There's no better way to get a taste of France than by attending one of its gastronomic events. On the menu as the seasons change, local produce, chefs' recipes, tradition, culinary innovation and always the promise of good times shared at a market, in the aisles of a gourmet fair or around the table of a starred restaurant. So sharpen your taste buds... Let's taste it!
Truffle markets in Provence and Périgord
November 2023 to March 2024
It's nicknamed the black diamond - and no other fungus delights connoisseurs with its powerful fragrance and subtle aroma quite as much as this one. The truffle is the secret ingredient in many refined French dishes, beloved by top chefs. Admire this edible jewel on market stalls in Vaucluse (Provence) and the Dordogne Valley from mid-November until the end of March, when truffle season is in full swing. In Carpentras, Richerenches, Lalbenque and Cuzance as well as in Sarlat, you can smell them, weigh them and barter - surrounded by professionals with a good nose! Pick up advice and recipe ideas too.
Find out more about truffles in the Dordogne Valley The black gold of the Périgord Find out more about truffles in Carpentras, Provence
The French Overseas Territories' Food Show
26-28 January 2024
Sunshine and exotic food in the depths of winter? This is what the Francophone Overseas Gastronomy Fair has offered in Paris every year since 2014. For this one weekend in January, Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Martinique, Mayotte, New Caledonia, French Polynesia, Reunion, St-Martin, St-Barthelemy, St-Pierre-et-Miquelon and Wallis and Futuna bring the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles to life. Awash with flavours from all corners of the globe, towers of fruit, colourful dishes and spices, the show is a great way to explore the foodie heritage of these French overseas departments and territories.
Find out more about the show (French only)
Lyon Street Food Festival
From 13 to 16 June 2024
400 food and wine workshops, 200 recipes, 120 chefs... For 4 days, Lyon will proudly claim the title of (international) street food capital of France. From one stall to the next, you'll be able to choose, taste regional specialities, travel from one continent to another and dance to the many musical events (concerts, DJ sets). After the former Fagor-Brandt factories, it's the turn of the SNCF's La Mulatière Technicentre, nicknamed "Les Grandes Locos", on the outskirts of Lyon, to welcome festival visitors in 2024. All aboard now!
Les Etoiles de Mougins, on the Côte d'Azur
September 2024
Culinary demonstrations, cookery courses, competitions, talks by Michelin-starred chefs, an open-air restaurant... Every two years, Mougins on the Côte d'Azur becomes the gastronomic capital of the world for a weekend during the Etoiles de Mougins festival. The village, which has been awarded the "Ville et Métier d'Art" label for gastronomy, boasts around fifty refined restaurants. It's a great opportunity to sample the art of living on the French Riviera out of season, while discovering the charm of this medieval village in the hills above Cannes. A haven for artists since the 19th century, including Picasso, Mougins boasts around thirty art galleries. The perfect place to combine gourmet delights with a feast for the eyes!
Taste of Paris
May 2025
The aim of the Taste of Paris culinary festival is to bring together Michelin-starred chefs and the young talents of French gastronomy for four days under one roof, not least the dome of the Grand Palais Ephémère. It's a rare opportunity to taste top dishes prepared in front of you. Langoustine with wild berries, aged rib-eye steak or gariguette and verbena pavlova, it's up to you. You can also pick up some exceptional products at the stalls of the farmers' and artisans' market. In short, it's a must for gourmets visiting Paris.
*The next edition will take place in the spring of 2025 (the 2024 edition was postponed due to the Olympic and Paralympic Games).
Village International de la Gastronomie - Forum de France de l'Alimentation
From 5 to 8 September 2024
It's going to be a sweet and savoury autumn in Paris with the sixth edition of the International Gastronomy Village. Products from France and cuisines and cultures from all over the world (50 countries have been invited) will be on show for four days of tastings, shows and concerts. A culinary festival to prolong the summer in the gardens of the Trocadéro, under the patronage of Michelin-starred chef Guy Savoy. In 2023, the event will take on a new dimension with the first French Food Forum at the Musée de l'Homme: culinary demonstrations, conferences on the food challenge, an exhibition of cookbooks from the 180 participating countries, stands... There's no doubt about it, France is the country of gastronomy!
Village international de la Gastronomie / Forum de France de l'alimentation
Omnivore Sirha festival
8 to 10 September 2024
Promoting creative and inventive contemporary cuisine is the aim of the Sirha Omnivore festival, which was created in 2006 in Le Havre, Normandy, before moving to Deauville and then Paris in 2011. In 2023, the Paris edition will take place in the Parc Floral de Paris, where young, innovative chefs from Paris, Lyon, Marseille and other European cities will be invited to share their expertise.
*From 2022, the event will also be held at Le Touquet-Paris-Plage in the Hauts-de-France region.
Le Grand Repas
17 October 2024
Conviviality, sharing, curiosity and pleasure. These are some of the values of the Grand Repas, an event initiated in 2016 in the Loire Valley and then extended throughout France in 2019. The concept is simple: a unique regional menu designed by a local chef based on local, seasonal produce is served in each of the participating regions. In 2023, the national patron will be Virginie Basselot, Michelin-starred chef from Le Chantecler restaurant in Nice. She will be joined by a patron chef in each of the participating regions.
By Pascale Filliâtre
Journalist-traveller. I often voyage to the end of the world to explore what France offers... just next door. filliatre.pascale@orange.fr
