List of French dishes facts for kids

French cuisine is famous around the world! It's a style of cooking from France that includes many different dishes, from everyday meals to fancy restaurant food. Some dishes are loved all over the country, while others are special to certain regions. France also has amazing breads, delicious meats like charcuterie, and lots of yummy desserts.

Popular French Dishes Across the Country

Many dishes are now considered national favorites in France. Some started in fancy restaurants (called haute cuisine), but others were regional specialties that became popular everywhere. Here are some common dishes you might find all over France:

• Chicken Marengo – A chicken dish with mushrooms and tomatoes.
• Hachis Parmentier – Like a shepherd's pie, with mashed potatoes on top of minced meat.
• Jambon-beurre – A simple but tasty sandwich with ham and butter on a baguette.
• Poulet chasseur – Chicken cooked "hunter style" with mushrooms, onions, and white wine.

Common French Breads

A classic Baguette

Flûtes, a thicker baguette

French bread is a big deal! Here are some popular types:

• Ficelle – A very thin baguette.
• Baguette – The long, crusty bread everyone knows.
• Flûte – A baguette that's a bit thicker than a regular one.
• Boule – A round, ball-shaped loaf.
• Pain de campagne – A traditional country-style bread.
• Pain de mie – A soft, square bread, often used for sandwiches.

Sweet Pastries (Viennoiseries)

These are sweet, baked goods, often eaten for breakfast or as a snack.

• Chausson aux pommes – An apple turnover pastry.
• Chouquette – Small, hollow pastries sprinkled with sugar.
• Croissant – The famous flaky, buttery crescent-shaped pastry.
• Pain au chocolat – A chocolate croissant, filled with chocolate.
• Pain aux raisins – A swirl pastry with raisins.
• Pain viennois – A soft, slightly sweet bread, often shaped like a baguette.

Popular Desserts and Pastries

A delicious mille-feuille pastry

France is famous for its amazing desserts!

• Biscuit Tortoni – A type of ice cream dessert.
• Brioche – A rich, buttery bread, often sweet.
• Bûche de Noël – A "Yule log" cake, popular at Christmas.
• Café liégeois – A cold coffee dessert with ice cream and whipped cream.
• Crème brûlée – A creamy custard with a hard, caramelized sugar top.
• Croquembouche – A tall cone of cream puffs, often for celebrations.
• Croustade aux pommes – An apple tart.
• Éclair – A long pastry filled with cream and topped with icing.
• Far Breton – A flan-like cake from Brittany, often with prunes.
• Fraisier – A beautiful cake with fresh strawberries and cream.
• Galette des rois – A "king cake" eaten in January, often with a hidden charm inside.
• Gateau au yaourt – A simple yogurt cake.
• Macarons – Colorful, delicate meringue cookies with a creamy filling.
• Madeleine – Small, shell-shaped sponge cakes.
• Mille-feuilles – A pastry with many layers of puff pastry and cream.
• Mousse au chocolat – A light and airy chocolate dessert.
• Pain perdu – French toast, meaning "lost bread."
• Quatre-quarts – A simple cake made with equal parts of four ingredients.
• Saint Honoré – A fancy cake with cream puffs and whipped cream.
• Soufflé – A light, airy baked dish that puffs up, can be sweet or savory.

Regional Specialties: A Taste of France

France is divided into many regions, and each has its own special dishes, often using local ingredients.

Alsace: Flavors from the East

A typical choucroute garnie with sausages and potatoes

Alsace, near the German border, has hearty dishes:

• Choucroute garnie – Sauerkraut (fermented cabbage) served with different sausages, pork, and potatoes.
• Coq au Riesling – Chicken cooked in Riesling wine, a local twist on a classic.
• Kouglof – A sweet, brioche-like cake with almonds, baked in a special mold.
• Tarte flambée / Flammekueche – A very thin, crispy flatbread topped with cream, onions, and bacon.

Normandy: Apple and Cream Delights

Normandy is known for its apples, cider, and dairy products:

• Moules à la crème Normande – Mussels cooked with white wine, Normandy cider, garlic, and cream.
• Tarte Normande – A delicious apple tart.
• Teurgoule – A slow-baked rice pudding.

Brittany: Crepes and Seafood

A sweet crêpe, a thin French pancake

Brittany, on the coast, offers seafood and famous pancakes:

• Crêpes – Very thin pancakes, often filled with sweet things like jam or savory fillings like cheese and ham.
• Kouign amann – A rich, buttery pastry that's flaky and sweet.
• Kig ha farz – A traditional boiled pork dinner with buckwheat dumplings.

Burgundy: Wine and Rich Stews

Burgundy is famous for its wines, which are often used in cooking:

Gruyère Cheese Gougères, cheesy puffs

• Bœuf bourguignon – A classic beef stew cooked slowly in red wine.
• Coq au vin – Chicken braised (cooked slowly) in red wine with bacon and mushrooms.
• Escargots de Bourgogne – Snails baked in their shells with garlic and parsley butter.
• Gougère – Savory cheese puffs made with choux pastry.

Rhône-Alpes: Mountain Cheeses and Hearty Meals

This region, close to the Alps, is known for its cheese dishes:

Tartiflette with ham, a cheesy potato dish

• Fondue savoyarde – A pot of melted cheese and white wine, where you dip cubes of bread.
• Gratin dauphinois – Sliced potatoes baked with cream.
• Raclette – Melted cheese served with potatoes, ham, and dried meats.
• Soupe à l'oignon – A classic onion soup, often topped with melted cheese and bread.
• Tartiflette – A hearty baked dish with potatoes, Reblochon cheese, cream, and pork.

Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur: Sunshine and Mediterranean Flavors

This sunny region in the south uses lots of olive oil, garlic, and fresh vegetables:

Soupe au Pistou, a vegetable soup

• Aïoli – A thick sauce made of garlic, olive oil, and sometimes egg yolks, like a strong mayonnaise.
• Bouillabaisse – A rich fish stew with different Mediterranean fish, tomatoes, and herbs.
• Daube provençale – A slow-cooked stew of beef, vegetables, garlic, and wine.
• Pan-bagnat – A delicious sandwich with whole wheat bread, salad, hard-boiled eggs, tomatoes, tuna or anchovies, and olive oil.
• Pissaladière – A kind of savory tart, similar to pizza, often topped with caramelized onions and anchovies.
• Ratatouille – A colorful vegetable stew with olive oil, eggplant, zucchini, bell peppers, tomatoes, onions, and garlic.
• Salade Niçoise – A fresh salad with various ingredients, always including black olives and tuna.
• Soupe au pistou – A bean soup served with a "pistou" (like Italian pesto) of basil, garlic, and Parmesan cheese.
• Tapenade – A spread made from finely chopped olives, capers, anchovies, and olive oil.

Common French Ingredients

Foie gras, a rich duck or goose liver

Escargot (snails) cooked with garlic and parsley butter

A black Périgord Truffle, a prized mushroom

French cooking uses many fresh, local ingredients.

Vegetables

Fruits

Meats

Eggs

Eggs are often eaten in France in different ways:

Fish and Seafood

France has a long coastline, so seafood is very popular:

Herbs and Seasonings

These add amazing flavor to French dishes:

You can find these fresh ingredients at supermarkets, specialty shops, or local street markets that pop up on certain days. Some towns even have covered markets, which are like indoor food halls.

See also

• List of French cheeses
• List of French desserts
• List of French soups and stews