Por Expedia Team, el October 13, 2016

Ruta gastronómica: mejores ciudades de Francia

French cuisine is recognized worldwide for its high gastronomic and cultural standards that gave it inclusion in the UNESCO list of Intangible World Heritage of Humanity. Not only for its exquisiteness, its fame among the most demanding palates is due to its prestigious products with designation of origin (DO) that are distributed in the best cities in France.

This country, producer of 246 varieties of cheese and with some of the most traditional wines in the world, is full of regions with dishes that, when tasted, demonstrate the perfection of the mixture of flavors that leave anyone ecstatic. For this reason, I put together a list of three gastronomic destinations that you will die to include in your trip to France. Go looking for your flights and accommodation because your foodie soul will thank you!


This article may interest you: What to visit in France in 10  days


  1. Best cities in France to taste your palate – Corsica:

This island located southeast of the Cote d’Azur and north of Sardinia, Italy has a very peculiar Mediterranean cuisine influenced by both countries. Throughout its long history, this paradise became an entirely French territory.

Called the Island of Beauty for its natural environment and its benevolent climates, it has products obtained from mountain agriculture such as: meats, sausages, goat cheeses, nuts such as chestnuts, honeys with different flowers (with DO), vegetables from the garden and Wild herbs collected on the mint roads.

What stands out most in this territory is the chestnut flour, a nutritional treasure free of dyes, gluten-free and so noble that it is used as a raw material to prepare most of its dishes.

Its sausages are famous for coming from wild boars that live in semi-freedom and that feed on chestnuts and acorns, which gives them an exceptional flavor. An example is raw ham – prosciutto- “prisuttu” and “lonzu” fillet. Ohhh lala!

As if that were not enough, the best seafood and fish abounds: oysters and mussels from the ponds of Diane and Urbino, lobsters, sea urchins, squid, dorado, sardines, etc.

Prosciutto
Prosciutto

#Tip: you have to try the bouillabaisse, a dish made with lobster, sea bass and salmon. For dessert, don’t miss something prepared with lavender, hawthorn or chestnut honey.

  1. Best cities in France to taste your palate – Isigny, Normandy:

In this small town in Normandy they have several designations of origin. The most important are its creamy butter and its special cider distillate known as “calvados”. Calvados is popularly named as bald in France and is made from apples. Its consumption as an aperitif is usually accompanied by cheeses and desserts. In addition, it is used to flame meats, crepes and cakes. As for Isigny butter, it is the most sought after by pastry chefs for its lightness and the ideal amount of fat.

Thanks to its climate and the richness of its meadows, Normandy offers an exceptional range of dairy products, including the Camembert cheese from Normandy,   Pont l’Evêque, Livarot, Neufchâtel, Crème and Beurre (butter). The quality is due to the uniqueness of its lands, fed by the salty water of the English Channel, and the fresh water of the Cotentin and Bessin swamps. It is produced by a soil rich in silt and a varied and leafy vegetation, which is fed by cows whose milk is used to make dairy products and butters for a creaminess sought after by the world’s most renowned chefs.

French cheeses
French cheeses

When it comes to local food, Normandy boasts duck in sauce, cream fish and apple desserts as it is one of the largest producers of this rich fruit.

  1. Best cities in France to taste your palate – Rhône Alpes:

This region borders some areas of France, Switzerland and Italy. Its cuisine is an interesting fusion of these three influences and the region stands out for its olive groves, vineyards and lavender fields.

The entire Rhône Alpes region is famous for its gastronomy characterized by a mixture of great bourgeois cuisine with that of bouchons, the old Lyon taverns that have preserved popular cuisine to this day.

The Lyonnaise specialties that stand out for their simplicity are sausages, pate, soups, pork, chicken, etc., and the special touch is to have the ingredients with the best techniques. Its cheese fondue and tartiflette are famous, a dish where potatoes, cream, pork and cheese gratin are mixed. Oh no, I was very hungry already!

At its tables you will find the delicious tapenade made from black olives from the town of Nyons and extra virgin olive oil from the same origin.

Another sweet that is DO and a must for French Christmas is made from lavender honey, almonds, pistachios and egg white.

fondue
fondue

My little travelers, I know that like me they made their mouth water, so put these exquisite sites on the list of your tour that will allow you to witness the greatness of its gastronomy and the best cities in France. It doesn’t matter if you climb a few kilos … that’s why you live and travel!

* Interesting note: the DO is a high quality indication that determines a certain geographical origin and that grants exclusive characteristics. This appointment guarantees the consumer the highest quality of the product due to the characteristics acquired in its exclusive elaboration and the conditions determined in each region.