20 Most Famous French Foods of All Time

Today I’m delighted to share some of France’s most iconic and delicious foods with you. Though French food is famous for being fancy and complicated, many of their famous dishes are quite easy to make at home.

France is a country that celebrates food as a part of everyday life, not just for special occasions. Simple yet flavorful ingredients like butter, cream, herbs, wine, and cheese form the foundation for many classic French dishes that have stood the test of time.

French cuisine is renowned for its rich flavors, diverse ingredients, and meticulous preparation. Here is a list of some of the most famous French foods:

Baguette

The baguette is a long, thin loaf of bread with a crispy crust and soft interior, and is often considered a symbol of French baking. Baguettes are an iconic symbol of French cuisine, known for their crisp crust and soft, airy interior. This food represents France’s bread-making tradition and is a staple in daily life, often associated with Parisian culture.

The baguette’s origins are debated, but it likely emerged in the 19th century. One theory suggests it was inspired by Viennese bread-making techniques introduced to France. Its long, thin shape became standardized in the 1920s, with laws later defining the “baguette de tradition” to preserve artisanal methods.

Popular Ways to Eat:

• Sliced with butter or cheese for breakfast or snacks.
• Used for sandwiches, like jambon-beurre (ham and butter).
• Served alongside meals to mop up sauces or with charcuterie boards.

Croissant

Le croissant – this famous, buttery, and flaky pastry is often enjoyed for breakfast or as a snack.

The croissant is a globally recognized French pastry, celebrated for its flaky, buttery layers and crescent shape. It’s a breakfast staple and a hallmark of French patisserie expertise.

Despite its French association, the croissant traces back to the Austrian kipferl, a crescent-shaped pastry. In the 19th century, Austrian bakers in Paris adapted it, using laminated dough to create the modern croissant. It gained popularity in France by the early 20th century.

Popular Ways to Eat:

• Eaten plain or with butter and jam for breakfast.
• Paired with coffee or hot chocolate.
• Filled with almond paste, chocolate, or ham and cheese for a savory twist.

Escargot

Escargot, or cooked land snails, is a luxurious French delicacy, famous for its unique texture and rich, garlicky flavor, often served in fine dining settings.

Snails have been eaten since Roman times, but France refined the dish in the 19th century, particularly in Burgundy. The modern preparation with garlic butter and parsley became a gourmet standard.

Popular Ways to Eat:

• Snails cooked with garlic, parsley, and butter, are typically served as an appetizer.
• Occasionally featured in sauces or puff pastry dishes in upscale restaurants.
• Served in shells with garlic-parsley butter (escargots à la bourguignonne), baked or broiled.
• Eaten as a starter with a baguette to soak up the sauce.

Coq au Vin

Coq au vin is a classic French dish made with chicken braised in red wine, mushrooms, and onions. Celebrated for its rich, wine-infused sauce and tender chicken, embodying rustic yet sophisticated French cooking.

Dating back centuries, it originated as a peasant dish in rural France, particularly Burgundy, where roosters were braised in red wine to tenderize them. Julia Child’s promotion in the 20th century popularized it globally.

Popular Ways to Eat:

• Served as a main course with potatoes, pasta, or crusty bread.
• Accompanied by a glass of red wine, often from Burgundy.
• Garnished with mushrooms, onions, and bacon for added depth.

Ratatouille

Ratatouille is a vibrant veggie stew, famous for its colorful presentation and celebration of Provençal flavors, popularized by the Pixar film Ratatouille.

Originating in Nice, this dish from the 18th century was a peasant stew made with summer vegetables like zucchini, eggplant, and tomatoes. The modern, visually stunning ratatouille confit byaldi was created by chef Michel Guérard.

This vegetable stew consists of eggplant, zucchini, bell peppers, onions, tomatoes, and flavored with herbs.

Popular Ways to Eat:

• Served as a side dish with meat or fish.
• Eaten as a main course with rice or bread for vegetarian meals.
• Presented in a spiral arrangement for upscale dining.

Quiche Lorraine

A savory tart filled with a mixture of eggs, cream, cheese, and bacon.

Quiche Lorraine is a savory tart, famous for its creamy custard filling and versatility, a staple of French cuisine that’s beloved worldwide.

Originating in the Lorraine region in the Middle Ages, it evolved from a simple egg and cream tart. Bacon or lardons were added later, with cheese (often Gruyère) becoming a common addition in modern versions, although purists exclude it.

Popular Ways to Eat:

• Served warm or cold as a lunch or brunch dish.
• Paired with a green salad for a light meal.
• Found in bakeries or as a homemade dish for gatherings

Crêpes

Thin pancakes that can be filled with sweet or savory fillings, such as Nutella, fruits, or cheese.

Crêpes are thin pancakes, famous for their versatility in sweet and savory preparations, a street food and home-cooking favorite across France.

