Here you’ll find 59 French foods that start with C, organized from “Cabécou” to “Sauce choron”. The list mixes cheeses, breads, regional dishes, sauces, desserts and drinks, useful for menus, travel, study and cooking.
[French foods that start with C] are regional and traditional items from across France. Many reflect terroir and centuries-old recipes, like Cabécou from the southwest or Sauce choron for steak.
Below you’ll find the table with Name, Region of origin, and Main ingredients.
Name: The food’s name as listed; you use it to identify, search, or spot items on menus and labels.
Region of origin: Shows the town or region where the item originated or is most associated, helping you understand local context.
Main ingredients: Lists three to five key components so you know core flavors and whether a recipe or tasting suits your needs.
French foods that start with C
| Name | Category | Region of origin | Main ingredients |
|---|---|---|---|
| Camembert | cheese | Normandy | cow’s milk, rennet, salt, cultures |
| Comté | cheese | Franche‑Comté | cow’s milk, rennet, salt, cultures |
| Cantal | cheese | Auvergne | cow’s milk, rennet, salt, cultures |
| Chaource | cheese | Champagne (Aube) | cow’s milk, rennet, salt, cultures |
| Coulommiers | cheese | Seine‑et‑Marne (Île‑de‑France) | cow’s milk, rennet, salt, cultures |
| Chabichou du Poitou | cheese | Poitou (Nouvelle‑Aquitaine) | goat’s milk, rennet, salt, cultures |
| Crottin de Chavignol | cheese | Sancerre (Loire) | goat’s milk, rennet, salt, cultures |
| Cabécou | cheese | Midi‑Pyrénées (Occitanie) | goat’s milk, salt, rennet |
| Cancoillotte | cheese | Franche‑Comté | melted cheese, milk, salt, butter |
| Calisson d’Aix | dessert | Aix‑en‑Provence | almond paste, candied melon, sugar, egg white |
| Canelé | pastry | Bordeaux | egg, milk, sugar, flour, rum, vanilla |
| Crêpe | dish | Brittany | flour, milk, eggs, butter |
| Crêpe Suzette | dessert | unknown | crêpe, orange, butter, sugar, liqueur |
| Croissant | pastry | Paris/nationwide | butter, flour, yeast, sugar, salt |
| Chausson aux pommes | pastry | nationwide | puff pastry, apples, sugar, butter |
| Clafoutis | dessert | Limousin | cherries, eggs, milk, flour, sugar |
| Croquembouche | dessert | nationwide | choux pastry, cream filling, caramel |
| Chouquette | pastry | Paris | choux pastry, sugar, butter, eggs |
| Crème brûlée | dessert | unknown | cream, egg yolks, sugar, vanilla |
| Crème fraîche | cheese | Normandy | cream, ferments, salt |
| Crème Chantilly | sauce | Chantilly (Oise) | cream, sugar, vanilla |
| Crème anglaise | sauce | nationwide | milk, eggs, sugar, vanilla |
| Coulis | sauce | nationwide | pureed fruit or vegetable, sugar, salt |
| Sauce chasseur | sauce | nationwide | mushrooms, shallot, wine, stock, butter |
| Sauce choron | sauce | Paris | béarnaise, tomato paste, butter, vinegar |
| Champagne | drink | Champagne | Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier grapes |
| Cognac | drink | Charente | white wine distillate, oak, yeast |
| Calvados | drink | Normandy | apples, cider, distillate |
| Chartreuse | drink | Auvergne‑Rhône‑Alpes | herbs, alcohol, sugar |
| Chablis | drink | Burgundy (Yonne) | Chardonnay grapes, yeast |
| Cidre | drink | Normandy | apples, yeast, water |
| Clairette de Die | drink | Drôme (Die) | Muscat grapes, Clairette, yeast |
| Châteauneuf‑du‑Pape | drink | Southern Rhône | Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre grapes |
