Anywhere you go in France, you are bound to have good food. Fresh baguettes, the very best cheeses, great wine, rich stews, and more… all of these make France one of the best – if not the absolute top – food destinations in the world. Here in Toulouse, in France’s southwest, you’ll of course find all of those things.

But there are also regional specialties, and that is what we are going to focus on in this article. So while you will surely find your favorite boulangerie (bakery), fromagerie (cheese shop), and patisserie (pastry shop), you’ll also be in for the treat of foods that originated here, or even that you can only find here.

We will start with some of the dishes to look out for while you’re in Toulouse, or the wider Occitanie region. Then I’ll give a few of my favorite restaurant recommendations.

Cassoulet

If you had to pick one dish that is iconic here, it is the cassoulet. It is a stew (it can be thicker or thinner depending on preparation) of root vegetables, beans, sausage, and duck confit. The duck and sausage will basically come as a whole piece, and you’ll have to cut them yourself. The beans tend to be large white beans, and those are the most plentiful component.

Cassoulet was traditionally a peasant stew with cheap ingredients. But like most such things (think bouillabaisse for a good example) what was once super cheap is now gourmet and pricy. It can run you €25 or more, and I’ve seen cassoulet up into the €40 range at non-five star restaurants, just because of the duck and the cooking time.

The two meats, duck and sausage, are also common in other preparations here.

Duck

This is the duck region. You will find duck on every menu at every bistrot in the city, and in the surrounding towns. And it’s more than just the confit in the cassoulet. The primary is magret de canard.

Magret de canard is duck breast, specifically from the Moulard duck. You’ll find it seared with the fat rendered, and sauced more often than not with something with some honey for sweetness. What makes this duck different is that it is specifically bred for foie gras (which we will talk about in a moment), so it is going to be plumper and juicier than a normal duck breast.

Magret de canard can run from €20-40 or so, not out of line with what duck costs at a decent restaurant in the US, but with tax and tip included.

Foie gras is pate made from a goose (typically) or duck that has been force fed. As mentioned, it is most often goose, but here in Toulouse and Occitanie, it is almost always duck from the aforementioned Moulard variety. Is there much of a difference in taste or texture? I found it to be a bit firmer than goose foie gras, but that might also just be the places I had it. It is delicious, almost always as an appetizer.

Sausage

The local sausage you’ll find in cassoulet is called saucisse de Toulouse, literally Toulousian sausage. It is made from pork (I was sort of hoping it was duck, to be honest) and seasoned with herbs similar to herbs de Provence. It basically looks like a bratwurst, a white sausage, but with an herbier flavor.

Besides in cassoulet, you can find saucisse de Toulouse as a main course on its own, especially at lunch. But for my favorite use, go to a local butcher. You can buy it by weight or by specifying the number of people you’re making it for. And at about €16-18 per kilo, it’s a good way to get some awesome meat into a meal you make at your Airbnb. I did mine as stews with parsnips, potatoes, and onion.

Cheese

This is going to skip the amazing cheeses you’ll find at your local cheese shop (seriously, go nuts; I ate baguette and cheese every single day I was home for lunch) and go to cheese dishes.

While both are originally Savoyard (from the Alps where France, Italy, and Switzerland come together), Toulouse being just outside the Pyrenees means that both fondue and raclette are common here. Both are melted cheese served with stuff. The difference is that fondue is a big pot of melted cheese one dips stuff into, and raclette is melted cheese one pours over stuff.

My plan to go out for raclette got derailed so I won’t have specific recommendations, but if you ever meet my cousins, they make amazing fondue! (I realize that is less useful for you. But it was one heck of a meal for me.)

Violet

Did you know that Toulouse once produced a huge percentage of Europe’s violets? Well they did, and you can find violet stuff all over the city. Some of that is even food.

From violet tea to violet liqueur, candied violet to violet scented chocolate, it is worth trying. The best selection is at La Maison de la Violette, a converted canal boat on the Canal du Midi just across the canal from Matabiau station, the city’s main rail hub. Just note it is closed Sundays and Mondays.

If you get violet liqueur, it is very sweet on its own. I’d recommend getting a bottle of prosecco to add to it.

Fenetra

Toulouse’s biggest contribution to pastry is the fenetra. It is a short crust (like a tart crust) with apricot jam, candied lemon peel, and a very light almond meringue. It is delightful. Most patisseries serve fenetra as a large cake, but at Patisserie Conte near the Saint-Etienne cathedral, you can find personal sized versions for under €5. I can highly recommend them!

Restaurant Recommendations

A note here: I can only recommend restaurants I’ve personally tried. I don’t ever receive comped meals, and none of them are aware I’m a writer at all. Also, my own experience doesn’t mean yours will be the same, so please take all this with a grain of salt.

La Gouialle is a small chain of restaurants specializing in local cuisine. They had my favorite cassoulet (also the first I tried). I visited their location near the Saint-Etienne cathedral. It was a lovely meal, but cash only.

Brasserie a 4 Temps is in Carcassonne, which is probably the most popular day trip from Toulouse. I had a truly stunning dinner there since my train back to the city was later at night. This is the more casual restaurant of Carcassonne’s only two Michelin star chef.

My favorite restaurant in Toulouse was easily La Cindree, again in Saint-Etienne. It is built around a huge wood fireplace, and most of what you order – especially the magret de canard – will be made right there. Make sure to save room for the crème brûlée, which is made with a brand heated in the wood fireplace, giving it a super smoky flavor.

You’ll eat well anywhere you go in France. But if you come to Toulouse – and I hope you do – these are some local things to go out of your way to try.

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