France – Specialties & Delicatessen

French specialties are rarely spectacular and almost always precise. A piece of dark chocolate that slowly melts on the tongue. Breton caramel that tastes of butter and salt. A sardine that has matured in olive oil for a year. France is the country where great moments arise from a few ingredients.

At ginusslande.com you will find French delicacies from over twenty manufacturers - sorted by region and producer, from Alsace to the Basque Country.

Chocolate and Sweets

In Voiron near Grenoble, the Bonnat family has been running one of France's oldest chocolate factories since 1884. Two ingredients - cocoa and sugar - and yet more flavor depth than in most chocolate bars in the world.

From Brittany comes La Maison d’Armorine with its Salidou caramel, which accompanies every crêpe there. Gavottes bake the wafer-thin crêpes dentelles that break at the slightest bite; Traou Mad bakes the buttery galettes from Pont-Aven. From the south, Biscuiterie de Provence adds croquets and almond biscuits.

Sardines and Canned Fish — the French Specialty par excellence

Nowhere else is a tin can a delicacy. In France it is: good sardines are given a vintage, stored and matured like wine. We carry four producers following this tradition - la belle-iloise from Belle-Île, La Quiberonnaise and Les Mouettes d’Arvor from Brittany, and La Perle des Dieux with their vintage sardines from the Vendée.

Mustard, Vinegar, and Spreads

Martin-Pouret from Orléans still produces vinegar using the slow Orléanais method and makes mustard that has nothing to do with supermarket goods. Maison Bornibus from Paris stands for flavored mustards. Rue Traversette fills tapenade, anchoïade, and pistou into small jars, Maison Ederki brings Piment d'Espelette from the Basque Country, and L’Épicurien contributes jams and chutneys.

France tastes best when you don't try to improve it.

Drinks — from Champagne to Syrup

With Champagne Drappier from Urville and Le Brun de Neuville from the Côte de Sézanne, the assortment includes two houses that make Champagne with character. Alain Milliat presses single-variety juices and nectars from the Rhône Valley, La Mortuacienne fills French lemonades in swing-top bottles, and Kusmi Tea brings the Russian-French tea tradition from Le Havre.

For the bar, there are organic syrups from Bacanha — made from genuine flavors from the Grasse region, from elderflower to orgeat to yuzu. Jardins contributes non-alcoholic aperitifs and syrups from southern French fruits, and Le Coq Toqué provides cider from Normandy.

Honey and Table Culture

Beauharnais supplies French honeys, Le Jacquard Français provides woven table linen from the Vosges — dish towels and tablecloths that truly complete a French table setting.

Frequently Asked Questions about French Specialties

What are typical French specialties?
Completely different things depending on the region. Brittany is known for salted caramel, crêpes dentelles, and sardines, Provence for tapenade, olive oil, and herbs, the Basque Country for Piment d'Espelette and pâtés, Champagne for sparkling wine, Orléans for vinegar and mustard. This regional diversity is precisely what makes French delicacies – there is no single national dish.

What distinguishes French delicacies from supermarket products?
Mostly the process and the time. An Orléanais vinegar ripens for weeks instead of hours, a vintage sardine stores for months, a Bonnat bar consists of two ingredients instead of twelve. You can taste the difference, and it explains the price difference.

Which French specialties make good gifts?
Things that one wouldn't typically buy oneself work well: a vintage sardine in a collector's tin, a Bonnat bar from a single origin, a jar of Piment d'Espelette, or a dish towel from Le Jacquard Français. All of these last a long time and don't require refrigeration.

How long do French preserves last?
Sardines in olive oil improve over years and therefore often carry a vintage – two to five years of storage are expressly desired by good producers. Turn the can once a year to distribute the oil evenly.

French specialties from over twenty manufacturers — sorted by region and producer.