The 5 Best Gastronomic Reasons to Visit Paris: Paris by Food

by beccatran / Mar 17, 2013 / 0 comments

The food in Paris is absolutely divine. Eve- popular chic little Parisian cafes have such a charming aroma to it. Paris is known as the city of lights, but I say it's more like the city of food. I found it so hard to stop eating while I was there just because the food was so delicious. I was compelled to write about all this delicious food! So here is a list of the must have gourmet treats while visiting Paris.

Baguettes

The baguettes alone are one of the reasons why you should come to Paris. They are made fresh every morning from the many bakeries in Paris. The bread is soft and warm and oh so delicious; you can definitely tell it was freshly made. It's a great snack and super easy to find in the pretty cobblestone streets of Paris.  Mornings are my favourite time of the whole day, because I just love how it's so quiet, and how the sunlight streams into the open windows of the Parisian house I'm staying at. My family and I head out early to walk around the Eiffel Tower, French baguettes and our cafe lattes in hand. Super touristy thing to do, but how can you resist? You will notice that every morning, the streets will be filed with tons of people will be riding their bikes with a couple baguettes under their arm.

Macarons

Paris is famous for their macarons. I had never had a macaron before and was dying to try one. A macaron is a cookie made of egg whites, almond paste, and sugar. It has a delicate crackly outside layer and the inside is creamy and chewy. I stopped by a local bakery and got a small pink box filled with a variety of assorted flavours of little macarons. I took a bite of a pale pink cookie and it was probably one of the most heavenly delicacies I have ever had. It tasted like rose petals. Macarons are my new favourite dessert. Macarons come in many different sizes and a variety of flavours, in so many colours, ranging from mellow pastels to wild and exquisite designs. You can find these dainty cookies at any bakery or pastry shop. They even have them at McDonald's!

Admiring the Macarons, Paris

Admiring the Macarons, Paris

Burger Macarons my parents brought for me when I was sick

Burger Macarons my parents brought for me when I was sick

Crêpes

What I was most looking forward to in Paris was eating crêpes. Downtown Paris is filled with take-away crêpe stands, usually attached to a cafe or restaurant. The stands have a large variety of things you can put on your crêpes, so you can pick one that suits you best. A great thing about crêpes is that you can make a meal or dessert of it, depending on the ingredients you are putting in it. The prices vary depending on the ingredients you want (Nutella is always a popular pick). Often these stands are cheaper then getting crepes at a sit down restaurant; that goes for all foods and drinks in Europe! The best thing about take-away crepe stands is that you can watch while they make your crêpes right in front of you. A delicious and well priced meal! Writing about crepes makes me crave crêpes so much.

Awaiting my Nutella and Banana crêpe

Awaiting my Nutella and Banana crêpe

Befriending the crêpe stand guy

Befriending the crêpe stand guy

Cheeses

There are a seemingly limitless number of different kinds of cheeses in Paris. I could go on naming cheeses, but that would take ages because there are hundreds of kinds of French cheese. I reckon that has France has some of the best cheese in the world. French cheese is named by the region they are made from in France and the best ones are not allowed to be copied and sold under the same name. I must say, the cheese made in Paris does taste pleasantly yummy.

Pastries

I can't even begin to explain how many scrumptious pastries there are in Paris. I feel that each pastry could get its own category but that's a whole new article. Whenever I walk in to the Parisian patisseries, cafes, or bakeries, I wanted to order every single dessert I saw on the menu. I would stare enviously at the foods in the window. The croissants are just so flavorful, the creme brûlées so creamy, the  eclairs exquisite, and there are many tasty flavors of tartes. Yum!

Paris - Sitting at a cafe eating creme brulee

Sitting at a cafe eating creme brûlées

 

 

When visiting Paris, I hope you all enjoy the food as much as I did. Bon appetit!

 

 

 

Becca Tran is a member of the Youth Travel Blogging Mentorship Program

 

All photos courtesy and copyright Becca Tran