I recently went on a study abroad trip to Cannes and Paris, France and I spent the weeks building up to the event studying, well, food. If there's one thing I'm obsessed with it's French food. Julia Child is my personal hero and I cook everything in butter. I was prepared to have the best and possibly the worst food in France and let me tell you I was not disappointed.
The Seafood in Cannes
Growing up in Florida I was always a big fan of fresh seafood. I lived twenty minutes from the Gulf so I was a little bit spoiled. Going to Cannes I was curious what kind of food in France would eat. On our last night in town a group of us went to a seafood restaurant not too far from the Mediterranean and I treated myself to an all-seafood dinner. I got escargot (because France) and it was amazing. They had the perfect blend of butter, garlic, and herbs so that it just exploded with flavor in your mouth.
After the escargot I got a bowl filled with steamed muscles. They had steamed it with garlic and more herbs giving the muscles an even amount of flavor so that when you ate it you could taste everything all at once. The muscles were so fresh I had to remind myself to slow down because I was inhaling them. So if you find yourself on the Mediterranean I would definitely recommend ordering seafood.
The Bread
I am obsessed with bread if you can't tell from the picture. I started talking about bread as soon as I stepped on the plane for our nine hour flight overseas. I'd tried to make my own baguette's before and had what I thought was authentic French bread in America but nothing could ever compare to the bread I have eaten overseas. The crust is perfectly crunchy and the middle is always soft. I've noticed that you can faintly taste the salted butter they brush onto the dough to give it that hardened shell and I love it. When you get bread with your dinner they never give you butter to spread on the bread but honestly you don't need it. It is everything you need on its own and more.
If you're interested in making your own version of French bread check out this spoon article for french bread s'mores.
The Pastries
Have you ever tasted heaven? Ever had something so fresh it melts in your mouth because the butter is still melting? That is what French pastries are like when you get one first thing in the morning for breakfast. Almost all the patisseries (bakeries) make them fresh every day in house so you can be sure you're not getting anything factory made. I was fortunate enough to be able to go on a pastry tour around the Marais district and all I have to say is that if you have a free day in Paris and you want to treat yourself to some of the best food in the world, take a walk through Marais for the day and you'll want to be rolled home.
If you have high expectations for the food in France, I can almost guarantee they'll be met and you won't need to break the bank to do it. The bread is always fresh, the pastries always flakey, and the wine always flowing.