Welcome back to The Velvet Runway and this feature where we are delving into the A to Z of French Food: Letter D – Delicious Dishes and Culinary Discoveries.
French cuisine is world-famous for a reason, and that is because people took the time to experiment with recipes and developed techniques to make them better — and then took the time to write everything down.
Because of this, the idea of tradition seeps into every French dish and so, as we continue our exploration of the A to Z of French food, let’s look into some iconic recipes beginning with the letter D that embody these ideas of experimentation and savoir-faire that define French cuisine.
So whether you’re a seasoned cook, an enthusiastic foodie, or simply curious about French gastronomy, here are eight delicious dishes — plus a classic French drink — that bring the stories and flavours of France to life.
A to Z of French Food : Letter D
Continuing our delicious journey through French cuisine, this week we’re exploring eight iconic foods that start with the letter “D” : Duck à l’orange, Daube, Daurade, Dijon mustard, Délice de Bourgogne, Dacquoise, Dragées and a classic French drink, Dubonnet.
1. Duck à l’orange
This is one of the most famous ones and for good reason — it’s delicious and it highlights the French mastery of balancing flavors so well, with the savory roasted duck paired so well with the tangy orange sauce.
Yet throughout the years, it has become a staple of French cuisine and is often prepared for festive dinners! So make sure you check out the recipe for Duck à l’Orange for your next dinner party!
Fun Fact: Although now seen as quintessentially French, the dish likely originated from medieval Italian cooking and later evolved in the royal French courts. By the 17th century, it was a favourite among French nobility and has since become a festive classic.
2. Daube
France has a few delicious stews and daube is one of them. Originating from the Provence region, daube is made with inexpensive cuts of beef that are cooked for hours in red wine, often with vegetables, garlic, herbs like thyme and bay leaf, and sometimes cured pork for that little extra taste.
The reason it is called daube is because traditionally, the stew was cooked in a special earthenware vessel called a daubière, designed to keep moisture inside and allow the flavors to meld slowly over several hours, in order to make a delicious stew!
And what makes this dish even more delicious is its Mediterranean character. Indeed, whereas other French stews like boeuf bourguignon tend to have earthy flavours, with daube, olives, orange zest, and herbes de Provence are common additions, giving it a sun-soaked, aromatic profile.
Now of course, everyone has their own way of cooking daube and some use white wine, others use lamb or even bull meat in Camargue.
But regardless of small changes made to the original recipe, daube remains a rich, comforting, and deeply flavorful rustic dish, perfect for any get-together!
Fun Fact : Daube was once considered a dish for Sunday family gatherings in Provence, and some villages still have communal “daubières géantes” to prepare it for festivals.
3. Daurade
Daurade, also spelled dorade, is French for sea bream, a delicate, mildly sweet white fish highly prized in Mediterranean cooking. It is very commonly found in French cuisine, and most restaurants, especially around the summer season, will have daurade on the menu. It’s commonly prepared whole, either grilled, baked in the oven, roasted with herbs and lemon.
It pairs beautifully with classic Provençal ingredients such as fennel, olives, tomatoes, and rosemary, which enhance its natural sweetness without overpowering it. And because of its elegance and simplicity, it’s a staple on French bistro menus, which sometimes opt for the daurade royale (gilt-head bream).
Fun Fact: The prized daurade royale (gilt-head bream) has been eaten since Roman times. Archaeologists even found fish tanks in ancient villas along the Mediterranean coastline dedicated solely to raising sea bream!
4. Dijon mustard
This is an iconic French condiment and as its name suggests, it originates from the city of Dijon in Burgundy, a region known for its exceptional food and wine. What makes Dijon mustard so special is its smooth texture, sharp taste, and refined complexity. It is made from brown or black mustard seeds blended with vinegar, salt, and—traditionally—verjuice, the tart juice of unripe grapes that gives it its signature tang.
Not only is Dijon mustard delicious as a condiment served with a steak-frites, it is also a staple in French cooking, used in vinaigrettes, sauces, marinades, and classics like lapin à la moutarde or sauce dijonnaise.
Fun Fact : Dijon has been making mustard since the 1200s, but it was in 1752 that Jean Naigeon replaced vinegar with verjuice — creating the signature flavour we now associate with Dijon mustard.
