Does the mere thought of a patisserie make your mouth water? Then it is important to know exactly what you are ordering.

Below you will find 8 of the most famous pastries and cakes in France.

Les chouquettes.
This is a typical Parisian pastry that was first created no less than five centuries ago. Two centuries later, the recipe was improved, and it has remained unchanged ever since. Chouquettes are small cream puffs sprinkled with pearl sugar. They are also known as ‘pets de nonne’ when fried in oil.

Le chou.
This is a variation of the chouquettes. These cream puffs are filled with pastry cream or whipped cream. Almost irresistible!

L’Éclair.
An oblong pastry made of choux pastry, topped with chocolate or caramel icing. Inside, the éclair is filled with pastry cream in various flavors. You can choose from vanilla, coffee, or chocolate. Others are filled with fruit mousse or whipped cream.
And did you know that this pastry used to be called ‘Petite Duchesse’?

Le Millefeuille.
At first glance, the Millefeuille resembles a custard slice, but it is not the same. The name gives it away: this pastry consists of three (no, not a thousand) layers of puff pastry filled with pastry cream in flavors such as coconut, praline, mocha, caramel, almond, or vanilla. It is topped with icing.

Les Canelés.
A pastry first created by nuns in the 18th century. It is a small cake made of batter flavored with rum and vanilla, covered with a caramelized crust.

Le Saint Honoré.
Saint Honoré is the patron saint of bakers, but the pastry is not named after him. The inventor happened to live on Rue Saint Honoré. The Saint Honoré has a puff pastry base topped with whipped cream. Cream puffs filled with pastry cream and caramel are then stacked on top.

La Tarte Tatin.
Another classic: the French apple tart. It is a regional recipe made famous by the Tatin sisters, who ran an inn.

La Tropézienne.
All French people are familiar with this pastry. In the 1950s, baker Alexandre Micka was the caterer for the actors of the film ‘And God Created Woman’, which was filmed in Saint-Tropez. When he made this cake for the film crew, it did not yet have a name. Brigitte Bardot asked Alexandre to find a name for the cake. It became La (tarte) Tropézienne. The cake consists of two sweet brioche-style buns joined in the middle by a subtle mixture of pastry cream and buttercream.