I think I'm a bit of an alien when it comes to food. Of course I love French food, we even loaded the car to the max when we came back from holidays. However, I feel like have a split personality when it comes to eating all that food. Let me explain: Everything we brought back is still in the cupboards, waiting to be eaten. When I'm in France, I queue at the boulangerie every day and I'm like an excited kid in a sweet shop at the supermarket. But when I'm in Ireland, I eat whatever I can find in Tesco or Lidl, and sometimes I feel like I'm the only French person not craving for French food in Ireland.
However, discussions on Facebook about French food is a recurring subject and very popular amongst French expats so I posted a poll about the kind of food they miss the most. And here are the not-so-surprising results!
10. Pate
Even though you can find pate in most shops, there is just not the same selection in France than in Ireland. Above is the famous breton brand "Pate Henaff" that all Breton expats (including me) can crave from time to time. Put that on a slice of baguette with a good glass of wine and you're in for a treat...
9. Fruit Syrup
This is nothing compared to the fruit squash available in Irish supermarkets. This one has more consistance and there are a multitude of flavours to choose from. My personal favourite is the grapefruit flavour that you can also add to a glass of rose wine to give it an extra edge.
8. Ricard
7. French pastries
I have to say, that's the one I was a bit surprised about, probably because I'm not a Ricard drinker. If you don't know what it is, it tastes a bit like licorice an is served with ice and water. It's mostly a man's aperitif and yes, it's very hard to find in Ireland so I can understand why French people would be missing it a lot.
If you've been in Ireland for a while, you've probably discovered that finding really good pastries is hard work. Unless you go to bakeries in Dublin and pay an arm and leg, all you will find in typical supermarkets are pastries filled with sub-standard fresh cream and not the usual praline or flavoured custard so typical of French pastries... I tell you, when I go home, I usually put on weight, and those pastries are the main culprits!
6. Coquillettes
French people can be a bit crazy with their habits. Coquillettes is just a type of pasta, but it means so much for us. It's the food our parents cooked when were kids, the only food we probably ate as a student when we didn't know how to cook and would rather spend our money on alcohol...Yeah, it bring back memories and means comfort, so it's no surprise that French people can miss it over here.
5. Foie gras
And after the cheap comfie food, here's the expensive festive one... The one we eat for special occasions, like Christmas. Being from Brittany, I rarely ate it because we were more likely to have oysters, lobster or langoustines for starter, but foie gras is an important part of French culture, so it's no surprise it makes the top ten.
4. Affordable wine
"Affordable" and "wine" are two words that don't go together in Ireland. That's the reason why we brought back at least 30 bottles from France last summer. Drinking wine in Ireland really is a treat at 10 euros a bottle...
3. Good bread
2. Cheese
1. Saucisson
Don't mention Cuisine de France please! Although I have to say, they got a lot better since I came to Ireland. Now, every shop supply baguettes, but they will never equal the ones you can find in France. Or we are just picky and chauvinistic. I think we are.
To be fair, there's is more than cheddar in Ireland and the country actually offers a great local cheese selection so if you haven't tried them, I urge you to because you'll be surprised. Having said that, it's no surprise that French people crave smelly French cheese...
So here's the winner! The king of the aperitif, the master of finger food... Finding proper French saucisson (and affordable) is hard so once again, I understand this is the winner. We actually brought back 4 or 5 packs from France, ready to be eaten when friends come over for the "apero"...
I bet you're hungry now!! Well, I might have the solution for all your cravings. For this post, I've teamed up with "Treat me French" , a new online shop based in Dublin, where you can find a good selection of French products at an affordable price. And the good news is, if you click on the link below and place an order, you will get a free packet of delicious French biscuits (stock permitting) and free shipping as well! So go on, treat yourself French today!
