SHARE
COPY LINK

FOOD AND DRINK

The French ‘delicacies’ foreigners find hard to stomach

They might make your stomach churn but if you really want to experience all that France has to offer then these 14 "delicacies" need to be tried at least once.

The French 'delicacies' foreigners find hard to stomach
Raw meat anyone? Photo: William Kwan
While most foreigners won't go beyond a rump steak or a hamburger when it comes to eating beef, the French will pretty much eat every part of a cow, bar the hide, and what's more they'll call it a delicacy.
 
French chef Iman Bogen says we need to open our eyes and mouths to some of France's more stomach-churning delicacies.
 
“When I first tried snails (escargots) as a kid, I never wanted to taste them again. But once I tried them with garlic and parsley butter, I loved them and was addicted,” he said. 
 
Here's a list of 14 French delicacies that many Anglos can't stomach (while others are positively obsessed with them) and why we should give them a try.
 
Langue de boeuf
 
The thought of putting a cow's tongue in your mouth may seem revolting, but Bogen says the trick to cooking and eating cow's tongue is to disguise the fact that it is in fact a tongue. 
 
“Often the shape can put people off so you should cut the tongue into nice thin slices and it will really melt in your mouth,” the chef says.
 
Photo: Charles Haynes
 
Lapin 
 
Rabbit used to be quite a common dish in the UK until they made the film Watership Down. Then it just didn’t seem right to eat cute bunnies anymore. But the tradition lives on in France and Bogen says there are steps to take to get past this psychological barrier. 
 
“Make sure you buy it without the head,” he says. “Rabbit has a strong taste but it’s a lot like chicken. The traditional way is to have it with a mustard sauce, but don’t overcook it or it'll be too tough.”
 
Photo: Dominique Aribert
 
Tetines
 
Udders are another part of the cow’s body that perhaps suffer from an image problem. When it comes to persuading Anglos of the merits of getting your knife and fork into them, “You just have to open yourself up to new experiences,” says Bogen. “And remember it's very good for you.” 
 
So next time you’re in a restaurant in Paris and about to order a croque monsieur or a cheeseburger, why not live a little and go for 'an udder' option?
 
Photo: Omaka09/Flickr

 
Frogs' legs
 
They're hugely popular in France, where 80 million pairs are gobbled up every year. You can fry them, boil them, sautée them.. in fact you can eat them almost any way you like and they taste like a kind of chickeny fish. 
 
In fact, they're pretty delicious – you just need to overcome any initial squeamishness. 
 
 
Do the French really still eat frogs' legs?
 
 
 
Ris de veau
 
This is often translated as 'sweetbread' but ris de veau is basically the culinary name for calf’s pancreas. Doesn’t sound too appetizing to you? 
 
“Sear it in plenty of flour and butter and enjoy it with some mushrooms. It has a really nutty flavour,” says Bogen. Not convinced? Washing it down with a decent bottle of Burgundy might make eating a cow's pancreas slightly more appealing.
 
Photo: Le journal de maman
 
Pigeon
 
There’s not much love for pigeons in general and even less enthusiasm when it comes to the thought of eating them. But in France the tradition of eating game birds goes back centuries and it needs to be kept alive, says Bogen.
 
“There’s nothing better than stuffing a bit of foie gras in a pigeon or quail and eating it with some wild mushrooms in winter,” he says.
 
Photo: Charles Haynes
 
Tripe
 
While many Anglos wouldn’t even feed tripe to their pets, the French have long had a stomach for eating, well, stomach. Bogen says we should remember that eating edible offal from farm animals is good for your health, because of the high content of the protein collagen. 
 
“People are usually afraid of what it is but when you cook it for a long time on a low heat with a bouquets-garnier and white wine, it’s fantastic.”
 
Photo: Huang Yong
 
Escargots
 
Snails, the most famed French delicacy beside frogs' legs, are another of those things you wouldn't usually imagine on your dinner plate. 
 
So why should you eat them (besides for the experience, of course)? Well they're delicious as an appetizer, and they're also virtually fat-free, sugar-free, and carb-free. Thank us later. 
 
The great Gallic grub that's surprisingly healthyPhoto: Hafiz Issadeen/Flickr
 
Rognons
 
Although kidneys are by no means unique to France, the French do love a good rognon and they are a common sight on menus. Bogen says there’s no reason expats shouldn’t have the appetite for a few. 
 
