12 Weird Foods in France You Have To Try (If You Dare)

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France is known worldwide for many things, including its rich history, fascinating architecture, and iconic tourist attractions. However, the nation is arguably most famous for its unique cuisine, which includes everything from French onion soup and coq au vin to crepes and croissants.

However, beyond the most famous delights lies a world of weird and wonderful foods waiting to be discovered. As such, France is one of the world’s best places for foodies to try something unique. To learn more, we’ve compiled a list of 12 weird foods you can try in France. Stick around if you want to try the nation’s most peculiar food items.

Escargots

Weird Foods in France Escargot — © Iryna Melnyk / Adobe Stock

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Let’s start this list with one of France’s most famous weird foods. For those who don’t know, escargot is the French word for snail. While it may seem like a strange food choice for most people, snails are surprisingly a staple cooking ingredient in many countries, including France.

In France, escargot is a delicacy typically served as an appetizer. Snails first rose to glory in French cuisine in 1814 during a meal for Czar Alexander and Talleyrand, Napoleon’s advisor. However, they’ve been eaten by hunter-gatherer tribes for centuries. Often boiled in a vegetable broth, they have a salty flavor and a texture similar to mushrooms. In France, escargot is usually served in its shell.

Les Cuisses de Grenouille

If you thought escargots were strange, this next French food item will blow your mind. Les cuisses de grenouille is the French word for frog legs. Yes, you read that right. In France, frog legs are a popular dish. It’s believed the consumption of frog legs started in the 12th century by a group of monks.

The monks would eat the legs during Lent, when meat consumption was prohibited. They could eat the frog legs because they were classified as fish. Ever since, frog legs have grown in popularity, with many restaurants serving them nationwide. Eating frog legs might sound scary, but they’re surprisingly delicious. Served with garlic and butter, their white meat tastes much like chicken.

Sautéed Cervelle

Weird Foods in France Sautéed Cerveaux — © Denio109 / Shutterstock

Sautéed Cervelle, known as ‘fried calf’s brain’ in English, is another terrifying French food that puts fear in even the biggest foodies. However, in France, it’s considered a delicacy. If you’re brave enough to try this unusual dish, we recommend getting someone else to prepare it for you.

The preparation process involves removing the membrane, picking out the red blood vessels, and soaking the brain in water for 12 hours. Let’s be honest; that’s enough to put anyone off. The brains are then coated in seasoned flour and fried. Despite being fried, they have a soft and mushy texture. Sautéed Cervelle definitely isn’t a dish for the faint-hearted.

Brie Noir

If you love brie, maybe it’s time to try its much darker, crumbly, and earthier older cousin. Typically only found in Seine-et-Marne, brie noir is a far cry from the famous creamy, white, and decadent cheese we’ve all come to adore. Instead, it has a much stronger, mushroomy, bitter, and slightly acidic flavor.

This cheese’s unique flavor results from its aging process. Traditional brie takes five to ten weeks to age, while brie noir can take up to two years. The long aging process is partly why finding the cheese is so hard. Brie noir was initially made using misfit brie, which needed to age longer. Many locals dunk brie noir in their coffee.

L’Oursin

Sea urchins, referred to as l’oursin in French, aren’t as weird as other delicacies in France. However, their strange appearance earns them a place on our list. In many cultures, particularly in France and Asia, sea urchins are considered everyday seafood, although they can be expensive.

You’ll likely have seen sea urchins in the sea before. They have a tough exterior covered in sharp spikes and are renowned for being a danger to beachgoers and swimmers. Therefore, leaving the preparation of l’oursin to the professionals is essential so you don’t hurt yourself. Inside the sea urchin lies a vibrant orange flesh with a sweet, salty, and umami flavor. They can be eaten like oysters or mixed into a delicate sauce.

Foie Gras

Foie gras isn’t just one of the weirdest foods in France, it’s also one of the most controversial. Banned in many places around the world and in parts of France itself, foie gras quite literally means ‘fatty liver.’ It’s a type of pâté made from the liver of geese and ducks.

