Hauts-de-France (Nord-Pas-de-Calais, Picardy)

Sweet raisin bread, top with butter, chocolate paste, speculoos paste, serve with coffee or chocolate milk

Cake of kings (king cake) with glazed fruit

Thin, crisp waffle, similar to a pizzelle or stroopwafel

Sugar pie is a dessert in northern French and Belgian cuisine, where it is called tarte au sucre. It is also popular in Canada. Various type of tarte au sucre are made. Some are a leavened dough topped with beet sugar or brown sugar, others have a crust containing a homogeneous sugar mixture which is similar to caramel after baking. The French Canadian version of the dessert sometimes uses maple syrup.

Beer is an alcoholic beverage produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches from cereal grain—most commonly malted barley, although wheat, maize , rice, and oats are also used. The grain is mashed to convert starch in the grain to sugars, which dissolve in water to form wort. Fermentation of the wort by yeast produces ethanol and carbonation in the beer. Beer is one of the oldest alcoholic drinks in the world, the most widely consumed, and the third most popular drink after water and tea. Most modern beer is brewed with hops, which add bitterness and other flavours and act as a natural preservative and stabilising agent. Other flavouring agents, such as gruit, herbs, or fruits, may be included or used instead of hops. In commercial brewing, natural carbonation is often replaced with forced carbonation. Beer is distributed in bottles and cans, and is commonly available on draught in pubs and bars. The brewing industry is a global business, consisting of several dominant multinational companies and many thousands of smaller producers ranging from brewpubs to regional breweries. The strength of modern beer is usually around 4% to 6% alcohol by volume (ABV).

Lillet is a French wine–based aperitif from Podensac. Classed as an aromatised wine within EU law, it is a blend of 85% Bordeaux region wines (Semillon for the blanc and for the rosé, Merlot for the rouge) and 15% macerated liqueurs, mostly citrus liqueurs (peels of sweet oranges from Spain and Morocco and peels of bitter green oranges from Haiti). The mix is then stirred in oak vats until blended. During the aging process, Lillet is handled as a Bordeaux wine (undergoing fining, racking, filtering, etc.). In the original Kina Lillet formulation (so named with respect to its status as a quinquina), quinine liqueur made of cinchona bark from Peru was included among its ingredients. "Lillet" belongs to a family of aperitifs known as tonic wines because of the addition of quinine. In 1872, the brothers Paul and Raymond Lillet, distillers and merchants of wines and spirits, founded their company La Maison Lillet in Podensac, south of Bordeaux, France. The idea of making aperitifs in Bordeaux came from Father Kermann, a doctor who left Brazil at the beginning of Louis XVI's reign. He returned to France and made Bordeaux his home, where he created liqueurs and fortifiers using herbs like quinine. During that time, Bordeaux became one of the most important places for the European wine business.: 13–29  It was also France's main harbour for products imported from the Caribbean islands.

Flemish stew, known in Dutch as stoofvlees or stoverij and in French as carbon(n)ade flamande, and also known as "grandma's stew", is a Flemish beef (or pork) and onion stew popular in Belgium, the Netherlands, Aosta Valley (Italy) and French Flanders. It is made with beer and mustard spread on bread, seasoning can include bay leaf, thyme, clove, and juniper berries. In the East and West Flanders provinces, often dried prunes will be added while stewing. In French, a carbon(n)ade may also be a dish of grilled horse loin and certain beef stews cooked with red wine, such as beef bourguignon in the east of France. but in English, carbonnade is generally the Belgian dish. The term Flemish stew, being a generic term, is sometimes used to refer to other Flemish dishes such as waterzooi or hochepot, in Dutch, the latter is called hutsepot. Hutsepot refers to mixing (husselen) ingredients instead of mashing the ingredients into a stamppot (in Flemish stoemp).

