11 Must-Try Foods in Normandy (And Where to Taste Them)
Normandy has its share of famous cheeses and rich sauces. But it’s the variety of regional dishes, local farms, and small producers that really bring the food culture to life.
These 11 specialties are worth tracking down, not just for the flavor, but for the stories and settings behind them. Each one is matched with a specific spot where travelers can try it.
<iframe src="https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/4/embed?mid=17vmG2-Anm_scwu3omxO4KYFaFGisjBE&ehbc=2E312F" width="640" height="480"></iframe>1. Tarte Normande
You’ll find versions of this apple tart in bakeries all over Normandy, but the one at La Maison du Biscuit in Sortosville-en-Beaumont, northwestern Cotentin, is worth a detour.
Their recipe uses thick slices of local apples baked into a soft almond custard, often with a splash of Calvados.
The bakery itself is an attraction, charming 1900s-style grocery store packed with pastries, biscuits, and vintage tins.
2. Teurgoule
This cinnamon rice pudding is baked slowly in an earthenware dish until a thick crust forms on top.
It’s hard to find in restaurants, but Ferme de la Chouquerie near Coutances sometimes serves it during visits or farm stays. They also sell it by the jar.
3. Moules à la Crème
In the summer, mussels in cream sauce appear on menus all along the Cotentin coast. Le Phare in Barfleur keeps it simple: fresh mussels steamed with shallots, parsley, butter, and local crème fraîche.
The small port is one of France’s “most beautiful villages,” and eating by the water adds to the experience.
4. Agneau de Pré-Salé
Sheep graze on the salt meadows around Mont-Saint-Michel Bay, absorbing minerals from the grass and seawater. The meat is tender and slightly briny.
Auberge de la Baie in Ardevon is one of the few places that consistently features it on the menu, usually grilled or slow-roasted. It’s only available in season, from late spring to early fall.
5. Cider
The Pays d’Auge produces some of the most respected cider in France, thanks to strict AOC rules and dozens of heritage apple varieties.
Domaine Dupont in Victot-Pontfol offers tastings of brut, doux, and organic varieties, plus apple juice and pommeau. It’s a good stop along the Cider Route, with a modern tasting room and well-marked walking paths through the orchard.
6. Calvados
This apple brandy is aged for years in oak barrels and traditionally sipped at the end of a meal.
Château du Breuil, in the heart of Pays d’Auge, between Lisieux and Deauville, offers tours in a 16th-century castle that now houses a distillery. The visit walks you through each step, from fermentation to barrel aging, and ends with generous tastings of their VSOP and XO labels.
7. Livarot
Nicknamed “The Colonel” because of its five strips of dried reed, Livarot is one of Normandy’s strongest cheeses.
The Graindorge Cheese Dairy in Livarot runs a free, self-guided tour through its production facility. You can watch the aging process behind glass and taste a wide range of washed-rind cheeses in the shop.
8. Scallops (Coquilles Saint-Jacques)
Normandy scallops are tightly regulated and only fished in season. The small harbor of Port-en-Bessin hosts a scallop festival every November with cooking demos and boat tours.
Outside the festival, La Marine serves scallops pan-seared or baked in the shell with cream and mushrooms.
The harbor is still an active fishing port, and seafood doesn’t come fresher.
9. Andouille de Vire
This smoky pork sausage is made from boiled and smoked pig intestines, then aged for weeks. The result is dense and aromatic (not everyone likes the strong aroma).
Maison Asselot in Vire has been producing andouille since 1950. Their shop offers samples, and you can watch the slicing process through a small window into the workshop.
10. Oysters
The oysters from Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue are meaty and mildly salty, thanks to the unique tide flows of the east Cotentin coast. Local producers sell them directly from waterfront huts, often opened and served with a wedge of lemon.
The Maison Gosselin, a fine grocery store in town, sells them fresh alongside butter, terrines, and white wine from the region.
11. Apple Sorbet with Calvados
This isn’t a traditional dish, but it captures Normandy’s flavor in a surprising way. La Ferme de la Haizerie, a small farm near Bayeux, makes apple sorbet spiked with Calvados.
It’s sweet, cold, and lightly boozy. They sell it by the cup or tub, and also offer other flavors made from local dairy and orchard fruits.