10 disgusting French dishes for foreigners

France is the country of food and wine. In fact, French gastronomy is one of the most renowned and envied in the world. Beef bourguignon, hash browns, quiche lorraine, pot-au-feu, etc. French cuisine is varied! So varied that it includes in its gastronomic repertoire dishes that are not very appetizing to tourists visiting France.

So what are the disgusting French dishes for foreigners visiting the country?

Snails

In France, snails can be eaten with all kinds of sauces! With tomato, Bordeaux style, Catalan style, etc., but the most traditional version is the escargot en persillade. This is what gives the snails their taste, as they would be quite bland without a sauce!

Snails take a long time to prepare, but they are one of the most popular appetizers served in restaurants and during festive meals.

Frog legs

This is certainly the most widespread cliché outside of France! The French eat frog legs! This batrachian is indeed unappetizing. However, its tender flesh is a treat for gourmets. Cooked with cream, garlic, pan-fried or plain, frogs’ legs are served in restaurants as an appetizer, but can also be eaten at home.

Calf’s head

Calf’s head with gribiche sauce, vinaigrette, etc. This part of the calf can be eaten in many different ways and is a gourmet’s delight! It is a long dish to prepare. The calf’s head is reserved for special occasions. However, it is less and less served in restaurants, because tastes are changing. Today, the calf’s head is considered by many as a disgusting French dish.

Beef tripe

Beef tripe is seen abroad as one of the most disgusting French dishes. It consists of different parts of the stomach and feet of the beef. They can be eaten in several ways. The most famous is “à la mode de Caen”, a Norman specialty with carrots, onions, leeks and herbs.

Sweetbreads

Sweetbreads are offal formed by a gland located behind the trachea of the veal. It is a fine dish, served mostly in fine restaurants and at festive meals. Sweetbreads are rare and expensive. They can be cooked in several ways: braised, papillotes, in sauce, etc.

Foie gras

Foie gras is certainly one of the most famous festive dishes of French cuisine! As its name indicates, it is a liver of ducks and geese fattened by force-feeding. This dish is also controversial outside France because of the conditions of force-feeding of geese and ducks.

However, it is appreciated by gourmets who eat it during the end of year celebrations, with toasts and fig or onion compote.

Calf or beef kidneys

Kidneys are the kidneys of veal and beef. They are cooked in sauce or pan-fried with parsley. It is a dish that can be eaten in pubs and other popular restaurants. Easy to prepare, they can also be cooked at home.

Beef tongue

Among the French dishes that are disgusting for foreigners, we can mention the beef tongue! Cooked in a sauce, it is one of the dishes that is eaten especially in the north of France. However, it disgusts the younger generation. It is therefore less and less prepared and served in restaurants.

Blood sausage

The blood sausage is very appreciated with mashed potatoes. It is frequently eaten by French families. It is a mixture of blood and pork fat, introduced into a pig gut and then cooked. This typical French dish disgusts foreigners who do not understand how the French can enjoy blood!

The calf’s brain

The calf’s brain is less and less consumed, but still remains on the menu of some restaurants of traditional French cuisine. It is the brains of the animal cooked and prepared in a sauce or with a hazelnut butter. Like beef tongue, it is a typical French dish. 

Here are 10 French dishes that are disgusting for foreigners. These dishes are the pride of gourmets and some great chefs do not hesitate to modernize some recipes to please the younger generation.

What do you think about it? Do you plan to try these French dishes that are out of the ordinary?

Would you like to discover other French specialties? Discover this article on the culinary specialties of Picardy.

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