Specialties inspired by Flanders and Picardy
Among the great specialties of the North is the famous Flemish carbonade, which is prepared with beef that has been browned with onions, brown sugar and beer. The potjevleesch, which means "meat in a pot" in Flemish, is a terrine of four meats (rabbit, chicken, veal and pork) in jelly. According to tradition, it is eaten covered with French fries, whose heat melts the jelly. The waterzoï is a kind of stew of poultry (chicken, hen), meat or fish. The hochepot, or potée d'Artois, is very similar. It is made with pig's head, bacon, mutton, andouille and vegetables.
Since 2017, Picardy merged with Nord-Pas-de-Calais to form the Hauts-de-France region, so its gastronomy has its place here. Some Picardy specialties to taste: pumpkin soup, hortillon soup, Crécy soup (with carrots), ficelle picarde (a pancake with ham, mushrooms and grated cheese, topped with cream and gratinated). Let's also mention the famous flamiche with leeks, a kind of flaky pie, the eel matelote, the eels à la picarde (with an egg sauce), the caghuse, the potato pâté, the rabbit sauté à la picarde, the bacon salad, the roasted trout with boiled pepper...
As tasty as they are eclectic, savoury dishes are in the spotlight
If these dishes did not convince you, the region is full of more accessible specialties. Welsh is one of these specialties that all Northerners will recommend. It is a typically English dish, one can even say Welsh from its name, and that one finds practically only in the north of France. The English come all the way to Boulogne or Lille to find their beloved welsh that has become so rare in their country. Traditionally, it is chester cooked in beer, put on bread and gratinated. It's very simple and it stalls (a lot). You can accompany it with salad, French fries, sausage, etc.
Amongst the small appetizers, the tarte lilloise with onions, the tart or the flamiche with maroilles already give the right measure of the solid meals of the North. As elsewhere, charcuterie is well present in the tradition: honey and almond sausages, andouillettes and andouilles from Cambrai, Arras, Aire-sur-la-Lys, black pudding Flemish style, Lucullus tongue from Valenciennes. Never short of ideas, butchers have come up with all sorts of terrines, each more original than the last, from simple duck pâté to terrines made with coal, local beer, herbs, etc. The small salted product from Lille has its own regional label, but only rarely appears on restaurant menus, as small producers are happy to distribute it.
Shellfish and crustaceans... (and more)
With its major ports (including that of Boulogne-sur-Mer, very famous), fish, shellfish and seafood have their place on the table. The fish comes from the North Sea, mainly sole, plaice, turbot, gurnard and sea bass. Trout and pike populate the Authie in abundance while the ponds of the Haute-Somme provide their quota of carp, eel and tench. Eels can be eaten fresh or smoked and can be served with many sauces.
In Crotoy, in the Somme bay, shellfish, cockles, henons and scallops are specialties as well as salicorne which is harvested in the molières. The tradition of smoking and salting is still alive. You can find smoked or marinated herrings from the North coast and rollmops in vinegar.
The many cheeses of the North
If they are famous for their strength, one can also appreciate their finesse and flavor. The most famous is surely the Maroilles, the great lord of northern cheeses, produced in the Avesnois and Aisne regions, to which we compare the Vieux-Lille, which comes from the cellars of Lille. This cow's milk cheese is renneted and then stored in a cellar for two to three months. The Coeur d'Avesnes and the Boulette d'Avesnes are also similar to the Maroilles.
Less known, but to be discovered absolutely, the Tomme de Cambrai, the Steenvorde, the Bergues, the Sire de Créquy, the Pavé de Roubaix, the Crayeux de Roncq, the Mont des Cats, the Manicamp, the Boulet de Cassel and the Dauphin, the most original of all because it mixes maroilles, chives, tarragon and pepper... In the Oise region, don't forget the Rollot, the Bray picard and the tomme au foin either
Let's not forget the fruits and vegetables
What is chicon? Well, it is the patois name for endive, a vegetable that is very common in the North, whose root is roasted and then transformed into chicory. If it is usually cooked in water, it is eaten here in gratin (the famous endive with ham) or in salad. However, beet remains the most cultivated legume in the region, for sugar, but also as a fodder plant. More than 90% of the French production is located in the Hauts-de-France.
