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Writer's pictureDiogo Machado

What to eat and drink in Île-de-France?

Updated: May 31, 2022


When you go to Paris, you will find all kinds of food, whether it is from different regions in France or from around the world. But have you ever wondered what you can eat and drink in the Ile de France / Paris region while staying local? What are the dishes and drinks that are made in the region? We're here to help you find out!




Discover with us:


🍻 Drinks




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Salty

What to eat and drink in Île-de-France
"Entrecôte" before being cooked


Entrecôte with French fries 


You will find this dish in almost every restaurant and bistro in Ile de France (and easily in the rest of France). This very famous and typical dish of French gastronomy is a dish that will please all meat lovers!




Sauce Béarnaise


France is gifted to invent dishes accidentally, and this sauce does not escape the list! According to the rumor, a chef invented this sauce in Saint Germain en Laye, while wanting to make up for a missed sauce, which pleased the customer very much asking him what this new sauce is. The sauce is made of wine, vinegar, shallots, eggs, butter, and other small assortments.




Coulommiers


Miam! France and its cheeses, if you go to the Ile de France, try the famous coulommiers, a cheese that looks like camembert, but tastes like brie (it is part of the same family as brie). So, if you like cheese, try it, it will not leave you indifferent!


What to eat and drink in Île-de-France
Croque madame

Croque-monsieur


It would have appeared in a Parisian bistro for the first time in 1910. This delicious dish is made of slices of bread with slices of cheese and ham inside, it can also be topped with grated cheese (if you add an egg on top you have a Croque-madame like on the picture!).

For the fun fact, the origin of its name has always been a mystery, so one day a certain Michel Lunarca would have launched a rumor to laugh that this dish bears this name because it would be human flesh inside.




Soupe à l’oignon


Although it has existed for centuries and not only in France, its French version would also have appeared in France in the 17th century. Once again, the origin is not very certain, but some legends say that it would be King Louis XV who was in his hunting lodge and found only onions, champagne, and butter, and thus invented the French onion soup.

Although today's version does not include champagne but is composed of caramelized onions and beef broth (with, as is often the case in France, breadcrumbs), the recipe is still popular in France. So, if you want to eat a royal dish in France you know what to get now!




Sweet



Macarons Ladurée


You probably already know the little French cakes called macaroons, but do you know the unavoidable and incomparable Ladurée macaroons? A French brand that has managed to distinguish itself by making macaroons with such a fragrant and delicious taste! You'll find many flavors, including some special editions to match the celebrations.





Croissant
What to eat and drink in Île-de-France
Croissant


We all know this typical French pastry, but what we often forget is that it was not officially born in France but in Austria! Or another version would say in Italy. Despite its not so French origin, it remains a must-have pastry during a stay in France!




Paris-Brest


Originally invented as a tribute to the Paris-Brest-Paris bicycle race, the bicycle wheel-shaped cake (although nowadays few pastry chefs make the spokes of the wheel), is made of a choux pastry filled with a praline mousseline cream, a real treat that you will find in almost every bakery in the Île de France!








L’opéra


This cake, created in Paris, is a real delight! Rumor has it that the cake was named after the Opera because the creator's wife compared the cake to the stage of the Opéra Garnier.






Le Saint Germain


If you are not allergic to peanuts, you will love this cake! This almond cake is both light and delicious! It was created in Saint Germain en Laye, in honor of the bishop Saint Germain.


What to eat and drink in Île-de-France
Ice-cream Berthillon

Glace Berthillon


Although the price is high, Berthillon ice creams and sorbets are well worth their price due to their incomparable taste, take a pear sorbet and you will have trouble knowing if you are eating a pear or a Berthillon sorbet! The original store is located on the Ile de la Cité, but now you can find Berthillon ice creams and sorbets in many restaurants and bistros in the French capital.




Chouquettes


Invented during the first half of the 16th century and perfected to become the current chouquette during the second half of the 18th century, the chouquette is a very famous pastry, made of a small cabbage sprinkled with large sugar grains.






Drinks



Grand Marnier


This liqueur based on cognac and orange peel is made in Ile de France (in the Yvelines) and is famous among the French.




Noyau de Poissy


This other liqueur, also produced in the Yvelines (a department of the region) in the Île de France, is made from the maceration of apricot kernels in cognac.





So if you go to this region, we also recommend the restaurant Le Châlet des îles in the Bois de Boulogne (Paris) to eat French dishes and high gastronomy, and the restaurant theater ReminiSens in Versailles to return to the 18th century. And check out our articles on visiting Paris and visiting Versailles to learn more. Follow us on Instagram @thewalkingparrot to keep up to date on the release of our next articles!


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