Food Bucket-List
- g2travel
- Jul 22, 2017
- 4 min read
A great thing about going to any country is trying new food. While "French" food is highly dependent on the region you are in, there is no shortage of amazing food in Paris. With the City of Light being the capital of the nation, you can find a wide variety of food to curb your hunger. Below you will find my list of food you must try while in Paris.
Baguette
I don't believe you could make it through 5 weeks in Paris and not eat a single baguette. It seems impossible. Baguettes are served at every meal. From being eaten with jam for breakfast to sopping up sauces at dinner, baguettes will make an appearance. With a crispy exterior and fluffy interior, they are delicious. If you take a look at my post about Paris Par Thème , you can read all about the features that make French bread so amazing.
As staged as this photo looks, I swear it was candid. After picking up a baguette, croissant, and some fruit for breakfast, I tossed everything on the table and it looked like this. Too pretty to not snap a picture!
Croissant
In addition to baguettes, croissants are arguably the most iconic French food. With flaky, buttery layers, croissants are the perfect breakfast item or afternoon snack. Filled with chocolate or almond paste (or both!), the classic croissant takes on a new, sweeter form. I've eaten several croissants here and I am not at all ashamed. Read about the interesting history of croissants here!
Macarons
If you go to a patisserie and watch the bakers place the pastries in the case, they do so as if they are displaying jewelry. Macarons come in every color you can imagine (and seemingly equal number of flavors) and look like little jewels. Many places take this to another level with their ornate wrapping and display of macarons in their boxes. These delicate cookies are made with almond flour, egg whites, sugar and food-coloring before being filled with jam, ganache, or buttercream. They're as delicious as they are cute.
Hot Chocolate
If you remotely like chocolate, you NEED to try hot chocolate in Paris. Thick and creamy, it tastes like a melted chocolate bar - which actually isn't too far from the actual process. Hot milk, cream, and high quality chocolate are mixed and heated together to create this rich treat - perfect for any rainy day (or any day) in Paris.
Dairy Products
This is a somewhat broad topic, but you should try milk, cheese, yogurt, and ice cream while in Paris. If I had to pick, I would say to make cheese and ice cream your priority. Milk in France undergoes a different method of pasteurization than in the United States giving its products a different flavor.
Quiche
This quickly became one of my favorite go-to meals for lunch. Usually served with a salad, it was filling and usually not too expensive. A quiche is a savory egg-filled pastry crust tart and usually includes meat, cheese, or vegetables in the mix. My favorite type was Quiche Lorraine which included gruyere cheese and ham.
French Onion Soup
Another lunch favorite of mine and a staple of my rainy day meals was "soupe à l'oignon gratinée." Beef stock and sweet onions form the broth, which is then topped with crispy croutons and cheese. This dish encompasses the perfect balance of sweet and salty and crispy and soft.
Croque Monsieur & Croque Madame
In simplest terms, croque monsieur is a grilled ham and cheese sandwich and the "madame" version features a fried egg on top. Sounds like a basic sandwich, but it is so much better. Buttery slices of brioche bread flank sweet ham and gruyere or emmental cheese as the outside is toasted to a crispy golden brown. Sometimes a béchamel sauce (a creamy white sauce) is added, too.
Crêpes
If you're walking around and smell a sugary scent in the air, you're probably near a crêpe stand - I recommend indulging in one! The ultra thin "pancakes" are filled with your choice of sweet substituents ranging from a simple butter and sugar combo, to cinnamon, to strawberries, to nutella. A savory crêpe, known as a galette, is also an option. This version features a buckwheat flour instead to remove the sugariness of its sweeter counterpart.
Picnic!
* I acknowledge that this isn't food, but I believe this is a necessary to the French experience*
Picnics have become a normal part of our life - we have been having multiple a week. This has been a great way to save money and a fun way to explore the city. With Netta and Natasha, I pick a place we haven't seen yet (Notre Dame, The Eiffel Tower, Versailles) to determine our picnic location. A trip to the grocery yields a baguette, a round of camembert, a package of salami, carrots, hummus, and a bag of chips for around 15 euros - so our meal costs 5 euros a person! On a nice summer evening, many Parisians line the Seine with their friends and family to enjoy a picnic and good company.
Of course there are many other foods that could grace this list (escargot, steak-frites, and foie gras to name a few.), but the list above represents my absolute essentials. I encourage you to be adventurous with your meal choices and to try new things. Food is a great way to learn about culture in addition to being a fun way to spend time with your new friends from the program. All of the food has been amazing so far, and I expect this trend to continue!
And because I am that person who photographs nearly everything they eat, here's a gallery showing more of my foodie adventures:
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