| Côtes du Rhône | drink | Rhône | Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre grapes |
| Crème de cassis | drink | Burgundy (Dijon) | blackcurrants, sugar, alcohol |
| Cassoulet | dish | Languedoc (Toulouse) | white beans, pork, sausages, confit duck |
| Coq au vin | dish | Burgundy | chicken, red wine, bacon, mushrooms, onions |
| Confit de canard | dish | Gascony | duck legs, salt, duck fat |
| Choucroute garnie | dish | Alsace | sauerkraut, sausages, pork, potatoes, white wine |
| Canard à l’orange | dish | nationwide | duck, orange, sugar, vinegar, stock |
| Cuisses de grenouille | dish | nationwide | frog legs, garlic, butter, parsley |
| Cervelle de canut | dish | Lyon | fromage blanc, herbs, shallot, vinegar |
| Côte de bœuf | dish | nationwide | rib steak, salt, pepper, butter |
| Civet de lièvre | dish | nationwide | hare, red wine, onions, bacon, mushrooms |
| Croziflette | dish | Savoie | crozets pasta, Reblochon, lardons, cream |
| Caillette | charcuterie | Provence/Ardèche | pork, liver, herbs, greens |
| Croque‑monsieur | dish | Paris | bread, ham, cheese, béchamel, butter |
| Croque‑madame | dish | Paris | bread, ham, cheese, egg, béchamel |
| Cordon bleu | dish | dish | veal or chicken, ham, cheese, breadcrumbs |
| Caramel au beurre salé | dessert | Brittany | sugar, butter, cream, salt |
| Crème caramel | dessert | nationwide | milk, eggs, sugar, vanilla |
| Croustade | pastry | Gascony | pastry dough, butter, sugar, fruit filling |
| Cari (Réunion) | dish | Réunion | meat or fish, onions, turmeric, spices |
| Café au lait | drink | nationwide | coffee, milk |
| Café gourmand | dessert | nationwide | coffee, assortment of mini desserts |
| Charlotte | dessert | nationwide | ladyfingers or sponge, fruit or cream, gelatin |
| Croquant | pastry | Languedoc/Aude | almonds, sugar, egg white, butter |
| Canard à la presse | dish | Southwest/Bordeaux | duck, wine, blood, aromatics |
| Cervelas | charcuterie | Alsace/Lorraine | pork, pork fat, spices, garlic |
Descriptions
Camembert
Soft, creamy cow’s‑milk cheese with a bloomy rind, an iconic Normandy favorite.
Comté
Firm, nutty alpine cheese aged months, central to Jura cuisine and fondue-style dishes.
Cantal
Rustic semi‑hard cheese with buttery, tangy flavors, one of France’s oldest regional cheeses.
Chaource
Soft, creamy cheese with a delicate tang and thin white rind from Champagne.
Coulommiers
Thicker, milder cousin of camembert with soft paste and mellow flavor.
Chabichou du Poitou
Small cylindrical goat cheese, fresh to aged, known for its tangy character.
Crottin de Chavignol
Famous small goat cheese that firms and sharpens with age, from the Loire.
Cabécou
Tiny soft goat cheese prized for its mild, slightly nutty flavor.
Cancoillotte
Runny, spreadable melted cheese, typically warmed and served with potatoes or bread.
Calisson d’Aix
Classic Provencal diamond‑shaped confection of almond paste topped with candied fruit glaze.
Canelé
Small caramelized cake with a sticky, deeply flavored crust and custardy center.
Crêpe
Thin pancake served sweet or savory; a Breton staple enjoyed across France.
Crêpe Suzette
Flambéed crêpe in a buttery orange sauce, a theatrical and classic French dessert.
Croissant
Buttery, flaky viennoiserie that epitomizes the French breakfast croissant.
Chausson aux pommes
Flaky apple turnover filled with compote, a beloved French bakery item.
Clafoutis
Rustic baked custard studded with cherries, often dusted with sugar.
Croquembouche
Towering wedding dessert of cream‑filled choux bound with spun caramel.