Crangon crangon is a species of caridean shrimp found across the northeastern Atlantic Ocean. Its range extends from the White Sea in the north of Russia to the coast of Morocco, including the Baltic Sea, and appears also throughout the Mediterranean and Black Seas. Commercially important, it is fished mainly in the southern North Sea. Common names include brown shrimp, common shrimp, bay shrimp, and sand shrimp, while translation of its French name crevette grise sometimes leads to the English version grey shrimp. Adults are typically 30–50 mm (1.2–2.0 in) long, although individuals up to 90 mm (3.5 in) have been recorded. The animals have cryptic colouration, being a sandy brown colour, which can be changed to match the environment. They live in shallow water, which can also be slightly brackish, and feed nocturnally. During the day, they remain buried in the sand to escape predatory birds and fish, with only their antennae protruding.

Endives wrapped in ham and topped with bechamel sauce and cheese, serve with mashed potatoes or stoemp

Ficelle picarde is a dish of Picardy, northern France, consisting of a rolled savoury crêpe stuffed with a slice of ham and a creamed shallots duxelles, broiled in cream under a layer of cheese. Though now considered a classic Picardy dish, its origins appear based in Amiens' in ″l'hôtel du Commerce″ where a chef developed it in 1950, notwithstanding some legends stating the dish originated in the era of Louis XIV.

Steak tartare or tartar steak is a French dish of raw ground beef. It is usually served with onions, capers, parsley or chive, salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, and other seasonings, often presented separately, to be added to taste. It is commonly served topped with a raw egg yolk. It is similar to the Levantine kibbeh nayyeh, the Turkish çiğ köfte, the German Mett and the Korean yukhoe. The name tartare is sometimes generalized to other raw meat or fish dishes. In France, a less-common variant called tartare aller-retour is a mound of mostly raw ground meat lightly seared on both sides. A popular caricature of Turco-Mongol warriors—called Tatars or Tartars—has them tenderizing meat under their saddles, then eating it raw. This story was popularized by the French chronicler Jean de Joinville in the 13th century, although he never actually encountered Tatars himself and used the story as a way of showing that the Tartars were uncivilized. It is possible that this story was a confusion originating in the use of thin slices of meat to protect saddle sores from further rubbing. This has also been considered as the origin of pastirma.

Filet mignon baked in a pastry crust

Flamiche is a French savoury pastry, originating in the north-west France. It dates to medieval times and originally was a kind of galette, but in its modern version is a tart made with leeks and cream. Two possible derivations have been advanced for the word flamiche: either that it comes from flamme, 'flame', as the dish was traditionally cooked in a wood-burning oven, or that it is a corruption of vlamiche – Flemish (the dish being native to north-west France, close to the border with Flanders).

Braised rabbit with prunes

Cold cut historically made with lamb, pork and veal trimmings, though modern versions are made with chicken or rabbit and root vegetables, from West Flanders Province, Belgium

Lambs reared in Somme, Hauts-de-France, France

Pumpkin soup

Watercress soup

Onion soup

Poultry reared in Licques, Hauts-de-France, France

Waterzooi is a soup from Belgium and originating in Flanders. The second part of the name derives from the Middle Dutch terms sode, zo(o)de and soot, words referring to the act of boiling or the ingredients being boiled. It is sometimes called Gentse Waterzooi which refers to the Belgian town of Ghent where it originated. The original dish is often made of fish, either freshwater or sea, (known as Viszooitje), though today chicken waterzooi (Kippenwaterzooi) is more common. The most accepted theory is that rivers around Ghent became too polluted and the fish there disappeared. Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor ate the rich dish, even after suffering from gout. All versions are based on a soup-base of egg yolk, cream, and thickened vegetable broth. The stew itself contains fish or chicken, vegetables including carrots, onions, celery, leeks, potatoes and herbs such as parsley, thyme, bay-leaves and sage. Originally, burbot was used but this fish had all but disappeared from the rivers until its recent return due to conservation efforts. Nowadays, fish such as eel, pike, carp and bass are used, though other fish such as cod, monkfish, or halibut can be used. Gentse Waterzooi van Tarbot includes turbot.

