French Regions

Click the map below to see recipes and information from the different French regions, or follow the links below to the a specific region.

Alsace
This is a region marked by it's strong identity, fine arts, costumes, traditional French food and cuisine.

Aquitaine
One of the most diverse and picturesque regions of France. I am, however slightly biased, as it has also been our home for over 8 years.

Auvergne
Situated in the heart of France, the Auvergne region of France is probably best known for it's volcanoes.

Basse-Normandie
This region is heavily agricultural, and supplies most of France's butter, fromage frais, soft cheeses, and even cider.

Bourgogne
One of France's main wine producing areas, well known for Pinot noir and Chardonnay. Famous Burgundian dishes include coq au vin and beef bourguignon.

Bretagne
Surrounded by the sea, fresh seafood and fish are on most menus, especially mussels and oysters. Crêpes or galettes are two famous Breton dishes. Brittany Fish Stew is one of my favourites.

Centre
With game pies from Chartres, and an abundance of fruit orchards packed with cherries, this region also has artichoke and asparagus fields.

Champagne-Ardenne
The region famous for its lovely sparkling white wine, this is one of the French regions also known for it's specialties such as; Ardennes ham, Rethel white sausage, and Troyes Andouillette sausage.

Corse
Corsican food uses many ingredients from game such as wild boar to seafood and river fish such as trout. Delicacies such as ficatellu, coppa or lonzu are also made from Corsican pork.

Franche-Comte
Bordering with Switzerland, Franche-Comté shares much of its culture and cuisine, and is acclaimed for the famous Comté cheese and beautiful Saucisse de Morteau.

Haute-Normandie
Specialities dishes include tripes à la mode de Caen, sheep's trotters à la rouennaise, casseroled veal, or seafood such as mussels or lobsters.

Ile-de-France
The wealthiest and most populated region of France, and boasts some of the worlds most famous French restaurants who offer some of the France's best food.

Languedoc-Roussillon
This is the southernmost region of France, with vineyards on one side and the Mediterranean Sea on the other side. Regional recipes include Carcassonne Cassoulet or a fresh seafood platter, eaten in a restaurant in Sète, a small town on the Mediterranean sea we visited a year or so ago.

Limousin
Limousin is the second-least populated French region in France after Corsica. Pâté aux pommes de terre and Clafoutis are two of the famous regional specialities of Limousin.

Lorraine
Potato is the staple in Lorraine and is used in traditional dishes of the region such as potée lorraine. Other famous dishes include Quiche Lorraine and Pâté lorrain.

Midi-Pyrenees
The Midi-Pyrénées is the largest French region, aligot, garbure, or gâteau à la broche are some of this regions culinary delights.

Nord-Pas-de-Calais
This region is famous for its fresh seafood, esspecialy from the Boulogne-sur-Mer harbor, which is the biggest French port. There is also a producer of snail products in Tournehem.

Pays de la Loire
A region known for recipes such as; beurre blanc, the perfect accompaniment for your fish, muscadet-flavoured sausages or rillauds d'Anjou, with Vendéen wood-oven baked bread, and a lovley Port-Salut cheese to finish.

Picardie
A region of hearty foods, such as pâté de canard (pâté en croute) from Amiens, the Flamiche leek pie, the delicious gâteau battu or The famous "chantilly" whipped cream from the town of Chantilly.

Poitou-Charentes
Most famous for its strong, silky spirit called cognac, other specialities include; fresh oysters, langoustines, prawns, crab and mussels.

Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur
This Mediterranean region of France has the perfect balance between Italian, Spanish and French cuisines. With fine sauces like Pistou or Tapenade, or recipes for Ratatouille, Bouillabaisse and Cod Brandade, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur has a wide veriity of gastronomy.

Rhone-Alpes
Famous for its morning snacks, the mâchons, local charcuterie, accompanied by Beaujolais red wine. Traditional local dishes include saucisson de Lyon , esox quenelle, salade lyonnaise, marrons glacés and cardoon au gratin.