Unfortunately, how it’s made makes it a controversial food. Geese and ducks are forced-fed grains to produce foie gras. Unsurprisingly, this process is against animal welfare laws in many countries. Foie gras has a rich, buttery flavor and a creamy and smooth texture. It is typically served with white baguette and white pepper at the start of a meal, but it can also be a main course dish.

Couilles de Mouton

The next French food on our list is couilles de mouton. At first glance, it may be challenging to identify precisely what couilles de mouton is. However, its translated name gives it away. In English, couilles de mouton is ‘sheep’s testicles.’ Testicles might not be a delicacy in your country, but many countries serve them, including France.

A staple of the Périgord region, the sheep’s testicles are usually peeled, soaked in cold water, chopped into small circles, and grilled with parsley, lemon, and white wine. Regarding flavor and texture, couilles de mouton are sweet and tender. Unsurprisingly, they’re also pretty pricey. They are, after all, the crown jewels.

Farci Poitevin

Perhaps one of the more appealing weird French foods is farci poitevin, a traditional herb-stuffed pâté from the Poitou-Charentes region. One of the region’s most famous dishes, this unique pâté recipe was once a poor person’s dish, as it is made using simple ingredients and leftover meat.

The dish’s versatility means there are many different ways to make it. However, it’s often made by combining meat leftovers with garden vegetables. Usually, the pâté is wrapped in cabbage leaf and served as a cold starter or main course. It’s a strange sight but a delicious one. You can expect a robust, savory flavor. Farci Poitevin is usually reserved for special occasions like family gatherings and harvests.

Bulots

In Paris street food markets and seaside towns, you’ll find many fishmongers selling mountains of bulots, a type of whelk. Whelks are a carnivorous sea snail species that is well-recognized for its swirling tapered shell. They are considerably larger than their land-based relatives and can be chewier, but they’re still well worth trying.

In France, bulots are most commonly served cold, having been pre-cooked at a previous time. They can be served independently but usually find themselves on a cold seafood platter with clams and oysters. Like escargot, bulots benefit from being seasoned with garlic and butter. It’s also not uncommon to find bulots in a Grand Aioli, a traditional Provençal recipe from Marseille.

Boudin Noir

Boudin noir, also known as blood sausage, is an intriguing dish that sounds awful but tastes fantastic. Similar to black pudding, a staple in English breakfasts, French blood sausage is a type of sausage filled with a mixture that contains cooked or dried blood. It’s most commonly made using the blood of sheep, pigs, chickens, cows, and geese.

Of course, the thought of eating cooked blood isn’t pleasant. However, we can tell you from experience that boudin noir tastes delicious. It has a unique savory, earthy, and metallic flavor. You’ll typically find blood sausage served with potatoes and onions in France. However, we’ve also seen it served with apples.

Steak Tartare

The penultimate weird French food on our list is steak tartare. It might sound completely bonkers to many tourists, but steak tartare is a French entree made using raw ground beef. It started appearing on menus in France in the 19th century but only became popular in the 1950s.

Today, it’s one of the nation’s most famous dishes. To make steak tartare, raw ground beef is mixed with capers, onions, chive or parsley, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper. To complete the dish, a raw egg yolk is spilled on top. The dish is eaten cold and has a rich, meaty flavor. As for texture, the ground beef melts away in your mouth. Oh, and don’t worry, steak tartare is safe to eat.

Tête de Veau

The final food on this list is tête de veau, a bizarre dish that could quickly put you off food at first sight. That is, of course, unless you’re used to having animal heads on your dining table because that’s precisely what tête de veau is. Tête de veau has two main recipes, but both feature calf heads. I won’t judge you for avoiding either.

The first recipe features the entire calf head minus the brain and tongue. After being simmered for hours, the meat has a gelatinous texture and falls off the bone. The second and slightly more pleasant recipe consists of meat slices taken from the head. The second option is more appealing because it has a rich sauce and doesn’t look like a cow’s head.