Authentic French Charcuterie board can look intimidating, and not as accessible as your standard gouda and prosciutto. That’s why we’ve created this guide which outlines the Do’s, Do nots and intricacies of the French Charcuterie Board.
Picking your Cheeses
Possibly the most important part of any charcuterie board is cheese and that’s why we’re going to go through that first. Believe it or not, your cheese does not need to be exclusively French to make a French Charcuterie board, remember that France is extremely close to Germany, Switzerland and the Netherlands and any Supermarket or Épicerie in France will include cheeses from these regions for that reason. However, there are some French Essentials you must include.
Brie
Picking out your Brie can be difficult if you don’t frequent the cheese Isle, because there is such a range of funk that this cheese can encapsulate. We recommend if you’re looking to get into buying your first Brie, then ask around, Brie is almost everyone’s favourite and if you ask people which Brie to go for based on how much funk you want. You will most definitely find a cheese suited to your taste.
Blue Cheese
The most intimidating of the cheeses, blue can be quite a dividing cheese for most people. For some it’s exactly what they want when they think of a cheeseboard, for others it can be very unpalatable, regardless it is an essential for the colour and flavour diversity it offers to a board. Blue in colour and sharp & salty in it’s flavour, if you have a delicate palate we recommend serving lots of accompaniments with this cheese.
A Pressed Cheese
Pressed cheeses may not be the most exquisite cheese, but they still deserve a spot on the board. You can really choose anything for your pressed cheese, whether that’s a Dutch Gouda or an italian Parmesan, it’s really more about including a variety of the cheeses on your board, and in case you’re not a fan of your Brie or Blue cheese, we recommend you choose a cheese you like and are familiar with for your pressed cheese so that you have a sort of a safety cheese.
How to Pick Out Meats for your Charcuterie Board
Salami
Picking out your salami is always a challenging prospect, you can’t know how spicy it’s really going to be before you pick it out, unless someone tells you, it’s for this reason we always recommend going to a delicatessen butcher or speciality food store. Not only will the products be better quality, the service will help you pick out a better spread for your taste. If you want to include a seriously tasty and authentic salami, we tracked down the best classic style French salami made in Australia.
Jambon (Ham)
There’s a range of hams you can go for, a simple honey ham cut that would go in a toasty, or the most glorious and salty prosciutto. You can even put both on the board, who’s stopping you.
Foie Gras and other Necessary Accompaniments
Foie Gras
It’s absolutely necessary to include some bloc du foie gras in your spread. One of
the things that separates a French charcuterie board from your standard boring charcuterie are the spreads, jams, fruits and vegetables. It just so happens that foie gras is the quintessential charcuterie board accompaniment. If you’ve never tried Foie Gras, good news, we sell it on our store!
Fruits and Vegetables
Here’s a list of our favourite fruits and vegetables worth a place on any charcuterie board:
- Grapes
- Cornichons
- Strawberries
- Raisins
- Fig
- Citrus, such as oranges or even Australian Finger Limes
Dips and Spreads
There are 3 Dips and spreads necessary to an authentic French Charcuterie board. Firstly, a Terrine, I recommend Country terrine, just because it switches things up if you’re getting a Duck or Goose Rillette. The next necessary spread is: you guessed it a Rillette. Lastly to go with all these fatty flavours, we recommend that your board has a Fig Chutney.
Bringing it all together! The Carb!
You’ve probably been preparing your charcuterie boards up until now with crackers and maybe pretzels perhaps. Well, there’s a major change coming your way here, the only necessary carb in a french Charcuterie board is a Baguette, who would’ve guessed. Don’t get me wrong, you can use grissini, crackers, pretzels pikelets or whatever your heart desires on a charcuterie board, as long as we’re clear, you need a baguette there!
Not Satisfied?
For more ideas of what you can put on your next (or maybe even first) charcuterie board, you could have a look through our online storefront and find Inspiration. Or if you’re a french food fanatic, you could look through the rest of our blog to get inspired!
Chicken confit or confit de poule is available now! May 08 2020
Chicken confit is a delicious alternative to duck confit. It presents some amazing flavours and textures that you have never tried with chicken. It is slowly cooked in duck fat. This is exclusive for Petite Pleasures and now available in Australia.
This is another pleasure that will complement our range.
Indulge this stunning new decadent pleasure!