10 Best Local Dishes from Montpellier

Cassoulet is a stew composed of a meat and white beans that probably originated in Languedoc but has become a staple of Montpellier cooking. It's said that it was invented during the Hundred Years' War when the town was under siege and starving townsfolk combined all their remaining stores into a single food. Each restaurant has its own recipe using a combination of beef, lamb, pork, poultry, lard, white beans and other ingredients and seasonings.

The truth is probably not as romantic as the legend, because white beans only made it here around the 16th century. Still, it's a delicious dish found across Southern France. Head for La Tomate and L'Alchimiste for great takes on it.

Les cagarolettes is a dish that many people have to work up to trying, as it consists of Pisa snails boiled and prepared in a spicy vinaigrette dressing. The dish is often served with pastis, and it's gotten a spicy, pungent flavor that is incredibly appealing. If you're not overly averse to trying snails, you'll find this dish somewhat addictive and will want to try every restaurant's unique take on the preparation.

Les cagarolettes are a staple of local cuisine, whether as an appetiser, a main dish or a light plate. Many good local restaurants have it on their menu, so look for it wherever you go to eat.

La Tielle Sétoise is a spicy pie prepared with molluscs–that is, calamari and octopus–tossed in a spiced tomato sauce that originated in the city of Sète. Seafood is a staple of Montpellier cuisine, and this is a signature dish. The common recipe for the pie includes white wine, thyme, black olives and olive oil, as well as squid, octopus and tomato, but each restaurant has its own unique take. Legend has it that Tielle came to Sète in the 19th century, brought here by Italian fishermen, and spread across Southern France from there.

Because la Tielle Sétoise is such a staple dish, you can find it at many fine dining establishments across town. Try different versions and compare the flavors.

La brasucade de moules, or mussels brazier broiled and seasoned, is a huge part of the local culinary tradition, where mussels are produced by the ton annually. While each restaurant and location has its own recipe, what they have in common is that mussels are placed on a broil, cooked with wine stock and then drizzled with a spiced sauce, often made with various types of white wine. Often, the dish is paired with a fine white wine and is considered a fine dining staple.

Many local restaurants offer this delectable dish, and it's worth enjoying more than once. You'll be amazed at the subtle differences in flavor.

La chichoumeille is a vegetable stew, not unlike a hot ratatouille with zucchini added, and is a staple of Catalan cooking with a simple recipe and delectable flavor. While many restaurants have their own recipe for the stew, for the most part it consists of zucchini, onion, garlic, eggplant and tomato as the primary ingredients. These are tossed in oil, sauteed and simmered until reduced, then seasoned with salt, pepper and other spices.

This hearty stew can be found in many restaurants across Montpellier. One restaurant, in particular, is actually called La Chichoumeille and can be found in the suburbs about 19 minutes east of the city centre.

Rouille de Seiche is a traditional dish in Southern French cuisine composed of cuttlefish doused in a savory tomato sauce with onions, garlic, white wine and spices. Usually, the dish is finished off with a touch of aioli to thicken it and provide a velvety texture. It's named for its rust-red hue and is usually served over pasta, or as a side dish with rice or polenta. When aioli is not mixed into the sauce, it's usually placed as a dollop atop the dish so you can blend it yourself.

Many casual, family and fine dining establishments across Montpellier offer a version of Rouille de Seiche on their menus. Try a few and decide which variation you like best.

Broiled meat or fish with beurre de Montpellier sauce is a major staple of local cooking, with every restaurant having its own recipe for anchovy sauce. Despite some common ingredients, every restaurant will have a truly unique variant on this local dish. Common ingredients include anchovy fillets, gherkins, capers, egg yolk, butter and olive oil. Many versions also include watercress sprigs, baby spinach and a variety of spices such as tarragon.

The sauce is hearty and salty, with a flavor that goes well with cold salmon or broiled steak. If you're looking for a single dish that's unique to Montpellier, beurre de Montpellier is the one you'll want to try.

Le ragoût d'escoubilles is a unique dish that's sort of akin to French chop suey–in concept, if not in flavor–consisting of leftovers cooked into a big stew. The dish traditionally has been a big Sunday meal for families, and though 'escoubilles' means garbage or leftovers, the result is usually unbelievably hearty and delicious. Common ingredients include carrots, mushrooms, potatos, olives, veal, gizzards, sausage, beef, poultry and many other additions. What makes this dish special is that when made right it will be different every time you try it.

Restaurants have come up with their own 'formal' recipes that are representative of the leftover stew. While it can be tricky to find, a few local restaurants have variants.

La fougasse aux fritons, or fried fougasse, is a delicious savory bread mixed with bacon, margarine, pepper and spices, then baked to a golden brown. Generally speaking, this dish starts with a basic bread dough that is coated with margarine and seasoned, sprinkled with bacon bits (pork fritons), folded into a square and flattened several times, then cut, slit and baked to produce a puff pastry.

This dish is popular across the region and can be enjoyed at breakfast, lunch or dinner, so you'll have a good chance of finding it on a restaurant menu at whatever time of day you visit. It can also be found at artisanal bakers where you can get it to go.

Les oreillettes are, at their most basic, sugary fried dough that's consumed as a traditional vacation treat and is a part of the '13 Desserts' tradition of the region. In some ways, it's similar to a French doughnut or beignet, but it doesn't rise and tends to be flatter and crispier. Common ingredients include eggs, orange flower water, milk, butter, orange zest, flour, frying oil and granulated sugar. This dessert is so popular that it's found its way to other parts of the world where it's served with rum instead of orange water, but to get the original, come to Montpellier.

This treat can be found at artisanal bakeries and restaurants across Montpellier. It's a light, crispy, delectable dessert.