French food
The most famous French dishes: the classics worth knowing
The best-known French dishes include onion soup, bouillabaisse, bœuf bourguignon, coq au vin, cassoulet, confit de canard, steak frites, croque-monsieur, quiche lorraine, the Breton galette and crêpe, crème brûlée, tarte Tatin and crêpes Suzette, along with cheese and the baguette.
French cooking is not only about expensive restaurants. Most of its famous dishes were born in the regions, in markets and in small bistros, from ordinary ingredients and a lot of patience. In 2010 UNESCO added the French gastronomic meal to its list of intangible cultural heritage. Here are the classics worth knowing, grouped by when they are eaten.
Soups: onion soup and bouillabaisse
Onion soup (soupe à l’oignon gratinée) is a beef broth with onions caramelised long and slow, topped with a crouton and cheese and browned under the grill. In Paris it was the late-night meal of the workers at the Les Halles market. Bouillabaisse is the fish soup of Marseille, made with several kinds of Mediterranean fish and saffron. It comes with croutons and a garlicky sauce called rouille.
Slow-cooked meat
Bœuf bourguignon comes from Burgundy: beef braised for several hours in red wine with bacon, mushrooms and small onions. Coq au vin is made in a similar way, with a rooster or, more often today, a chicken. Cassoulet comes from Languedoc: white beans baked in a clay dish with sausages, pork and duck. Confit de canard is a duck leg from the south-west, cooked slowly in its own fat and crisped at the end.
Quick bistro classics
Steak frites, steak and fries, is a staple of every French bistro. Its cheaper cousin, the steak haché, is a patty of minced beef served without a bun, with a sauce and fries. Croque-monsieur is a baked toast with ham, cheese and béchamel, known in Paris cafés since the early 20th century. Quiche lorraine, from Lorraine, is a savoury shortcrust tart filled with eggs, cream and bacon. The original has no cheese.
From Brittany: galette, crêpe and far breton
The Breton galette is a savoury pancake made from buckwheat flour. The best known is the galette complète with ham, cheese and an egg. The crêpe is its sweet sister, made from wheat flour, thin and delicate, most often with butter and sugar, salted butter caramel or chocolate. In Brittany both are served with cider. Far breton is a dense baked dessert of eggs, milk and flour, somewhere between a custard and a cake, traditionally with prunes.
To finish: cheese, bread and desserts
In France, cheese is served after the main course and before dessert, with a crusty baguette. The country has hundreds of cheeses, from Camembert and Brie to Comté and Roquefort. The craft of baking baguettes was added to the UNESCO list in 2022. The most famous desserts are crème brûlée, a vanilla custard under a thin crust of caramelised sugar, and tarte Tatin, an upside-down tart of caramelised apples credited to the Tatin sisters and their hotel in Lamotte-Beuvron. Crêpes Suzette are crêpes in a sauce of butter, sugar and orange, flambéed with Grand Marnier.
Which ones you can eat at Saint Paul
At Saint Paul Bistrot in Fresh Market, Rožňavská 1a, 1st floor, by Trnavské mýto, we serve onion soup for €5.50, croque-monsieur for €7.90, steak haché for €11.90 and bœuf bourguignon for €13.90. We also make Breton galettes from 100% buckwheat, which are gluten-free, sweet crêpes and crêpes Suzette for €9.90. With a galette you can have Sorre cider from Brittany. No reservation needed. We are open Monday to Friday 10:00-17:00 and Saturday 10:00-16:00. If you want to cook the classics at home, our site has recipes for soupe à l’oignon, bœuf bourguignon, croque-monsieur, steak haché, quiche lorraine, crème brûlée, far breton, the Breton galette and crêpes Suzette.
In a French bistro the dish of the day is called the plat du jour and is usually chalked on a board. It is often the best choice, because it is cooked from that day’s shopping.
Frequently asked
- What is the national dish of France?
- France has no official national dish. The one most often named is pot-au-feu, beef simmered with vegetables in broth. Abroad, though, bœuf bourguignon, onion soup, the croissant, the baguette and crêpes are better known.
- Which French dishes are easy to cook at home?
- The easiest are croque-monsieur, quiche lorraine, crêpes and steak haché, all ready within an hour. Onion soup and bœuf bourguignon are not difficult, they just take time: the onions caramelise for about 45 minutes and the beef braises for 2 to 3 hours.
- Which French dishes are gluten-free?
- A Breton galette made from pure buckwheat flour is naturally gluten-free, and so are crème brûlée and confit de canard. Our galettes are 100% buckwheat. We also use wheat flour in the kitchen, though, so if you are coeliac, please tell the staff.
- Where can I eat traditional French food in Bratislava?
- At Saint Paul Bistrot in Fresh Market, Rožňavská 1a, 1st floor. We serve onion soup, croque-monsieur, steak haché, bœuf bourguignon, Breton galettes, crêpes and crêpes Suzette. The Menu Classic costs €8.90, the Menu Signature €13.90 and the Menu Bistrot, from 11:00 to 14:00, €14.90. No reservation needed.
Rather taste than cook?
Bistrot lunch, galettes, crêpes and Sorre cider: Fresh Market, 1st floor, Monday to Saturday.