Crêpes trace back to Brittany in the 13th century, where buckwheat flour was used for savory versions (galettes). They spread nationwide, becoming a symbol of French culinary creativity.

Popular Ways to Eat:

• Sweet: Filled with Nutella, fruit, whipped cream, or sugar and lemon.
• Savory: Stuffed with ham, cheese, eggs, or mushrooms (crêpe complète).
• Enjoyed at crêperies or street stalls, often folded or rolled.

French Onion Soup

A comforting soup made with caramelized onions, beef broth, and topped with melted cheese and a toasted baguette slice.

French onion soup is renowned for its rich, caramelized onion flavor and cheesy, bread-topped presentation, a comforting classic in French bistros.

Dating back to Roman times, onions were a staple in soups. The modern version, with beef broth and gratinéed cheese, emerged in 18th-century Paris, particularly at Les Halles market.

Popular Ways to Eat:

• Served as a starter, topped with a baguette slice and melted Gruyère or Comté cheese.
• Eaten as a standalone meal in winter, often with a glass of wine.
• Found in bistros or made at home for cozy dinners.

Macarons

Colorful almond meringue cookies filled with ganache or buttercream. Macarons are delicate, colorful almond meringue cookies, famous for their smooth shells and diverse fillings, epitomizing French patisserie artistry.

Introduced to France in the 16th century by Catherine de Medici’s Italian chefs, macarons evolved in the 19th century at Parisian patisseries like Ladurée, where the modern sandwiched version was perfected.

Popular Ways to Eat:

• Gifted in elegant boxes for special occasions.
• Enjoyed as a sweet treat with coffee or tea.
• Flavored with fillings like ganache, buttercream, or jam (e.g., raspberry, chocolate, pistachio).

Brie Cheese

A soft, creamy cheese, brie is often served as a dessert or appetizer. Brie is a creamy, soft cheese renowned for its velvety texture and earthy flavor, often referred to as the “king of cheeses” and a French icon.

Originating in the Brie region near Paris in the Middle Ages, it was a favorite of French royalty. Brie de Meaux, with AOC status, is the most renowned variety.

Popular Ways to Eat:

• Baked with herbs or wrapped in pastry (brie en croûte) for a decadent treat.
• Served at room temperature on a cheese board with baguette or crackers.
• Paired with fruits like grapes or figs and wine, especially Chardonnay.

Foie Gras

A luxury dish made from the liver of a duck or goose is often served as a pâté. Foie gras, a delicacy made from fattened duck or goose liver, is renowned for its rich, buttery flavor and luxurious status, often associated with French haute cuisine and festive occasions.

Dating back to ancient Egypt, the practice of force-feeding geese spread to Europe via the Romans. France refined it in the 18th century, particularly in Alsace and Périgord, where it became a culinary art form.

Popular Ways to Eat:

• Enjoyed during holidays like Christmas, paired with sweet wines like Sauternes.
• Served as a chilled terrine or pâté on toasted brioche or baguette.
• Pan-seared (foie gras poêlé) with fruit compote or balsamic reduction.

Salade Niçoise

A salad originating from Nice, typically featuring tuna, olives, hard-boiled eggs, tomatoes, and anchovies. Salade Niçoise is a vibrant, flavorful salad from Nice, celebrated for its fresh Mediterranean ingredients and status as a Provençal classic, symbolizing the French Riviera.

Emerging in the 19th century in Nice, it originally featured simple ingredients like tomatoes, anchovies, and olive oil. The modern version, with tuna, green beans, and eggs, evolved in the 20th century.

Popular Ways to Eat:

• Eaten in summer at seaside restaurants or as a picnic dish.
• Served as a light lunch or starter, with canned or seared tuna, tomatoes, hard-boiled eggs, Niçoise olives, and anchovies.
• Dressed with olive oil or vinaigrette, often with a side of crusty bread.

Bouillabaisse

A fisherman’s stew originating from Marseille, made with various types of fish, and shellfish, and flavored with herbs and spices. Bouillabaisse is a rich fish stew from Marseille, famous for its complex seafood flavors and saffron-infused broth, embodying Provençal coastal cuisine.

Originating in the 18th century, Marseille fishermen created this dish to use unsold fish, simmering them with herbs and spices. It evolved into a refined dish served in upscale restaurants.

Popular Ways to Eat:

• Paired with white wine, like a Provençal rosé, for a complete meal.
• Served as a main course with rouille (garlic-saffron sauce) spread on toasted bread.
• Accompanied by a variety of fish and shellfish, often deboned tableside in restaurants.

Tarte Tatin

An upside-down caramelized apple tart. Tarte Tatin is an upside-down caramelized apple tart, famous for its golden, sticky apples and buttery pastry, a beloved French dessert.

