14+ Most Popular French Street Foods For A Foodie 2022

If it is pretty tricky for you to discover the secret of French street foods yourself, you should refer to my today’s recommendations. I will offer you all the most-suggested delicacies in this beautiful country that you should never neglect as a foodie.

Arriving in France, visitors will be overwhelmed by the beauty of the country’s classic European character. Besides, you will be intrigued by the dishes sold on the streets of France. Let’s immediately discover famous French street gastronomy for a chance to enjoy.

6 Desserts To Find On France’s Streets

I will start today’s list with some delectable French desserts. So if you are in the mood for something light and sweet, you should refer to the delicious foods here!

1. Crepes (Thin French Pancakes)

Once talking about French’s food list or the most referred French dishes, people will never forget about Crepes. The exact theory behind the origin of this dish is quite unclear, but many people believe Crepes first appeared on the Brittany peninsula.

The story was about a housewife living in the 13th century who accidentally spilled her buckwheat porridge on a flat cooking stone (the original version of Crepes).

The timeline and the details might differ, but the fact that Crepes then became a widely-loved treat in France is always true. As the lives of French peasants improved, white flour has replaced buckwheat flour in the preparation of Crepes.

The dessert filling likewise becomes more varied and decadent with both savory and sweet alternatives. So, feel free to pick your favorites. If you don’t know what to start with, you can opt for jambon, cheese, or simply whipped cream fillings with fresh fruits.

Let’s take a look at this Crepes review! It will indeed offer you some helpful information.

2. Marrons Glacé (Candied Chestnuts)

Marrons Glacé or Candied Chestnuts are a famous sweet treat that has its origins in Southern France and Northern Italy regions. These areas are prevalent for their chestnut production, and they started to make this glazed chestnut delicacy in the 16th century.

The term “marrons” refers to a kind of sweet chestnut that is relatively bigger than other kinds of regular ones. Therefore, Marrons Glacé is pretty costly at the stores, but its taste will be worth every penny.

The lovely mild and rich taste of the chestnuts’ interior can efficiently balance the sweet taste on the exterior. To best enjoy these beloved sugar-coated chestnuts, you should have them with tea on the side.

3. Gelato (French-Style Ice Cream)

Many people associate Gelato with a delectable dessert from picturesque Italy rather than a French creation. However, Gelato’s popularity is not limited to the boundaries of Italy; this Ice Cream is also an enticing cool treat on hot summer days in France.

The first Gelato store in Paris is Café Procope (or Le Procope). Francesco Procopio dei Coltelli, an Italian chef and the store owner, opened this store to sell his delectable recipe of Ice Cream.

His cold dessert was so famous in the late 17th century that it earned him French citizenship given by King Louis XIV. Later on, many inventions appeared that helped Gelato reach more people; yet, it would be best to taste the authentic handmade ones at the stores.

Besides the traditional flavors of Gelato, such as chocolate, vanilla, or nuts, you can now have more taste options from other kinds of fruits’ extracts/syrups. Apples, strawberries, or lemons are some of those.

4. Croissants

Nowadays, once referring to Croissants, you might immediately think of a special crescent sweet treat that stands for French famous cuisine. But the food actually wasn’t a French creation.

One theory states that it came there as an Austrian dessert following France’s Queen, Marie Antoinette, in 1770.

However, historians believe that the original version of Austrian cuisine called Kipferl inspired the French chefs in the 19th century to re-create and develop new kinds of desserts. That explanation is also the most widely supported among other folk theories.

If you’ve ever enjoyed Croissant once, then you surely understand why the cake is so famous. Basically, Croissant is just a very rustic French breakfast delicacy consisting of mainly viennoiserie pastry, and the standard version is typically empty with no filling inside it.

To this day, people are still highly fond of this non-core version. They say that the lightness and simplicity of the Croissant make it highly suitable for a healthy and light breakfast.

It is time to know more about Croissants through this detailed introduction!

5. Pain Au Chocolat (Chocolate Croissants)

As you might see right away, Pain Au Chocolat and the traditional Croissant are quite similar in appearance. Actually, their ingredients are also relatively the same.