“I've been eating these since I was a child. If you cook them right – nicely seared with a creamy mushroom sauce – they are delicious.”
 
Photo: Frédérique Voisin-Demary
 
Andouillette
 
This sausage has been frightening foreigners for years, probably because it's made with easily-identifiable pig’s intestines. Another turn-off for the more faint-hearted among us can be the pungent smell. 
 
But really there’s nothing to be afraid of, says Bogen. “The taste is not as overpowering as the smell suggests. It’s very sweet and goes really well with onion confit,” says the chef. And if you want the finest Andouillette in France then head to Lyon, Bogen advises.
 
Photo: Lwy/Flickr
 
Steak tartare
 
The sight of a Frenchman wolfing down a steak tartare, (chopped up or minced raw meat) has shocked many a newly-arrived foreigner in France. To many of us, steak tartare looks like it belongs in a polystyrene box on a supermarket shelf, not on a plate at a brasserie. But Bogen disagrees. 
 
“Steak tartare is really light, it’s like eating sushi. It’s easy to digest and you don’t get any the grease you get from cooking the meat,” he said.
 
Photo: William Kwan
 
Foie gras
 
It’s not so much the taste of foie gras that puts some people off, but all the force-feeding of geese and ducks that goes on before it ends up on our plates. Forget about all that, says Bogen. 
 
“It’s natural for the livers of ducks and geese to get fat. Foie gras is the result of a natural process, it’s not the result of a disease or anything. And it tastes so good,” he says. Not many would argue with his last point.
 
Photo: Stu spivack
 
Tête de veau
 
Cows are not known for being the cleverest animals, but once their brains end up on a plate, they come alive, especially with the help of a Gribiche sauce. Bogen has an easy solution for those who are not fans of eating veal's brain. 
 
“Just put it in your mouth and you’ll get used to it,” he says. “Tête de veau is very good for people with arthritis. It is full of goodness and all the nutrients we need to have healthy skin and bones,” he says. 
 
Photo: Amy Ross
 
Oursins
 
Just as the French will eat pretty much any part of the cow’s body, they’ll also eat almost anything that comes out of the sea, including 'oursins', or urchins as we call them. 
 
“Oursins have a really creamy texture and bring the taste of the sea to your mouth, just like oysters,” Bogen says. “People might find them slimy but you'll quickly get used to the taste and then won’t be able to resist. Don’t forget that they're also good for you.”
 
Photo: AFP
 
Another version of this story first appeared in 2013. 

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.

FOOD AND DRINK

Cheese in numbers: France’s obsession with fromage

From cheese types to the amount eaten per year, via cheese favourites - here's a look at how France really feels about fromage.

Cheese in numbers: France’s obsession with fromage

March 27th is the Journée nationale du fromage in France – so here are a few facts about the delicious dairy delicacy.

246

Charles de Gaulle famously once asked of governing France: “How can anyone govern a country with 246 varieties of cheese?”.

His numbers were wrong. Producers in France make closer to 1,000 varieties of cheese – and some have estimated that figure could be pushed up as high as 1,600.

8

The number of cheese ‘families’ in France. A good cheeseboard in France is generally considered to consist of at least three ‘families’ – a soft cheese, a hard cheese and either a blue or a goat’s cheese. Remember, too, an odd number of fromages on a platter is better than an even number, according from cheese etiquettists

READ ALSO France Facts: There are eight cheese families in France

2.5

About how long – in years – it would take you to try every cheese made in France, if you tried a new variety every day. Life goals. 

95

The percentage of people in France who say they eat cheese at least once a week, spending seven percent of their weekly food bill on it.

READ ALSO Best Briehaviour: Your guide to French cheese etiquette

40

Two-fifths of French people say they eat cheese every day

57

The amount of cheese produced, in kilogrammes, in France every second, according to this website, which has a counter to show you how fast that really is. It’s estimated that 1.8 million tonnes of cheese are produced in France every year.

27

The French consume, on average, a whopping 27 kilogrammes of cheese per person per year.

READ ALSO Fonduegate: Why customer service is different in France

3

The three most popular cheeses in France, based on sales, are Emmental, Camembert, and Raclette – followed by mozzarella, goat’s cheese, Comté and Coulommiers.

63

Some 63 cheeses have been awarded the Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée status, which means they can only be produced in a certain region.

1

France has – or at least soon will have – one dedicated cheese museum. 

READ ALSO Three things to know about the new Paris cheese museum

SHOW COMMENTS