Updated on 17 December 2021
Reading time: 3 minutes
With excellent local produce, Normandy’s food is known for being outstanding. Camembert de Normandie, Livarot, Neufchâtel, Pont-l’Évêque, scallops, oysters, cider, calvados, Bénédictine liqueur…. there’s something for all taste buds to savour. Sample a range of Normandy’s culinary specialties and get a behind-the-scenes tour of production sites to learn all their secrets.
NormanDY specialties and iconic treats
Here in Normandy, we’re (quite rightly) very proud of our local gastronomy. Food is one of the key reasons why many people love to come and visit our region, famed to be one of the best culinary destinations in France. So, what exactly are Normandy’s foodie highlights? Where are the best places to sample its culinary riches?
Reputed for its local cheeses, which includes the renowned camembert, its cream and apples, Normandy is a veritable pantry of dreams and a bountiful land of plenty in terms of fresh produce.
Did you know that Normandy is the leading French region for scallop fishing? We also produce fine oysters (from Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue and Veules-les-Roses) and mussels (the moules de Barfleur are a must). Enjoy lobsters too (the blue European lobster)!
Other specialties include salt-marsh lamb raised in salt marshes of the Bay of the Mont-Saint-Michel, chitterling sausages from Vire, tripe from Caen, black pudding from Mortagne-au-Perche and the delicious cinnamon rice pudding we call Teurgoule.
other regional products
While you’re chomping your way through some of Normandy’s tastiest produce, wash them down with chilled cider, poiré (pear cider), pommeau or calvados, our native apple brandy. Here, most restaurants will suggest you take le trou Normand (‘Norman hole’), a tradition of sipping calvados as a palate cleanserbetween courses. With a range of AOP (Protected Designation of Origin) and AOC (Controlled Designation of Origin) products, Normandy’s culinary heritage is one that’s well worth exploring!