Smoked garlic, garlic is commonly smoked in Arleux, France

Smoked Allium sativum garlic, grown in Nord, Hauts-de-France, France

Violet-colored garlic grown Cadours, Hauts-de-France, France

Chitterling sausage from Cambrai

The cougnou or bread of Jesus is a bread baked during Christmas time and is typical of the southern Low Countries. It has various names according to the location: The bread of Jesus is a sweet bread formed like a baby Jesus. It is made with flour, eggs, milk, yeast, raisins and sugar. Usually, it is given to children on Christmas and St. Martin's Day and usually enjoyed with a cup of hot chocolate. This bread seems to have originated in ancient Hainaut but it is now spread throughout the southern Low Countries. It is usually decorated with terracotta circles called ronds in Hainaut and Romance Flanders, or with incisions in Cambraisis. Elsewhere the bread is decorated with flowers, sugar, raisins, or chocolate chips.

A ficelle is a type of French bread loaf, made with yeast and similar to a baguette but much thinner. The word ficelle means "string" in French.

Herring and potatoes salad

Lingot beans grown in Lys valley, Hauts-de-France, France

Maroilles , also known as Marolles, is a cow's-milk cheese made in the regions of Picardy and Nord-Pas-de-Calais in northern France. It derives its name from the village of Maroilles in the region in which it is still manufactured. The cheese is sold in individual rectangular blocks with a moist orange-red washed rind and a strong smell. In its mass-produced form it is around 13 centimetres (5 in) square and 6 centimetres (2 in) in height, weighing around 700 grams (25 oz) In addition, according to its AOC regulations, cheeses eligible for AOC status can be one of three other sizes: Maroilles is often reported to have first been made in 962 by a monk in the Abbey of Maroilles. The cheese rapidly became famous throughout the region and was a favourite of several French kings including Philip II, Louis IX, Charles VI and Francis I.

Mimolette is a cheese traditionally produced around the city of Lille, France. In France it is also known as Boule de Lille after its city of origin, or vieux Hollande because it was originally inspired by the Dutch Edam cheese. Mimolette has a spherical shape and is similar in appearance to a cantaloupe melon. It normally weighs about 2 kg and is made from pasteurized cow's milk. Its name comes from the French word mi-mou (feminine mi-molle), meaning "semi-soft", which refers to the oily texture of this otherwise hard cheese. The bright orange color of the cheese comes from the natural seasoning annatto. When used in small amounts, primarily as a food colorant, annatto adds no discernible flavor or aroma. The grey-colored rind of aged Mimolette occurs from cheese mites that are added to the surface of the cheese, which serve to enhance its flavor. Mimolette can be consumed at different stages of aging. When younger, its taste resembles that of Parmesan. Many appreciate it most when it is "extra-old" (extra-vieille). At that point, it can become rather hard to chew, and the flesh takes on a hazelnut-like flavor.

Morbier is a semi-soft cows' milk cheese of France named after the small village of Morbier in Franche-Comté. It is ivory colored, soft and slightly elastic, and is immediately recognizable by the distinctive thin black layer separating it horizontally in the middle. It has a yellowish, sticky rind. The aroma of Morbier cheese is mild, with a rich and creamy flavour. It has a semblance to Raclette cheese in consistency. The Jura and Doubs versions both benefit from an appellation d'origine protégée (AOP), though other non-AOP Morbier exist on the market.

