Are you planning a trip to Paris? We are all familiar with Paris as the city of love, as well as a romantic getaway and shopping excursion. There are a variety of excellent options to pick from while wandering around Paname's métropole. When planning a tour throughout the world, many travelers want to visit iconic establishments. On the other hand, the cuisine options available on French streets are equally as delectable. When you want to grab a quick bite with your friends and family or that special someone in your life, you don't have to worry about making reservations. The importance of food in French culture cannot be overstated. The French method of eating was designated as an Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO in 2010!
If you do not dine out in Paris, you will be missing out. Some people learn about a new place by visiting museums and tourist attractions; I learn about it by eating. So, there is only one way to comprehend the country's adoration for our cuisine: eat it all! You have a few options while on your food tour schedule, so you are not obligated to eat in a restaurant, whether you prefer local or international cuisine. Let's take a look at a few of them so you can plan your next holiday accordingly. As part of a recent gourmet tour of the city of Paris, I went on a quest to find the top 10 meals that everyone should taste.
Taking a Culinary Tour in Paris
It was a beautiful Friday morning when we arrived in Paris, and we stayed in the picturesque Montmartre neighborhood. We had till Monday afternoon to visit every café, pastry store, market, and bistros in Paris. We wanted to sample classic Paris – the falafel, escargots, and so on - because it was our first visit. As a result, we didn't get to try many restaurants, but we did have a memorable supper at Le Richer.
Top 10 Foods in Paris
1. Falafel
Falafel sandwiches are just as Parisian as ham sandwiches these days, even though they may not be everyone's concept of classic French food. Falafel is a patty-shaped fritter made with broad beans, ground chickpeas, or a combination of the two. It is traditionally deep-fried. In the Middle East, falafel is a delicacy that is often served in a pita pocket or wrapped in a flatbread known as taboon; the term falafel is also used to refer to a wrapped sandwich that is cooked in this fashion.
L'As du Fallafel, the city's most famous restaurant, has a wait that often wraps around the block. We had to wait around 20 minutes for our gigantic meal, which we then took to a nearby park. It was wonderful and worth the wait, I must say!
Pickled vegetables, salads, tahini-based sauces, and spicy sauce are served alongside the falafel balls. As part of a meze dish or as a snack, falafel balls are a wonderful assortment of appetizers. In Egypt, falafel is produced with Ta'amiya (fava beans), however, in the Levant, falafel is made with chickpeas. It is quite popular among vegetarians all around the world.
2. Couscous
Another popular comfort dish in Paris is couscous. Couscous was chosen the favorite dish of Parisians in 2006, beating out staples like beef bourguignon and cassoulet. Paris offers a plethora of couscous restaurants, each with its particular regional flavor, thanks to a large number of North African immigrants. Couscous is a classic Maghrebi food, but it is also a popular French dish and a Parisian staple. On the menus of most neighborhood bistros will be a couscous dish.
With a delicious quinoa grain on the side, it's delicate, light, and gluten-free. Carnivores will enjoy grilled pork balls, chicken, and a small lamb chop. Couscous is pasta prepared from durum wheat semolina flour and water that appears like a grain. Moroccan couscous is the tiniest, followed by Israeli or pearl couscous (about the size of peppercorns) and Lebanese couscous.
3. Steak Frites
In Paris, I had to try the steak frites because I enjoy a good steak now and then. Steak frites, which translates to "steak [and] fries" in French, is a popular steak and French fry dish served at brasseries all around Europe. It is sometimes referred to as Belgium's national dish because the country claims to be the creator of the dish.
This meal was traditionally made with rump steak. The entrecôte, also known as scotch fillet or rib-eye (in Australia), is most commonly pan-fried rare in a pan reduction sauce, served with béarnaise or hollandaise sauce on the side and deep-fried potatoes.
This dish, known as bife con batata frita or bife e fritas in Portuguese-speaking countries, is the most popular side dish to serve with beans and rice in the Portuguese-speaking world. It is especially popular in Brazil, where the sauce is typically made from onion rings that have been cooked and fried in the steak's juices and frying oil. Steak frites are also popular in Spanish-speaking countries in the Americas.
4. Duck confit
Duck confit is a traditional French dish made by salt curing the duck (covering it with herbs and salt in the refrigerator for some days) and then slowly cooking it in its fat until its tendering. The delightful result is usually preserved in jars for a few months. Many French bistros prepare their own, but those who do choose the best producer, usually from southern France, sear it until the skin is golden and crisp. Pommes sarladaises, which are superb garlicky potatoes sautéed in duck fat, are a favorite side dish. Isn't duck fat just as good for your health?
Given the amount of effort required in its preparation, a good duck confit is sadly hard to come by in Paris. There are a variety of delectable options to pick from while roaming around Paname. When planning a tour throughout the world, many travelers want to visit iconic establishments. The cuisine options offered on French streets, on the other hand, are just as delicious. When you want to grab a fast bite with your friends and family or that special someone in your life, you don't have to make reservations.