In the Somme, the potato (pompadour, ratte, charlotte...) enjoys a very good reputation, while the North is better known for the bintje, the ideal potato to make... French fries! Leeks, carrots and other broth vegetables are grown all over the region, where the tradition of vegetable gardens has remained intact.
Would you like a little sweet for the end?
For dessert, the gourmets appreciate the small quinquins of Lille, the Cassel bread (a sponge cake with almonds), the Flemish tartine (a slice of brioche with brown sugar), the desserts with brown sugar, the tart with chuc', the tart with papin or with cream. We like the French toast, the gâteautarine (a kind of ceramic), the crackers (small bread with sugar and cinnamon) and the waffles which make the success of the festivals and kermesses, the bernardins or the fingers of Jean-Bart. In Picardy, you will enjoy the pumpkin waffles and the beaten cake (ch'wattieu battu), a great specialty of the Abbeville area in particular.
As for confectionery, sweets and chocolates, you will enjoy the "bêtises de Cambrai", but also the "sottises de Valenciennes", the "berlingots" and the "sucettes berckoises", the "pavés de Cassel" (flaky candy with raspberries) as well as the "chocolat au manteau" (bitter chocolate with pistachios, almonds, roasted hazelnuts and raisins), the clochettes of Saint-Amand, the chuques du Nord, the pavés du Nord (Valenciennes) and Fred's marvelous one in Lille, chocolate cream between two melting meringues, all covered with chocolate flakes.
Speculoos, chicory and beer are all delicious and digestive ice cream flavors, especially accompanied by a wedge of warm pie. In Amiens, two specialties to remember: the famous tuiles covered with chocolate (dark, white or milk) and the almond macaroons. And, to finish it all, let's mention the Chantilly cream to be tasted in the city of the same name.
Local drinks in the region
Less well endowed than the mountainous regions, Hauts-de-France has just one nationally renowned mineral spring. Saint-Amand water is a natural mineral water drawn from the clos de l'abbaye spring in Saint-Amand-les-Eaux. It's a light water, but not really emblematic of the region.
Above all, the Hauts-de-France region is considered France's most brewing area. After a difficult period, the sector is experiencing a revival. New producers are focusing on quality and, in some cases, original flavours. Here are a few breweries to discover: the Au Cœur du Malt brewery in Verneuil-en-Halatte in the Oise department, the Le Houblon Gourmand brewery in Nanteuil-la-Fosse in the Aisne department, the Brasserie Duyck brewery, which brews the famous Jenlain in the Nord department, and the Castelain brewery in the Pas-de-Calais department. It's also here, in Merville at the Pays Flamand brewery, that the famous Anosteké was born, voted once again in 2023 as the best beer in the world!
Whether you're wandering through Flanders, Valenciennes or Avesnois, ask for the products of your nearest brewery. And if, by any chance, you've run out of the hundred or so beers brewed in the region today, our Belgian neighbors will come to your rescue!
Finally, as an aperitif or digestif, juniper berries come into their own in simple, fairly strong compositions (in alcohol, with blackcurrant or mandarin syrup). Houlle juniper, northwest of Saint-Omer, is the best known. Closer to Lille, Wambrechies jenever is also renowned. Champagne is produced in the 2,000 ha of vineyards in southern Aisne, as are a number of aperitifs and digestives.
Local products are honoured and labelled
The Hauts-de-France region is keen to promote local products. To identify and discover the gastronomy of northern France, we recommend two labels:
Terroirs Hauts-de-France: this label brings together several hundred producers (farmers, craftsmen and small businesses) and 44 committed outlets offering over 660 fresh or processed products from the region's five départements. For more information, visit https://terroirshautsdefrance.com.
Saveur en'Or: for over twenty years, this brand has brought together the products of "the people who make the North". The aim is to promote the thousand or so approved products, which represent almost 10,000 jobs in the region. The products are made locally, with a majority of ingredients from the region. Saveur en'Or requirements are audited once a year by an independent body. To find out more, visit saveursenor.fr