Both are significant puff pastry desserts and have roots related to the Austrian Kipferl. The most notable difference between them is the filling, and French people usually call it Pain Au Chocolat (meaning “Chocolate Bread”) more than other names.

If you go to the Southern side of France, they might call it Chocolatine instead. The golden time to have Pain Au Chocolat is right after the sweet treat comes out of the oven or when it is still warm. Furthermore, having it with a white, unsweetened milk cup will be toothsome.

6. Éclair / Eclairs

Eclairs is a delicious dessert born in the 19th century in France with a smooth, greasy, sweet, and seductive custard filling. Until the 1850s, this dish was often called Pain À La Duchesse or Petite Duchesse in France before having today’s name, Eclairs.

Many historians believe that Antonin Carême, a famous French chef, was the first to make this treat; yet, there is still no solid confirmation until now. Basically, Eclairs have their exteriors made from puffy Choux dough.

After the shells cool down, the cooks will put creamy fillings like custard or whipped cream inside the pastries and coat them with some icing. In some variations, the makers coat the favorable Eclairs with dark chocolate and sprinkled chopped nuts. How tempting! 

Sneak peek: Here are some secrets behind the goodness of Eclairs!

9 Toothsome French Street Snacks Or Drink You Should Try

Now, move to some palatable French street snacks or savory foods! In case you want to have something heartier for breakfast or dinner, these below recommended delicacies will be great.

7. Socca (French Chickpea Crepes)

One of the attractive dishes in Nice you should not miss is the Socca cake. This type of cake is often sold near major tourist attractions in Nice. This cake originated in Genoa, Italy but flourished in France.

Socca has a round shape made from chickpea flour, olive oil, salt, and pepper. The sellers will cut it into triangles, which may remind you of Pizza. You can have it as an appetizer with some rose wine on the side.

If you have the opportunity to visit the beautiful French city of Nice, stop by and watch the chefs make Socca cakes because this will be an interesting experience.

8. Croque-Monsieur (French Ham And Cheese Sandwich)

You might be familiar with Ham And Cheese Sandwich since various varieties exist globally, but the true origins of this delicacy were in the French cafés and bars. French people in the past preferred to enjoy this toothsome sandwich as a quick and tasty French snack.

In short, a portion of Croque-Monsieur basically includes two slices of Pain De Mie (a traditional French bread), boiled ham, and plenty of cheese as both filling and topping. Therefore, Croque Monsieur might become your next favorite dish if you are a cheese lover.

The name of this delicious France-originated dish includes Croque (meaning “bite/crunch”) and Monsieur (meaning “mister”), which partly tells you the best way to enjoy it.

As mentioned, Croque-Monsieur has many variations; there are one with poached/fried eggs as a topping and even those with bolognese or salsa sauce. All of them are tempting, and you might wish to try all of them in a lifetime.

Do you wonder how French people make their Croque Monsieur?

9. Jambon-Beurre (Ham And Butter Sandwich)

Although Jambon-Beurre is also a kind of French Sandwich with ham included, it is totally different from Croque Monsieur. Instead of using bread slices, the chefs will make Jambon Beurre from the famous French Baguettes, butter slices, and high-quality ham.

Several documents indicate that the Jambon-Beurre became popular in Paris (mostly among laborers) in the late 19th century. Its popularity continuously increased until it peaked in the 1920s.

Nowadays, Jambon Beurre is recognized as one of the most popular breads in France. Besides the most basic one with only ham and butter, you can find other variations of this treat with cheese, spinach, or even French Fries.

If you want to have a recommendation for your picnic meal-prep, you can refer to this Jambon Beurre.

10. Galette-Saucisse – Sausages Wrapped In Crepes

Originated from Upper Brittany, a French region during the 15th century, Galette-Saucisse has now spread all over this beautiful country. Basically, Galette-Saucisse consists of grilled pork sausages, a layer of Crepes wrapping outside, and some mustard to taste.

The vendors/cooks will premake the buckwheat Crepes part so that it can balance with the freshly made and steaming hot French sausage types. Don’t worry about having a cold bite; you will experience a mouthful of this treat warm and appealing.

