We’ve made it to the last part of my A – Z of French food, with the letters S to Z proving to be quite a challenge!

  • Soupe à l’oignon or French Onion Soup is a classic dish in French cuisine. I think it is delicious and comforting on a miserable day. It is made with caramelised onions, and beef stock, then topped with melted cheese and crusty bread. Here is a simple recipe for you to enjoy:

  • T: Tarte Tatin There are so many delicious fruit tarts in France that it is difficult to choose just one. I opted for Tarte Tatin because I love the flavour of the caramelised apples used in the recipe. Additionally, there’s a fascinating story behind this dessert’s creation. Legend has it that the Tarte Tatin was invented accidentally in the early 1880s by two sisters, named Tatin, who owned a hotel south of Paris. One day, one of the sisters got distracted cooking sliced apples in butter and sugar, and they started burning. To protect them, a pastry lid was put over the apples and the pan placed in a hot oven. The result was a huge success and the Tarte Tatin was born.

Tarte Tatin first appeared in my post featured below:

The 10 most popular desserts in France
  • U: This letter defeated me. I could have cheated and used un/une but I decided against this!
  • V: Viennoiserie are breakfast pastries such as croissants, pain au chocolat, brioche and pain aux raisins, all containing copious amounts of butter! They arrived in France from Vienna, when August Zang opened a ‘Boulangerie Viennoiserie’ in Paris, bringing new ideas to French pastry making. Viennoiserie is the ‘link’ between pâtisserie and French bread. They are typically made with white flour and active yeast cultures, causing the dough to rise quickly and achieve perfect flakiness. Some are made using an enriched puff pastry. All are delicious!

  • W: Welch or Welsh Complet There are few French words that begin with a W, and the ones that do are borrowed from another language. This made it difficult to find any French foods that begin with a w until my research came up trumps! The Welch/Welsh is basically a variant on Croque Monsieur. It consists of a slice of bread, covered with a piece of ham, melted cheddar, beer and mustard. This is then oven cooked in a gratin dish. Often, it is topped with a fried egg and eaten with frites. It is particularly enjoyed in Northern France. Here’s a link to the recipe: https://www.marmiton.org/recettes/recette_le-welsh_531353.aspx

  • X: Xérès This is how sherry is known in France. It can be served as an apéritif. On the rare occasions I have had sherry, in France, it has been with ice. When there are so many wonderful French apéritifs to sample, I’m not sure that sherry can compete – for me, anyway!

  • Y: Yoghurt or Yaourt as it is called in French. I love yoghurt and so do the French; there’s so much choice. In fact, I think yoghurt deserves a post of its own, but in the meantime I give you yoghurt cake! This has to be the easiest cake to bake which is why it’s often the first cake French children learn how to make. The ‘secret’ is that an empty yoghurt pot is used to measure all the ingredients! Here’s a link to a video which explains how to make this simple cake:

  • Z: Finally, I bring you Zeste de citron

I do hope you have enjoyed exploring some French foods from A – Z!