Chouquette
Light choux puffs sprinkled with pearl sugar, a simple French bakery treat.
Crème brûlée
Silky vanilla custard topped with a caramelized sugar crust you crack with a spoon.
Crème fraîche
Thick cultured cream with a tangy, rich flavor widely used in French cooking.
Crème Chantilly
Sweet vanilla whipped cream named for Chantilly, used on desserts and pastries.
Crème anglaise
Light pouring custard used as a dessert sauce or base for other sweets.
Coulis
Smooth pureed sauce used for both sweet and savory dishes, especially desserts.
Sauce chasseur
Brown mushroom and wine sauce commonly served with steaks and roasts.
Sauce choron
Tomato‑enriched béarnaise variation named for the chef Choron, used with grilled meats.
Champagne
World‑famous sparkling wine exclusively from the Champagne region.
Cognac
Refined brandy distilled and aged in oak, produced in the Cognac region.
Calvados
Aromatic apple brandy from Normandy, often aged for complexity.
Chartreuse
Complex herbal liqueur made by Carthusian monks in the Chartreuse region.
Chablis
Crisp, mineral white wine from the Chablis appellation in Burgundy.
Cidre
Traditional fermented apple cider, a Normandy and Brittany specialty.
Clairette de Die
Lightly sparkling, aromatic sweet wine from the Die valley.
Châteauneuf‑du‑Pape
Powerful, full‑bodied wines from the famed Southern Rhône appellation.
Côtes du Rhône
Versatile appellation producing reds and whites across the Rhône valley.
Crème de cassis
Sweet blackcurrant liqueur from Burgundy, essential in a Kir cocktail.
Cassoulet
Hearty slow‑cooked white‑bean casserole with various pork cuts and confit.
Coq au vin
Chicken braised slowly in red wine with lardons and mushrooms, richly flavored.
Confit de canard
Duck legs cured and slowly cooked in their fat, crisped before serving.
Choucroute garnie
Alsatian platter of sauerkraut simmered with sausages and salted pork.
Canard à l’orange
Roast duck in a sweet‑and‑sour orange sauce, a classic French entrée.
Cuisses de grenouille
Tender frog legs sautéed with garlic and parsley, a French delicacy.
Cervelle de canut
Creamy herbed cheese spread from Lyon served with bread or potatoes.
Côte de bœuf
Generous bone‑in rib steak often simply grilled and served rare to medium‑rare.
Civet de lièvre
Rich game stew of hare braised in red wine, deeply flavored and rustic.
Croziflette
Savoyard gratin of small square pasta, melted cheese and bacon, comfort food.
Caillette
Rustic pork terrine with herbs and vegetables typical of Provence and Ardèche.
Croque‑monsieur
Toasted ham‑and‑cheese sandwich topped with béchamel and melted cheese.
Croque‑madame
Croque‑monsieur crowned with a fried egg for a heartier sandwich.
Cordon bleu
Breaded meat cutlet stuffed with ham and cheese, fried or baked until golden.
Caramel au beurre salé
Creamy salted‑butter caramel from Brittany, used as sauce, spread, or candy.
Crème caramel
Baked custard flan topped with a soft caramel sauce, simple and comforting.
Croustade
Baked pastry case often filled with fruit or sweet custard; regional variations exist.
Cari (Réunion)
Réunion Island’s curry‑style stew reflecting Creole flavors and Indian Ocean ingredients.
Café au lait
Hot coffee with steamed milk, a classic French café breakfast beverage.
Café gourmand
Espresso served with a selection of small dessert bites—modern French bistro favorite.
Charlotte
Chilled molded dessert lined with biscuits and filled with fruit or cream.
Croquant
Crunchy almond biscuit or nougatine, a regional sweet with a satisfying snap.
Canard à la presse
Traditional theatrical pressed‑duck preparation producing a rich, intensely flavored jus.
Cervelas
Popular cooked sausage in eastern France, enjoyed grilled or in stews.