Munster , Munster-géromé, or (Alsatian) Minschterkaas, is a soft cheese with a strong taste and aroma, made mainly from milk first produced in the Vosges, between the Alsace, Lorraine and Franche-Comté regions in France. The name "Munster" is derived from the Alsatian town of Munster, where, among Vosgian abbeys and monasteries, the cheese was conserved and matured in monks' cellars. "Géromé", a variant from munster, comes from the Vosgien patois pronunciation of the town of Gérardmer, located on the Lorrain side of the Vosges mountains, where it originates. This cheese originated in the Admodiation, an area on the top of the Vosgian mountains of France, named "Chaumes" or "Les grandes Chaumes" (comitatus Calvomontensis). Calvomontensis is the Latin for a mountaintop without woods.[citation needed] As early as 1371, and possibly before, these territories were occupied by cattle herds driven by men, called "marcaires" (from the Alsatian "Malker", Milker in English), pastured there between May and September. When the herds returned to their valleys, the cattle herdsmen first paid the fees and tithes to the religious and political owners of the summer pastures or simply financiers of these migrations. During feudal times these owners possessed all goods, living creatures, rights of pasture and cattle. Those who herded were known as serfs.[citation needed]

Neufchâtel câtel) is a soft, slightly crumbly, mold-ripened, bloomy-rind cheese made in the Neufchâtel-en-Bray region of Normandy. One of the oldest kinds of cheese in France, its production is believed to date back as far as the 6th century AD, in the Kingdom of the Franks. It looks similar to Camembert and Brie, with a dry, white, edible rind, but the taste is saltier and sharper. Unlike other soft-white-rinded cheeses, Neufchâtel has a grainy texture. It is usually sold in heart shapes but is also produced in other forms, such as logs and boxes. It is typically matured for 8–10 weeks and weighs around 100–600 g (3.5–21.2 oz). This AOC product should not be confused with the American version of the cheese, which is a factory manufactured lower fat, higher moisture content, unaged alternative to American cream cheese. Neufchâtel is the oldest of the Norman cheeses, having likely been made as early as the 6th century, and known to have been made between 1050 and 1543. For the end-of-year festivals during the Hundred Years' War, stories say that young girls offered heart-shaped cheeses to English soldiers to show their affection. During the 17th century it was sent to Paris and Rouen, and exported to Great Britain.

Walnuts grown in Grenoble, Hauts-de-France, France

Bintje potatoes grown in Merville, Hauts-de-France, France

Duchess potatoes consist of a purée of mashed potato, egg yolk, and butter, which is forced from a piping bag or hand-moulded into various shapes which are then baked in a high temperature oven until golden. They are typically seasoned similarly to mashed potatoes with, for example, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. They are a classic item of French cuisine, and are found in historic French cookbooks. The first known recipe for the dish was published in La Nouvelle Cuisinière Bourgeoise in 1746. The phrase à la duchesse became an appellation in French cuisine for any dish incorporating a mashed potato/egg yolk mixture. Recipes for duchess potatoes have been published in American cookbooks since at least 1878. In her 1896 cookbook, Fannie Farmer described the creative potential of duchess potatoes, writing: "Shape, using pastry bag and tube, in form of baskets, pyramids, crowns, leaves, roses, etc. Brush over with beaten egg diluted with one teaspoon water, and brown in a hot oven." In 1902, the Boston Cooking School published a duchess potatoes recipe in its magazine. French cookbook author Auguste Escoffier described duchesse potatoes in his highly influential cookbook Le Guide Culinaire, first published in 1903. During the Great Depression, the U.S. federal government cooperated with a dozen state agricultural agencies to improve potato breeding. The U.S. Bureau of Home Economics encouraged consumers to try less common potato dishes, such as duchess potatoes. World War II led to domestic food shortages in the U.S., especially of butter, meat and canned foods. In January 1943, first lady Eleanor Roosevelt released menus for nine family meals served at the White House. One dinner included meatloaf and duchess potatoes. In 1949, the New York Times was promoting duchess potatoes surrounding roast chicken or roast fish as an elegant but inexpensive dining alternative to beef. When Craig Claiborne graduated eighth in his class from the École hôtelière de Lausanne in 1954, his final examination included preparing fish in white wine, with velouté sauce, hollandaise sauce and duchess potatoes.