Monaco: food and drinks specialties

Inspiration

Côte d'Azur - French RivieraFood and Wine

Fougasse monegasque
© A. Rocca - Fougasse monegasque

Reading time: 0 minPublished on 15 March 2024

A taste of Monaco, discover here

Monaco boasts a cuisine all its own: a flavourful fusion of southern French (especially Provençal and Niçoise) and Italian. The Mediterranean Sea also has a strong influence on Monaco’s palate, offering a variety of fish.

For traditional Monegasque dishes, those “in-the-know” choose restaurants located in Monaco’s Old Town near the Prince’s Palace: Castleroc – a firm favourite of locals and visitors for traditional fare or the hip and cosy restaurant La Montgolfière, Henri Geraci.

Tempting examples of Monégasque cuisine

  • Barbajuan, a crisp, baked or fried puff pastry treat filled with Swiss chard, ricotta, leeks, garlic and herbs, usually served as an appetizer;
  • Fougasse, a small, sweet bread flavoured with oranges and decorated with nuts, raisins and anise can usually be found in the local bakeries;
  • Swiss Chard Pie, two layers of pastry filled with a mixture of Swiss chard blette, parmesan cheese, parsley, eggs, onions, and rice;
  • Pissaladière, originally from Nice, the Monégasque version is a pie topped with onions, tomatoes and olives;
  • Socca, a thin pancake made from chick-pea flour and olive oil usually sold by street vendors and best eaten while hot;
  • Stocafi, a dish of dried cod, stewed in tomato sauce and flavored with black olives and small vegetables is a local delicacy;
  • Stuffed Zucchini Flowers, Truffle and Foie Gras Torte and Provençal-style Artichokes braised in wine with olive oil are other Monégasque favourites.

DID YOU KNOW?

  • MONACO HAS ITS OWN ORGANIC CRAFT BEER The Brasserie de Monaco, located on Monaco’s harbour, is a 999 litres boutique brewery with an entirely automated brewing system that takes the brew master’s hand selected organic malts to produce an authentic local beer.
  • THE WORLD-FAMOUS WINE CELLARS LOCATED UNDERNEATH THE HOTEL DE PARIS USED TO FEATUREA HIDDEN ROOM During WWII, the secret room stored 20,000 wine bottles, the hotel’s silverware and fortunes of some of the guests!
  • THE CRÊPE SUZETTE WAS BORN IN MONACO The legend says that, in 1896, Chef Henri Charpentier of the Café de Paris had the idea of serving crêpes with Grand Marnier and orange juice to the future King of England, Edward VII. The crêpes caught fire inadvertently. He served them to the Prince who found them delicious and decided to give them the name of his young guest: Suzette.
  • MONEGASQUE HONEY : It has a very specific honey flavour because there are many "succulent" cactus in the Principality and It is as well a honey between land and sea.
  • MONEGASQUE OLIVES: The oldest olive tree on the French Riviera is in Monaco.

By France.fr

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