Traci Nelson, of French Detours, takes us on the first part of a foodie tour of Nice, taking in the famous Cours Saleya market and iconic local delights such as socca and salade niçoise…
The balmy Mediterranean breeze, swaying palm trees, gentle waves, and abundant sunshine make Nice an irresistible draw for visitors. While it may not rival nearby Lyon as a culinary capital, the city offers a wealth of gastronomic delights. Whether you’re here for a brief visit or are planning a longer stay, exploring the local specialities is a must.

Nice’s most iconic dish is, of course, the salade niçoise, or salada nissarda. Outside of the Côte d’Azur, there are many iterations of this famous salad, with additions such as boiled potatoes and green beans – but every self-respecting niçois knows it is a faux pas to add anything cooked other than hard-boiled eggs. The classic recipe contains young, wild lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, hard-boiled eggs, broad beans (févettes), basil, garlic, tuna and/or anchovies, and olives niçoises. It should be tossed only after being presented to guests, and should never contain vinegar, only olive oil, salt and pepper.
The dish gained popularity thanks to Auguste Escoffier before it was updated by Jacques Médecin, former Mayor of Nice. It has not left the shores of the Mediterranean since, and is best enjoyed outside, preferably with a sea view. To help you find the restaurants that respect traditional cooking, look for the label Cuisine Nissarde. One such establishment is Restaurant Le Safari, right by the daily market, which is a favourite with locals. Or, nestled on a small street in Vieux Nice, it doesn’t get more authentic than Restaurant A Buteghinn’a.
A close cousin of the salade niçoise, the pan bagnat is essentially the dish made into a sandwich. It can be found at the market and all around the city, and is an easier dish to eat sur le pouce (on the go) as you go about your sightseeing.

A moveable feast

The Cours Saleya market is an essential starting point when exploring the foods that define Nice, forming a sort of a culinary tutorial for the senses. First, absorb the vibrant hues of the flower market with its sumptuous bouquets, followed by the fresh aroma of lavender sachets and locally milled soaps. Then chat to the knowledgeable stallholders as you sample their freshly-prepared dishes – you’ll find they’re keen to share their savoir-faire with you. Cours Saleya is open Tuesday to Sunday, 7am to 1pm (closed Mondays for a flea market). After tasting products at the various stalls, stop for lunch at one of the many neighbouring restaurants. Although Cours Saleya is popular with tourists from around the world, it is not to be dismissed as a tourist trap: residents shop here as well. However, if you’re after more ‘serious’ food shopping, head to the Marché de la Libération at Place du Général de Gaulle, where the stalls are more focused on fruit, vegetables and home cooking.
Savoury specialities
Socca: As you stroll through the market stalls, you will notice large crowds gathered around a sort of flatbread cooking on a huge, black circular pan. This is Chez Thérésa’s famous socca, a flatbread made with chickpea flour, water, olive oil and salt, which is best eaten hot off of the pan. Although socca can be found in various places around the city, Chez Thérésa is the most famous, having made this niçois delicacy in its wood-burning oven since 1925.

Pissaladière: Many stalls offer fresh slices of Italian pizza, and right along side them is the local spin on the dish – pissaladière. While the basic crust and shape are the same, pissaladière skips the tomato base and lets the caramelised onions, piled high, steal the show. Simple and elegant, it is finished off with niçoise olives and anchovies. Don’t let the anchovies scare you off, they add just the right amount of salt.
Olives: Speaking of olives niçoises, to find the real deal, look for the label Appellation Olive de Nice Protégée. Nicknamed the caillette, their colour may vary from green-yellow to almost brown. Follow your nose to the many olive stands where the knowledgeable vendors will be happy to let you taste varieties you never knew existed.

La Tourte aux Blettes: For a truly unique flavour, try Swiss chard tart, an unusual blend of seemingly incongruent ingredients: shortcrust pastry, rum raisins, brandy, Swiss chard, parmesan and pine nuts. The dark, dense filling looks like a decadent fig or date centre, but is delivered with that unexpected savoury twist. I must confess, it’s a speciality I have yet to try, but I am committed to giving it a go this coming winter. A suivre…
Something Sweet
The warm Mediterranean sun shines all year round, making ice cream a welcome treat any afternoon, and wherever you wander, you’ll find a stand nearby. The best-known is the family-owned Fenocchio, at 2 Place Rossetti in Vieux Nice. It has been run by the Fenocchio family since it opened its doors in 1966, with Francis and Giselda currently at the helm. There are a dizzying 94 flavours – 59 ice creams and 35 sorbets – to tempt you. Enjoy the classics, or try the more exotic jasmine- or olive-flavoured ice creams. My son can’t get enough of the Rocher, which tastes like the Ferrero Rocher, while I always choose the passion fruit sorbet – a flavour not commonly found in the US.
Also tempting for anyone with a sweet tooth is candied fruit, a popular sweet thanks to the abundant orchards in Provence. Of course you can find them at the market, but there are two beautiful, iconic shops that are worth a look.
Located in a Florentine-style boutique directly across from the Opera House, Maison Auer will whisk you back in time to la Belle Epoque. Indeed, this chocolaterie-confiserie has been passed down from generation to generation since 1820. It features a myriad of candied fruits as well as chocolate-covered orange peel, nuts enrobed in chocolate, and traditional chocolate bars. The exquisite presentation matches the decadent flavours on offer. Be sure to stop in the back room where the truffles are as magnificent as the stained glass ceiling!

La Confiserie Florian’s unique 100-year history is filled with fruit and flowers. The chocolate factory Florian first opened at the port in Nice in 1921, and was frequented by the famous painter Matisse. In 1935 a local perfume factory in Pont-du-Loup (in the hills not far from Nice) was purchased by Parfumerie Fragonard and was managed by Eugène Fuchs. In 1949 la Confiserie des Gorges du Loup replaced the perfume factory, swapping taste for smell, but both seeds had been planted for Fuchs, and his great-grandchildren keep them growing, with the Costa family at Fragonard and the Fuchs family at Florian in Nice and Pont-du-Loup. Both locations have workshops where master confectioners create candied fruit, delicate candied flowers and chocolates.
I would be amiss not to mention my favourite place for entremets and other desserts: Pâtisserie Canet. Walking down rue Gambetta, a joyful display of colorful entremets will lure you in, each one looked like a festival of flavours. On my last visit, I settled on the galet, flat rocks which are an iconic symbol of the niçois beach, and this is a perfect trompe-l’oeil. The muted grey mirror glaze makes it easily overlooked next to the other cakes sporting bright reds, greens and yellows, but this dessert does not disappoint. A bit unassuming on the outside (except for the artistic glazing) the inside is a bursting with flavors and textures: a coconut dacquoise biscuit layered with crunchy praliné, softened by creamy passion fruit and chocolate mousse. This a staple for me every time I am in Nice. Fortunately they have small versions of their desserts as well so I can try other flavours (almost) guilt-free!
Next time: Traci tells us which authentic niçois dishes to look out for at some of her favourite restaurants in Nice, plus cooking classes and wine tours.
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