Exploring Montmartre through Food
Over the last year or so, my adventures have started to include food tours/events to get to know the local culture of a city a different way. In Miami, we tasted our way through Little Havana. In Santiago, we snacked on empanadas and South American delicacies and now, in Paris, we explored Montmartre through food.
Our Secret Food Tour guide, Aurora was amazing. We met her at the Abesses Metro station and immediately headed to a Fromagerie called La Butte Fromagère. We had the opportunity to sample Tomme Caussenard, a sheep milk cheese and bought five other cheeses from different regions of France.
Then we headed to the Boucherie Carcuterie called Jacky Gaudin, touted as the best butcher shop in Montmartre. We tried a garlic sausage (Saucisson a l’ail) immediately and then packaged up some ham, goose meat, pork pate, and saucisson (don’t call it salami) for later.
Next, it was off the the Boulangerie Alexine for an assortment of breads and chocolate and coffee eclairs to round out our later dinner. The line was out the door with everyone getting their fresh bread for dinner, so you know it has to be good!
A quick stop at a Crêperie, that was no more than a stall, to fortify ourselves. I tried the Biscoff crêpe , Mom had a salted caramel one and Jamie munched on a nutella and banana crêpe. All were delicious!
A jaunt up a hilly street led us to Chocolat Illèné, where we learned about chocolates and macarons and were able to pick two of each to eat later. The unique flavors contained ingredients such as black pepper, wasabi, plum, to name a few.
Finally, we ended up at a wine cave to enjoy the fruits of our shopping. Pairing our bread, cheese and meats with two French wines, led to an amazing evening of food and conversation with 8 new friends. We enjoyed a Sauvignon Blanc de Touraine, Domaine du Rin du Bois, Loire Valley, 2018 and a Fronsac Merlot, Château La Croix, Bordeaux, 2012.
For me, this was one of the most enjoyable 4 hours in Paris. We were able to enjoy the culture, see how the locals live, celebrate the food of the area and meet some new people from all over the world. What an amazing night!