Top 10 culinary specialties in Nantes

What to eat in Nantes? Our selection of 10 Nantes specialties

Ahoy sweet tooths, you will soon be satisfied! Yes, indulgences will be omnipresent during your stay in Nantes. Berlingot, Nantes cake, rigolettes, petit beurre... All have their place. The locals love them and tourists too of course. Note that many of these sweets are eaten on the go or as snacks, like an invitation to take them everywhere during your travels.

1. The Curé Nantais

As an appetizer or aperitif, this strong-tasting cheese, made from cow's milk with a perforated, soft and creamy paste, will do very well! First molded in the 19th century, the Curé nantais is an ecclesiastical tribute born from the meeting between a Nantes farmer and a passing priest. You can taste 3 flavors: plain, with flowers or aged with muscadet wine. The cheese from Saint Julien-de-Concelles is a must among Nantes specialties.

2. A lamb's lettuce salad

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Cultivated in Loire-Atlantique since the beginning of the 19th century, the Nantes region is today the leading lamb's lettuce producing region in Europe. The Nantes lamb's lettuce is also protected by a PGI designation, Protected Geographical Indication. This small-leaved salad is preferably eaten with hazelnut oil. A delight in all lightness that will whet your appetite!

3. The Lard Nantais

Also known as "Sunday bacon", this traditional recipe gradually escaped from the Nantes workers' tables from which it originated. The lard nantais consists of a square of pork ribs braised in the oven with aromatics. The piece of meat is accompanied by offal, rinds and the much appreciated muscadet! A 100% Nantes dish - perhaps the only one - that is eaten cold or reheated with a Nantes salad.

4. The Challans Duck

This duck with fine and delicate flesh is enjoyed prepared with a muscadet sauce and apples sautéed in salted butter. Born from crossbreeding, this Nantes duck has been raised in the open air in Loire-Atlantique and Vendée since the 18th century.

5. The Langouille

This childish name designates a Nantes specialty imported from Brittany: tongue andouille. Many will pass their way after this unrefined introduction, but cold langouille is a star at the beginning of Nantes meals. Thanks to its success shortly after the arrival of a Breton butcher in Nantes, Michel xx, the langouille brand was registered in 2003. An unbelievable story, isn't it?

6. The Nantes Cake

In the 17th century, the city of Nantes became rich through the triangular trade. Many products were imported from the Americas, such as rum or almond powder which would later enter the recipe of the Nantes cake, along with lemon. Among the culinary gems, this quatre-quarts flavored with gourmet icing is perfect to finish a meal beautifully!

7. The Petit beurre

So unique, so simple and delicious that we no longer need to introduce the most famous of Nantes specialties! The real petit beurre nantais is an intergenerational snack, widespread throughout France. We have all succumbed to its crunch and indulgence (a biscuit rich in butter), but do you know all its secrets? Everything is hidden in its minutely thought-out shape. The delicious petit beurre Lefèvre-Utile (LU) has 4 corners in reference to the 4 seasons, 52 teeth for the 52 weeks of the year and 24 dots for the 24 hours of the day.

8. The berlingot

Even if it's not part of your menu, the Nantes berlingot is to be included on the list of "unmissable culinary items". The history of these candies reflects the effect they provide. At the beginning of the 19th century, a canteen worker of the Empire named Mrs. Couët, obtained the recipe for an unknown Italian candy. The soldiers of the Empire would be the first to taste these confections, which would have such a positive effect on them that Mrs. Couët would receive a medal for her contribution to troop morale! In the shop, you will recognize artisanal berlingots by their pyramidal shape, their pretty vitamin-packed colors and their transparent stripes. In the mouth, their good fruitiness and the crunch of cooked sugar will instantly make you fall back into childhood.

9. The Tourton

Let's clarify the situation right away, in the Loire countries, the Nantes tourton is not a Vendée gâche. They are often confused because of their soft and similar texture, halfway between bread and brioche. Nevertheless, the Nantes tourton dough does not contain eggs, unlike the gâche. Its recipe dates from the Middle Ages, at a time when bread leftovers were not thrown away, but soaked in milk and butter, then passed back in the oven. This ultimate preparation, of childish simplicity, gives the tourton its tenderness and its own indulgence. The delight of gourmets.

10. The Muscadet

Classified AOC since 1937, muscadet is a dry white wine produced south of Nantes from a grape variety called melon de Bourgogne. It is a very slightly effervescent beverage, which pairs wonderfully with a seafood platter.