BEST 13 FRENCH FOODS 

WITH PROTECTED STATUS

https://www.french-waterways.com/protected-french-foods/

Given the French obsession with eating well, it comes as no surprise to discover that France is also
obsessed with protecting what it eats. Nowadays the di erent products fall under the European Union’s
umbrella for protection, but France is something of a world pioneer in protecting its unique gastronomy. As
a result, hundreds of French products enjoy protected status including wines and spirits, meat and poultry,
cheeses, fruit and vegetables, butter, and even mustard paste. In this article, we look at the di erent types
of status and list 13 of the best-protected French foods. 
Did you know? 
▪ 435 French wines have protected status 

▪ as do 256 food products 

▪ and 53 types of spirits

History of protected French foods 

While the modern system is just over a century old, the roots to protecting food in France go back
centuries. In 1411, Roquefort cheese was the rst French product to receive government regulation on its
origin and production.  A more modern system for protecting products in France came in speci cally for
wine in 1919 with other food items following suit in 1990. Since then, the EU has introduced a similar
system and all French products now come under this umbrella. 

Types of Protection for French Foods 

*Appellation d’Origine Protegée (AOP) 

Appellation d’Origine Protegée (AOP) status is given to produce from a particular region and based
speci cally on location in France. This protected geographical indication is gradually replacing the French
Appellation d’Origine Controlée (AOC), a familiar acronym on French wine labels. AOC was created in 1923
to safeguard Châteauneuf-du-Pape wine from competitors, and regulates conditions for wine production
methods and volume.  The EU title for this categorization is ‘protected designation of origin’ (PDO). 

*Indication Géographique Protégée (Protected Geographical Indication/PGI)

Despite its name, PGI isn’t so much about geography as quality. The status protects food and
beverages with a speci c quality from a particular region. Quality and origin protected foodstu s fall mainly
into this category although 15% of French wines produced t into this one too. 

*Traditional Specialities Guaranteed (TSG)

The third denomination for French-protected food is all about the tradition behind how a product is made.
This status has little to do with where it’s from and is mostly awarded to processed food and the production
process. 
Did you know?  France is currently the country in Europe with the most applications for new protection
status for products. 

What’s in it for the consumer? 

Giving produce protected status adds prestige to a label, but consumer bene ts go much further.
When you buy a registered product with PDO, PGI or TSG status, you know that it does what it says on the
tin. Quality comes guaranteed. 
Did you know?  You can see all foods with protected status in France on the European
Commission website. 

Best-protected foods in France

With almost 750 products on the list, choosing the best-protected French foods was always going
to be a challenge. But rather than going for Champagne or Saint-Chinian, both very well-known PDOs
(AOCs), we’ve gone o -piste in search of some of the more unusual products. The result? A veritable foodie
feast! 

*Best-protected French cheese

Visit your next cheese market with refreshed knowledge about traditional specialty and production
methods. 55 kinds of cheese sit on the list, all delicious, but rather than go for Brie de Meaux or Comté, our
selection is Picodon. This goat’s milk cheese comes from the Ardèche and Drome area in the Rhône Valley.
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 Meaning ‘spicy’ in Occitan, Picodon is creamy with a full avor that, in true  fromage  style, gets stronger
(and smellier) as it grows older. How’s that for traditional specialties guaranteed?!

*Best-protected French fruit 

Along with strawberries from the Perigord, Agen plums and Limousin apples, a decidedly un-French
fruit makes an appearance. However, some lesser-known fruits are also aptly deserved of protected
designations of origin.
The kiwi from l’Adour (in the foothills of the Pyrenees) dates back just 30 years but the quality of the soil
plus the ocean climate combine to produce the best hairy green fruits in France. 
Did you know? Kiwis are an economic symbol in l’Adour and are grown by 350 farmers. 

*Best-protected French meat

Poultry literally rules the geographical indication roost in the agricultural product category, but
we’ve chosen lamb, speci cally from Quercy. The agneau from this part of the Lot has enjoyed a reputation
for excellence on French dining tables since the 1770s. Meat from the black-faced Quercy lambs has a
surprisingly delicate taste. 

*Best-protected French vegetable 

No list of French-protected foods would be complete without a mention of  haricots. This is the
vegetable staple that forms the backbone of cassoulet, the signature stew in France. Grown in Tarbes in
l’Occitanie, the white beans have a soft skin and creamy taste and importantly for your fellow diners, easy
digestion. 
Did you know? Haricots tarbais can also be used for desserts and cakes like these 20 recipe suggestions 

*Best-protected French honey

To nd the best honey in France, you need to go o shore to Corsica where the scented maquis
countryside produces six types of honey. Apiculture goes back centuries on the island where once almost
every household owned a hive. Today some 450 beekeepers produce the honey with tastes ranging from
oral to acidic via caramel and licorice. 

*Best-protected French bread

More of a bun than bread proper, brioche is made throughout France and is a favorite on the
breakfast or afternoon  goûter  table. But only one has protected status and that’s the  brioche vendéenne.
From the Vendée region in western France, the production methods of this version create a melt-in-the-
mouth quality that you won’t nd anywhere else. 
Did you know? The gâche vendéenne, a smaller and sweeter version of the brioche, also has a protected
status. 

*Best French-protected salt 

Two salts have protected status: sel de Guérande and sel de Salies-de-Bearn. The former is harvested in
the salt marshes in the Guérande Peninsula in Brittany and the latter in Aquitaine in southwest France. Both
are the favorites of gourmands and in the case of Salies-de-Bearn form the backbone of other French-
protected foods such as jambon de Bayonne. 

*Best French-protected herb and spice

Even condiments get protection in France and this is the case with thyme from Provence and pepper from
Espelette.  Thym de Provence  grows throughout the region and is one of the main ingredients in local
cuisine. The thin, red piment d’Espelette belongs to the capsicum family and comes fresh, dried, ground or
pickled. Unlike its chili pepper relatives, piment d’Espelette is mild, not hot. 
Did you know? Thyme (thym in French) is known as farigoule in the Provence dialect. 

*Best-protected French butter 

As part and parcel of French cuisine,  beurre  just has to be on the list of protected foods.  Beurre
d’Isigny, made in northern France, is golden in color and contains mineral salts that give the butter its
unique avor creating a renowned traditional specialty.  

*Best-protected French oysters 

As the main dish on the Christmas table in Paris and a national passion,  huitres  seem almost
obliged to have protected status. But just those from Marennes Oléron enjoy the PGI seal of geographical
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indication. Farmed o the island of Oléron on the Atlantic coast near La Rochelle, these oysters are famed
as some of the most exquisite in France. 
Did you know?  As well as Oléron oysters, Saint Jacques scallops, mussels from Mont St Michel and
cockles from Granville make up the list of protected shell sh in France.  

*Best-protected French eggs

With nearly 750 protected items on the list, you’d expect to nd almost everything in the pantry. Eggs
included. Just one gets PGI status and it’s the  oeufs de Loué. Farmed from hens in the Loué region
between Rennes and Orléans, these eggs have an unusually pinkish shell and pale yellow yolk. But it’s the
creamy taste that makes them stand out and is what you pay for – Loué oeufs are some of the most
expensive on the market. 

*Best-protected mustard paste 

In a country famous for its moutarde, you’d think several would make it on the protected list. But
despite worthy competition from Dijon, only  moutarde de Bourgogne  enjoys PGI status. Made with local
white wine and mustard seeds grown in charcoal ashes, Burgundy mustard comes in two versions: strong
or very strong. 

What is your favorite French food and why?

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