France’s Flemish Cuisine

Flemish dishes dominate the cuisine in the northernmost part of France. Whether you opt for one of the several Michelin-starred restaurants, an ‘estaminet flamand’ (a typical Flemish tavern) or a cheap and cheerful ‘baraque à frites’ (chip shop), one thing’s for sure: you won’t be disappointed.

Perhaps the most famous dish of all is moules-frites, a delicious and simple combination of chips with northem France’s favourite bivalve. Other regional specialities include la flamiche au Maroilles (a sort of quiche made with the local Maroilles cheese), la carbannade flamande (a thick beef and onion stew made with dark beer, gingerbread and mustard), chicons au gratin (endives and ham in a cheese gratin), le potjevleesch (different meats cooked in natural gelatin and served cold), le welsh (brown beer, cheddar and mustard served on bread – a northern French version of Welsh rarebit) and le waterzool (a ragu of chicken or fish in a vegetable broth).

Along the coast you’re spoilt for choice with seafood such as prawns, scallops and various fish. One foodstuff the northerners take really seriously is their frites. All over the region you’ll find baraques à frites (in chalets, caravans and sheds) vying to offer you the very best chips – crispy on the outside and soft in the middle. Purists insist you should use the Bintje variety of potato. Chefs disagree whether it’s better to cook them in beef fat or vegetable oil. Last year, La Friterie Mestré in Lille even won the annual frites world championship.

Cheeses punch above their weight here, too. Aside from the aforementioned Maroilles, there is Bergues and the very stinky Vieux-Lille (or Puant, as they nickname it). For dessert, don’t miss the waffles (gaufres) in their various forms, especially the Méert waffles which have become a local institution.

When it comes to liquid refreshment, this far north it’s beer rather than wine which dominates. As well as the more established breweries – Pelforth is perhaps the best known  -there are over 100 micro-brewers across the department, creating all sorts of artisanal beers: blonde, ambrée, noire… there’s something for everyone.

From France Today Magazine