11. Kir Cocktails

Do you like cocktails? Then, I highly recommend this French Kir. This favorable French drink has its name after a famous hero in Second World War II, priest Canon Félix Kir.

He was also the Mayor of the Burgundian town Dijon, the cocktail’s birthplace, in the mid-20th century.

He loved the products from the region, so he tried to make a refreshing drink out of local white wine (from Aligoté grape) with Crème de Cassis (local blackcurrant liqueur). French people love having it for their traditional aperitifs.

Another version of this iconic French cocktail, Kir Royale, has Champagne instead of white wine from Burgundy. Both variations of this Kir Cocktails are lovely, so you should try them all if you are into alcoholic drinks.

How to choose between Kir and Kir Royale to try first? This intro will help!

12. French-Style Doner Kebabs

French Doner Kebabs often refer to a kind of stuffed rolled lavash flatbread (Doner Kebabs) that originated in Turkey. Turkish immigrants brought this delicacy to France in the late 1980s and made some twists to better suit French people’s tastes.

Wandering around the streets of Paris, you can see this Turkish-inspired street food is prevalent because people have it at any meal of the day. It is one of France’s most prevalent street delicacies, besides Pizza and Hamburgers.

In one record conducted lately, there are nearly 300 million portions of Doner Kebabs consumed in a year. That’s an impressive number.

In one typical portion, Kebab includes relatively simple ingredients with a crust made of dough that embraces the filling. The French sellers can suggest components including grilled meat and vegetables.

The rich, tangy white sauce will also be included, making the dish connected and extremely attractive. Once you have the first bite, you can experience an impressive flavor punch that you won’t forget.

13. Poisson Frit Et Frites (Fish And Chips)

Fish And Chips are a Portugal-originated dish (from the 16th century) that is famous in England, and you can also find it as a French snack. After being developed as a stock meal among the old English working classes, it came to France and became famous.

The idea of making this delicacy is quite simple. All the cooks will do is meticulously fry the battered, marinated fish filets and English-style Fries (with thicker cuts). After that, they will serve you a portion of Fish And Chips with these two components together.

The sauce going with this dish might be different from store to store. My only tip for you when choosing this treat is to opt for those with cod or haddock fish. These two kinds of fish are the most recommended ingredients for the legendary snack.

14. Falafel (Crispy Fried Chickpea Balls)

Curiously, Paris is home to some of the best Falafel globally, despite its Middle Eastern origin. However, there is no exact information about the origin of Falafel, but it is more likely that this dish originated in Egypt.

In contrast, the people of Israel believe that the ancient Jews invented Falafel. In France, people prefer preparing the Israel-style Falafel and keeping the essential ingredients in this dish, such as chickpea, some vegetables, or sesame.

Other components may vary depending on the restaurant, yet the quality is pretty similar. All of them are palatable. After gathering all the ingredients, the cooks will transform them into small balls before deep-frying in hot oil.

When serving, French sellers also offer you some crispy fried Falafel balls inside a cone made of flatbread with some special sauce on top. Eating a whole portion of this food can fill up your stomach right away.

15. French Fries

One surprising fact about French Fries is it didn’t come from France, and its motherland was actually Belgium. Belgium people first thought of deep-frying potato slices/sticks in steaming hot oil in the 17th century before it accidentally became famous globally later.

Furthermore, the name French Fries was actually from an American cookbook, not from the French. Overall, even if the Fries might not have their roots in France, French people immensely love it.

Therefore, you can easily find it as a companion for many other savory dishes or being flavored with many kinds of seasonings such as truffle salt or cheese powder.

Bon Appétit! I Wish You A Good Taste Experience!

French cuisine has always resonated with foodies, and there is no reason for you to miss the opportunity to experience those delicacies. Believe me, their street foods, in particular, can easily appeal from the first time trying.

All the items I introduce to you today are pretty compact. Therefore, you can absolutely buy them like takeaways at many street vendors or small stores in this beautiful country. All you should do next is take your time, make a plan and pay a visit to France ASAP!