5. Délice de Bourgogne
Délice de Bourgogne is proof that crème fraîche makes anything better. Indeed, it is a creamy cheese from the Burgundy region of France, created in the 1970s by renowned cheesemaker Jean Lincet, who made it by enriching cow’s milk with fresh cream. Because of this brilliant idea, the cheese has an exceptionally buttery texture and a rich, melt-in-the-mouth flavor.
If you struggle to imagine what it’s like, picture a brie cheese but with an even more indulgent interior. The taste is also a bit more mild, with subtle notes of butter and fresh cream.
It’s a fantastic addition to any cheese board and pairs well with Champagne, Crémant de Bourgogne, or a crisp white wine.
Fun Fact : Because it contains so much cream, Délice de Bourgogne technically falls into a special category of cheeses called fromages triples-crèmes, which must contain at least 75% fat in dry matter.
6. Dacquoise
France is also famous for its pastries and its desserts, and that includes the dacquoise, a classic French dessert named after the town of Dax in southwestern France. It consists of layers of nutty meringue, typically made with finely ground almonds or hazelnuts which are then sandwiched with a rich filling such as ganache or whipped cream.
This combination gives the dacquoise its signature contrast of textures: light, crunchy, and melt-in-the-mouth all at once ! It is strikingly elegant as well and it is often served as a cake for special occasions such as weddings and birthdays.
Fun Fact : Although named after the town of Dax, the dacquoise became famous in Parisian pâtisseries during the Belle Époque, when layered cakes and delicate textures became the height of dessert fashion.
7. Dragées
These are iconic in France and are often served on festive occasions such as baptisms, weddings or communions ! But what are they exactly ? Well, a dragée consists of a whole almond encased in a smooth, hard sugar shell. The sugary exterior is supposed to symbolize good fortune and prosperity and in France, dragées are very much tied to how the French celebrate and the ceremony and ritual behind it. For example, a small bag of dragées is a classic wedding favour and they are often given in a small tube or bag. Inside, there will be five dragées traditionally representing health, wealth, happiness, fertility, and longevity.
While almond dragées are the most iconic, modern versions also include chocolate-filled varieties, which have become popular for festive occasions !
Fun Fact : Dragées date back to ancient Rome. A Roman confectioner accidentally dropped almonds into melted sugar — creating the first version of what became the French dragée.
8. Diots are the last of our A to Z of French Food : Letter D
Last but not least are the diots, these traditional sausages from the Savoie region in the French Alps. The whole region is known for its hearty dishes full of rustic character and diots fit into that perfectly !
They are typically made from pork seasoned with salt, pepper, nutmeg, and sometimes local white wine, and they truly embody the comforting, mountain-style cooking of the region.
One of the most famous ways to prepare diots are with white wine, where the sausages are slowly simmered in white wine with onions and herbs until tender and fragrant.
They are often served with polenta, lentils, or the Savoyard classic crozets, small square buckwheat pasta, making them a staple of winter cuisine in Savoie and the rest of France !
Fun Fact : In Savoie, diots were once the go-to meal for workers in the Alps because they were easy to preserve and stayed flavourful even when cooked over an open fire in mountain chalets.
A to Z of French Food : Letter D Bonus Drink : Dubonnet
And to finish off this food tour, a brief word about Dubonnet. Dubonnet is a classic French fortified wine aperitif created in 1846 by Joseph Dubonnet, a Parisian chemist. It was originally developed to make quinine — used to prevent malaria among French Foreign Legion soldiers — more palatable. The result was a sweet, herbal, slightly spiced drink that became a Parisian favourite.
Made from red wine, herbs, spices, and a touch of quinine, Dubonnet has a smooth, fruity flavour with subtle bitter notes.
It’s typically served chilled as an apéritif, either neat or over ice with a twist of lemon or orange. It also pairs well with gin — a combination made famous by Queen Elizabeth II, who reportedly loved “Dubonnet and gin” as her evening drink.
Fun Fact : Dubonnet gained huge popularity in the early 20th century thanks to a striking Art Deco advertising campaign featuring a playful character named “Dubo, Dubon, Dubonnet.”
Final words about A to Z of French Food : Letter D
So there you have it — eight delicious French foods starting with “D,” plus the classic apéritif Dubonnet. From festive duck dishes to rustic Alpine sausages, creamy cheeses, Provençal stews, and elegant pastries, these foods highlight the diversity and richness of French cuisine.
Whether you’re a seasoned francophile or new to French food, this series will give you a taste of France’s diverse and delectable offerings.
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Bon appétit!
