The food of Hauts-de-France

Northern French food includes traditions shared with Belgium and the wider Flemish area. Beer, cheese and carefully prepared meats offer three ways to begin exploring it. A warm stew, a cheese tart and a chilled meat dish can make very different meals even when they share a regional association.

Warm dishes with a strong identity

Carbonnade flamande slowly cooks beef in beer; some versions enrich the sauce with gingerbread. Flamiche au maroilles puts a distinctive cheese on a raised-dough base. Read the filling, since other flamiches use different ingredients.

A cold preparation, a warm accompaniment

Potjevleesch sets mixed meats in jelly and is served cold, often with fries. It is different from a hot casserole or smooth pâté. Check the meat selection in the restaurant’s version.