Created accidentally in the 1880s by the Tatin sisters at their hotel in Lamotte-Beuvron, Loire Valley, when an apple pie was baked upside down. It became a national favorite after being popularized in Paris.

Popular Ways to Eat:

• Sometimes made with pears or other fruits for variation.
• Served warm with crème fraîche or vanilla ice cream.
• Enjoyed as a dessert in bistros or at home.

Cassoulet

A hearty casserole made with white beans, sausage, and various meats, such as pork or duck. Cassoulet is a hearty, slow-cooked bean and meat stew, famous for its comforting flavors and regional pride, particularly in southwestern France.

Originating in Languedoc during the Hundred Years’ War, it was a peasant dish made with white beans and available meats. Toulouse, Carcassonne, and Castelnaudary claim their own versions, with debates over authentic ingredients.

Popular Ways to Eat:

• Eaten at family gatherings or rustic restaurants.
• Served as a main course in winter, often with duck confit, pork, and sausage.
• Paired with crusty bread and red wine, like a Corbières.

Duck Confit

In this dish, duck legs are slow-cooked in their own fat until tender and crispy. Duck confit is celebrated for its tender, flavorful meat preserved in its fat, a hallmark of Gascony’s rich culinary tradition.

Originating in southwestern France, confit was a preservation method in the Middle Ages, where duck legs were salted and slow-cooked in fat. It became a gourmet dish in the 19th century.

Popular Ways to Eat:

• Served with crispy skin alongside roasted potatoes or lentils.
• Shredded in salads or cassoulet for added richness.
• Enjoyed in bistros with a glass of red wine, like a Bordeaux.

Beef Bourguignon

Beef Bourguignon is a classic French stew, renowned for its tender beef braised in red wine, a symbol of Burgundy’s culinary heritage and rustic elegance, and mixed with carrots, onions, and mushrooms.

A peasant dish from Burgundy, it uses tough cuts of beef slow-cooked in local wine. Popularized by Julia Child in the 20th century, it became a global icon of French cuisine.

Popular Ways to Eat:

• Served as a main course with mashed potatoes, pasta, or crusty bread.
• Garnished with mushrooms, pearl onions, and bacon.
• Paired with a Burgundy Pinot Noir for an authentic experience.

Soufflé

A light and fluffy dish made with a base of egg yolks and various flavorings, both sweet and savory.

Soufflé is famous for its light, airy texture and dramatic rise, a technical masterpiece of French cuisine, served in both sweet and savory versions.

Invented in the 18th century by French chef Vincent La Chapelle, it gained fame in the 19th century through Parisian restaurants like Le Cordon Bleu. Cheese and chocolate versions are especially iconic.

Popular Ways to Eat:

• Savory: Cheese soufflé (e.g., Gruyère) as a starter or main with salad.
• Sweet: Chocolate or Grand Marnier soufflé as a dessert, often with cream.
• Served immediately to enjoy its puffed-up texture in restaurants or at home.

Tartiflette

A dish from the Savoie region made with potatoes, reblochon cheese, lardons, and onions, Tartiflette is a comforting Alpine dish, famous for its creamy, cheesy goodness and association with ski resorts in the Savoie region.

Created in the 1980s to promote Reblochon cheese, it draws from traditional Savoyard dishes like péla. It became a winter favorite in the French Alps, blending potatoes, cheese, and bacon.

Popular Ways to Eat:

• Enjoyed in mountain chalets or cozy restaurants after skiing.
• Served hot as a main dish, with melted Reblochon cheese, potatoes, onions, and lardons.
• Paired with a crisp white wine, like a Savoie Apremont.

Chateaubriand

A thick-cut steak from the tenderloin that is often served with a rich sauce. Chateaubriand is a luxurious beef dish, famous for its tender texture and rich sauces, often served in fine dining as a romantic or celebratory meal.

Created in the early 19th century by chef Montmireil for French writer and diplomat François-René de Chateaubriand, it was originally served with a rich béarnaise or red wine sauce.

Popular Ways to Eat:

• Grilled or roasted, sliced thickly, and served medium-rare with a sauce (e.g., béarnaise or peppercorn).
• Accompanied by potatoes (often château style) and vegetables.
• Shared by two in upscale restaurants, paired with a robust red wine like a Médoc.

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These are just a few examples, of course! French cuisine offers dozens of delicious dishes, each with its own regional variations and unique preparation methods.

Nevertheless, these famous French specialty foods capture the essence of French cooking. From crispy croissants and melt-in-your-mouth crepes to hearty cassoulet and buttery croque monsieur sandwiches, these are the foods that French families have gathered around the dinner table to enjoy for generations.

There is always a little history behind each dish, and we publish simple recipes so you can experience authentic French flavors in your own kitchen.

Whether you’re a seasoned francophile or completely new to French food, I hope this post inspired you to say bon appétit as you enjoy France’s most treasured foods.

I hope you enjoyed our tasty tour de France!