Five French Regions And Their Local Favourite Dishes

It’s Bastille Day, and French-Francophone communities around the world are popping open champagne bottles, slapping on the pâté and breaking crusty baguettes over melted brie. We decided to go through some of our favourite regions in France and pick one local favourite from each. This time, we ditched the usual suspects like croissants and French onion soup to take a deeper dive into what the locals love. Be sure to try these on your next gastronomic exploration through France, and use our quick pronunciation guide. 

Pissaladière in Cote d’Azur

Beyond the glitz and glamour of the French Riviera towns, with soirees on yachts in Cannes, coastal walks in Nice and medieval towns of St Paul and Vence, there’s a strong culinary offering in the southern French region. In fact, it has its very own version of pizza, called pissaladière. This flatbread of sorts uses ingredients that are typical to the region, and you will see it at almost every table in the Riviera. Expect generous toppings of olives, anchovies, tuna and onions, generously drizzled with olive oil. A perfect mid-day snack! 

Pronunciation: Pee - sala - dee - air

Tarte Tropezienne in Provence

The luxe boutiques of St. Tropez, and the Instagrammable lavender fields of Aix-en-Provence or Marseille’s old port and baroque churches are what we love Provence for. This southern French region comes alive in summer, and one of its most loved desserts comes from St. Tropez. The tarte tropezienne is essentially a brioche sandwich, filled with different varieties of cream and beautifully garnished with sugar powder or even light icing, designed in 1952 by a Polish migrant patissier, Micka, in this town, and much loved by the tropezienne Brigitte Bardot. The tart is also sometimes flavoured with vanilla or orange blossom. 

Pronunciation: Tart - tro - pay - zee - yen

Tartiflette in the Rhone-Alpes

The eastern Rhone-Alpes region of France boasts the country’s gastronomic capital, Lyon, and is known for its culinary schools, medieval towns and, of course, the luxe ski resort of Courchevel, much loved by celebrities. Locals will tell you that they absolutely love a good tartiflette. This baked casserole features potatoes as the key ingredient, making it so comforting, especially on cold nights. Tartiflette combines the goodness of potatoes, onions, bacon bits and Reblochon cheese, with a generous dousing of white wine for that extra punch. Once baked perfectly, the cheese bubbles under and is best enjoyed with some green salad and sliced baguette. 

Pronunciation:Tart - tee - flett 

Gougères in Burgundy 

This is one of the most famous wine-producing regions in the world, and people flock here for wine tours, visits to its medieval towns like Beaune and Mâcon, and to source Dijon’s world-famous mustard. The humble gougère remains a local favourite, and it will be served to you at almost every home. It is essentially a choux pastry in a savoury avatar, oozing with local cheese. You will find gougères stuffed with gruyère or comté in most cases, and they are usually served as an accompaniment to the apéritif and ideal when paired with a white wine from the region. 

Pronunciation: Goo - jair 

Gâteau St. Honoré in Paris

If you’re strolling through the ritziest avenue in Paris' Rue St. Honoré – home to all the top Parisian luxury boutiques – you must stop for a moment to enjoy a lesser-known pastry named after this neighbourhood. The gâteau St. Honoré dates back to 1847, when it was sold at a pastry shop here. It comprises a choux pastry, laced with a light cream, known as Chiboust cream, doused with whipped cream and drizzled with salted caramel sauce. This gâteau is much loved by local Parisians but is often overlooked by tourists, and is a perfect mid-day pick-me-up from your local patisserie.

Pronunciation: Ga - to - san - ton - no - ray