Searching for Famous food from Paris? Our Guide will explain everything you need to know about food from Paris. Paris has a deep and rich culinary history and nowadays, a buzzing food scene. The city has real heritage when it comes to then nation’s prized food culture and is home to some surprising food.
Our guide will explain exactly what famous food comes from Paris and where you can find it. There’s also our recommendations on what you should eat here during your visit!
What food comes from Paris?
Despite the city centre’s very small size, there’s a lot of great quality restaurants serving up traditional French food. Some of this even comes from Paris! You may be here in search of one well known dish that comes from the city yet there isn’t one particularly famous one. Surprising I know but there are many ingredients, a cheese and a dessert that come from nearby and within the region itself.
Jambon de Paris
Jambon de Paris is a form white ham that is poached slowly in a vegetable flavoured broth. A popular ham that you’ll find across charcuteries, butchers and markets in Paris. Dating back to the late 1700s it’s now a key ingredients in Croque Monsieur and Jambon-Beurre sandwiches.
Champignons de Paris
Whilst not technically originating from Paris (they most likely originated from China or Egypt), the Champignon de Paris was first cultivated in Versailles around 1670. Found in many classic French dishes, they’re versatile, cheap, tasty mushrooms.
Bearnaise Sauce
A classic steak sauce served all around France in restaurants. A butter based sauce cooked slowly to emulsify and finished with finely chopped tarragon – it’s delicious! You’ll find this in most high-end restaurants serving steak frites. The sauce was invented by French chef Jean-Louis-François Collinet for the opening of a new restaurant outside of Paris for its opening in 1836.
Paris-Brest
A classic French dessert combing Choux pastry and a praline cream. It’s delicious but actually relatively new. First created by pâtissier Louis Durand in 1910 to celebrate the Paris-Brest-Paris bicycle race. You’ll find this dessert across restaurants and bakeries across Paris and France.
Brie de Meauxaoc
Brie cheese comes from the town of Meaux which is located to the east of Paris and to the north of Disneyland. It’s a soft cow milk cheese that’s protected by EU and French law under the AOC appellation. This means it can only be labelled Brie cheese if it’s made within surrounding areas. However, interestingly there is no current production within the town itself. You can find Brie in cheese shops in Paris and across the country.
Food you should try in Paris
Whilst there are many ingredients that come from Paris and the region of Île de France, there’s plenty of great food to try out in the capital. There are some incredible traditional Paris bistros and brasseries that I think visitors should eat at to experience real Parisian food. Here are my recommendations on the best food to try during your visit.
Steak Frites
Personally I think Steak frites is a must when in Paris. Different to steak-houses in the US, you’ll find multiple versions of the famous dish across the city. There’s different cuts of beef served with some of the best French steak sauces that you’ll taste. Discover our guide to the best streak frites in Paris below.
Our guide to the BEST Steak Frites in Paris
Jambon-Beurre
Jambon-Beurre is a deceptively simple ham sandwich. Sure it’s just bread, butter and ham (and occasionally pickles) but it’s a classic case of the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. It’s actually one of the most popular lunch time meals in France with over 830 million Jambon-Beurre sandwichs consumed per year.
Croissant
You couldn’t come to Paris and not have a croissant. They’re not hard to find as practically every Boulangerie in the city will bake then. That said, some can be better than others. Check out our guide to the best Croissants in Paris.
Snails
When in Rome eh? Honestly, les escargots or snails in English are delicious. Cooked in their shells with lots of garlic-parsley butter, they’re addictive. Some can be better than others admittedly but they’re certainly worth a try. For those who have never tried them, the texture is similar to chicken leg meat with a very mild flavour. The dish is served on a special metal dish and comes with special tong and fork to help you retrieve the delicious meat from the shells!
Crêpes
Sweet and savoury, crêpes make for a great quick snack or meal. There are a lot of crêperie restaurants and stands in the city and choosing one can be tough. Discover our guide to finding the best crêpes in Paris.
