Four words: mashed potato and cheese. Heavy cream, Tomme d’Auvergne cheese, garlic and potatoes come together in this L’Aubrac-region-born recipe. Like a springy yet creamy fondue, aligot is often paired with sausages or other meats as a side offering. No matter what you serve it with, this delicious dish is the thing you’ll remember most.

Best consumed in a restaurant or at a market (as not to have its notorious scent linger in your accommodation’s fridge forevermore), Époisses is a truly pungent, incredibly soft cheese that is beloved among stinky cheese devotees. The cow’s milk cheese has an orange-hued washed rind and is often called Époisses de Bourgogne. If you’re a cheese lover, this is a non-negotiable tasting experience.

Simple yet sapid, salade niçoise is an unsung French classic. Ideal for eating in between all the pastries and heavier dishes, this finessed salad sees tomatoes, anchovies, capers, fresh herbs, black olives, capers and broad beans come together before being dressed in a simple lemon, olive oil and garlic emulsion. Some popular variations include lettuce, tuna, hard-boiled eggs, artichokes, potatoes and other vegetables.

The tarte flambée (or flammekueche) is made up of a thinly rolled bread dough (often rectangular) spread with a generous helping of crème fraîch or a fromage blanc, and sprinkled with thinly sliced onions and lardons (or bacon) before being baked. This topped dough, which we won’t call a French pizza, comes from the Alsace region.

Light, relatively dry, crisp and refreshing, cidre de Normandie (or Normandy apple cider) is an idyllic sip on a warm day. French ciders are usually low in alcohol and are a great accompaniment to warm tarte Normande (a Normandy apple tart) a la mode.

Sure, the French have bestowed the world with many good things – baguettes, macarons and Coco Chanel come to mind – but the nation’s cooks’ talent for transforming potatoes, cheese, cream and onion into sheer deliciousness? Ooh la la. The tartiflette, originating in Savoy in the French Alps and the Aosta Valley, is a baked dish made with potatoes, reblochon cheese, onions, cream, white wine and lardons. Need we say more? Magnifique.

A canelé or cannelé de Bordeaux is a petite pastry that takes shape in a specially made mold (almost like a mini bundt tin). Subtly flavoured with a splash of rum and vanilla, canelé traditionally have a sweet, vanilla-infused custard centre and a crisp, caremalised crust. We’re not drooling, you’re drooling.

Though its name is simply French for scallops, the name ‘coquilles Saint-Jaques’ often refers to the pretty-as-a-picture scallop gratin, served in its shell. Just like all good French recipes, this classic involves a whole lot of good-quality butter, cream and white wine. Cooked until golden and bubbling, the scallop is then finished with a topping of parsley and breadcrumbs.

The act of leisurely sipping cognac is a non-negotiable drinking experience that every self-respecting flavour connoisseur must have while in France. Cognac is a style of brandy, which is made by twice-distilling grapes. Commonly enjoyed as a digestif, Cognac can also be enjoyed with tonic or chilled over ice before dinner. Cognac can exude sweet, spicy, fruity and bitter notes.

When it comes to buttery, indulgent pastries, kouign amann takes the cake. This Breton ‘butter cake’ (pronounced similar to ‘queen a-mahn’) is multi-layered and has a flaky texture a little like puff pastry. Traditionally, this treat is made using a bread dough, whopping great slabs of butter, sugar and salt. The result is nothing short of delicious.