5. Escargots: A national symbol of France
Snails can be prepared in various ways in Paris, but the most popular method is that of Burgundy. The escargots are stuffed in their shells and served with a delicious herb, butter, and garlic mixture. Escargots, on the other hand, have become so popular in Paris that some restaurants have added their unique twist to the dish. Snails now come with a variety of sauces, such as Roquefort, truffle, and even curry-based sauces. You must try them before departing from Paris!
Snails have a fishy or chickeny flavor with a mushroom-like earthiness, according to several people. The snail, on the other hand, absorbs the flavor of the butter or sauce in which it is cooked for the most part. Escargot isn't a fleeting fad in France, where 700 million snails are consumed each year. Do you want to know which part of the meal is the best? Escargots are high in iron and magnesium, and they're also delicious!
6. Jambon-beurre
Who doesn't enjoy a delicious ham sandwich? It consists of a buttered sliced baguette stuffed with ham chunks. With over 2 million sandwiches sold every day, this is a popular lunch option. The famed jambon-beurre sandwich is impossible to imagine a more iconic Parisian food. The snack's alternate name, the Parisien, confirms this. This is France's most popular sandwich, and it can be found in any bakery or neighborhood tavern. The jambon-beurre is the quintessential Parisian sandwich, and all city dwellers, including Parisians, require it regularly.
It's traditionally made with a buttered and split Parisian baguette, which is then topped with Jambon de Paris ham slices. Make this recipe your own by adding lettuce, gherkins, cheese, or chips. It comes as a half-baguette with cold butter on the interior and 'jambon de Paris,' a pink-hued grilled ham with cornichons as an alternative.
- Croque-monsieur
In 1901, the legendary croque-monsieur was born in a brasserie on Paris' Boulevard des Capucines. Michel Lunarca, a cafe owner, was the one who came up with the story. Monsieur Lunarca decided to make a loaf of "pain de mie" because he had run out of bread for his crusty sandwich of the day.
The croque-monsieur, cheese sandwich and a crisp grilled ham and frequently a splash of béchamel sauce is drizzled on top of the dish, is a menu mainstay in most brasseries and cafés in Paris. If you're really hungry, go for the croque-madame, which has a fried egg on top and is served with fries. This sandwich is the king of grilled cheeses, cooked till it's gushing with bechamel sauce, ham, cheese, and a dab of Dijon mustard!
- Steak tartare
While raw beef-eating may not be possible for every person, those who do will be rewarded handsomely! Seasoning of raw ground beef is done with black pepper, onion, and capers in steak tartare, a restaurant favorite. Many of the essential enzymes in meat are lost when it is cooked. Many people enjoy eating raw beef because of the nutritional benefits and nutrients that stay in the meat when served uncooked.
It is traditionally topped with a yolk of raw egg. Despite its current prominence in France, this dish is said to have originated in modern-day Mongolia. It was brought to Europe by Russian sailors in the seventeenth century, and the rest is history. By the turn of the century, steak tartare had become popular among Paris' upper crust, and it has since been synonymous with luxury and French cuisine. Steak tartare can now be found on the menus of high-end restaurants, steakhouses, and French eateries all over the world.
9. Onion soup
Another well-known Parisian meal is onion soup, which is served at a temperature that is about as heated as it gets. According to folklore, Louis XV established the recipe over three centuries ago. The beef broth with caramelized onions is now served, with a slice of Gruyère cheese and crunchy croutons on top. And, yes, it tastes just as good as it sounds. Simple to make, traditional French onion soup illustrates how seriously we take cuisine in France. Where else on the planet might an ordinary onion be elevated to such gourmet heights? Onions have been used in soups since the Roman era. Onions have traditionally been regarded as a poor man's diet due to their availability and ease of production. In the 18th century, in Paris, France, a modern version of this soup, cooked with beef broth and caramelized onions, was invented.
It was initially served in the United States in 1861 at Henri Mouquin's New York restaurant, where his wife Marie Julie Grandjean Mouquin worked as the chef. It's usually served in a ramekin with croutons and melted Comté on top under a salamander. The crouton on top is a throwback to when the soup was cooked from scratch.
- Doner Kebab
Sandwich grec, often known as doner kebab, is a popular and distinctive hot meal that can be eaten on the go. In a tangy white sauce, shredded meat (excluding pork) is mixed with salad, tomato, and occasionally raw onion and served in a pita pocket or a large wrap, generally with french fries on the side. You can eat it fully with your fingers, so no fork or knife is required. The gourmet walking tour should be saved for another day because it will fill you up.
Doner kebab slices can be served on a platter with many different toppings, sandwiched in bread like pita, or wrapped in a thin flatbread such as yufka or lavash as a dürüm. It's a kebab made with rotisserie-grilled beef cooked vertically. The döner kebab, which is cooked vertically, is widely associated with Bursa, a modern-day Turkish town.