I (sadly) know very little about French cuisine besides that croissants are delicious and champagne makes me happy! So when I recently visited the region of Picardy, a gorgeous part of France located about an hour north of Paris, I had very few expectations for the local cuisine. After only three days, I can assure you that the food in Picardy is delicious, local and made with love. Here are my best bites, and personal recommendations for foods to try in Picardy!
1. Gâteau battu
One of the most surprising things I tasted in Picardy was the gâteau battu, a local cake that looks very simple but is extremely rich and delicious (lot's of butter and egg yolks). It's made with fresh eggs, butter, yeast, flour and powdered sugar. We enjoyed a slice while walking along the impressive Baie de Somme natural reserve-- highly recommended!
2. Moules
I love mussels and make them at home once a week in a variety of styles. Here in Madrid, I buy excellent quality Galician mussels (from northwestern Spain). They're huge-- we usually serve 6-8 per person. The moules in Picardy are just as delicious but much smaller. I think my portion of moules frites came with 50 tiny mussels! Needless to say, it's quite an experience eating mussels in Picardy-- don't order them if you're in a rush!
3. Pate
The local Picardy pate is served as an appetizer in many local restaurants and is creamy and delicious. I don't usually eat much pate, but, when in France...!
4. Salicornia (Sea Asparagus)
Probably the strangest food I tried in Picardy, Salicornia is a salt marsh plant that seems to have countless different names (I quite like sea asparagus). We tried it when learning about foraging in the Baie de Somme, and tasted some right out of the ground. Salty and fresh, I can imagine it would compliment local fish.
4. Agneau de pré-salé
The local Picardy lamb has its own controlled designation of origin (as most delicious things do here in Europe!). It has a unique flavor given its free range diet that includes a lot of Salicornia and other salt marsh plants. The lamb is generally prepared by slow roasting in local Picardy restaurants.
5. Rhubarb
Local rhubarb makes its way into many Picardy recipes, including jams, compotes, and even juice. Rhubarb tart is a Picardy specialty-- but, unfortunately, I didn't have time to seek it out! I adore rhubarb and it's basically nonexistent in Spain (it supposedly poisons grazing goats?!), so it was nice to pick up some jam to take home!
6. Champagne
Picardy produces about 10% of French champagne-- need I say more? They aren't well known for much else in the way of wines, but do also produce some great beers and ciders.
7. Chantilly Cream
I didn't think whipped cream could be so delicious until I went to a Chantilly cream workshop in the Chateau de Chantilly, where this delicacy was allegedly invented! My favorite thing we made was freshly whipped Chantilly cream infused with passionfruit and stuffed into a profiterole. It was to die for!
I would love to go back to Picardy soon, to taste the many dishes I missed. I hear they have great local cheeses (my weakness!).
What are your favorite French foods?
Supriya Kutty
Just made this morning. Used canna-butter instead of olive oil. They are great! Thanks.for the amazing share I really liked your article.
Claire P
Thank you for sharing such a good list of foods out there! These are looking so delicious and mouth-watering. I would love to try out Moules and Chantilly cream. It's looking yummy!
Neeraj Singh
CHANTILLY CREAM is looking delicious I will try this one.
James Stier
Dishes made with the Salicornia and Rhubarb are awesome, i try these two whenever i get the time to cook. However, the Italian are always awesome.
caro
FYI Rhubarb leaves are very poisonous. That is why they would kill the goats.
Bitefresh
This was so cool.I just love your post section. Thanks a lot for your unique post share with us.. Keep on updating like this unique section
jessica
french and spanish foods are world famous. I am one of the die-hard fan of Spanish food. And the foods you have listed out here are just awesome. 🙂 thank you for sharing.
jessica
french and spanish foods are world famous. I am one the die-hard fan of spanish food.
Jose
In 08/1923, the Acclimatisation Society of Paris served salicornia salad, as an original food.
I apologize for my English (I don't speak English), a greeting and sorry for the inconvenience
Lauren Aloise
That is so cool! Thanks for the info!
Quixotequest
Last fall my wife gifted me an 8-wk course to study French cooking with a chef who had worked at Alain Passard's four-Michelin L'Arpege. It was built around "touring" eight different regions through the food. And while there were great dishes from all I probably liked learning most about Burgundy (like beef Bourguignon), Aquitaine (like Canard l'Orange) and Provençe (like Provençal roasted chicken and ratatouille) the best. But so many flavors and techniques have worked their way into my daily cooking. Truly a gift that keeps on giving 😉
Lauren Aloise
Thank sounds like the best gift ever!!!
Trevor Huxham
I think that’s just amazing that you were able to bring French rhubarb with you back home to Madrid; I’ve grown so accustomed to not being able to bring home nary an ORANGE with me back to the states, much less a hunk of jamón, so I think that’s so lovely you could bring some veggies back home from one EU country to the other. Love these photos…I’m hungry now! 😛