If there’s such a thing as the gastronomic soul of France, that soul inhabits Normandy.

The coasts of Haute-Normandy are touched by the culinary gods and blessed with a gamut of seafoods by the bucketfuls – oysters, scallops, mussels, clams, shrimps, prawns from Isigny and Villerville; baby lobsters from Cherbourg; brills and soles and turbot from Dieppe and Le Havre. The local chefs and restaurants prepare exceptional dishes out of these. Have seafood for breakfast, lunch and dinner, even snacks!

No, for a snack, get your soup fix. Traditional soupe de poisson, thickened with grated cheese, croutons and a garlic-and-red-pepper mayonnaise called rouille, is prepared almost everywhere in Normandy. It’s all a matter of finding the right preparation that suits your taste buds well.

Far away from the sea, Normandy remains to be a feast for both the eyes and the tummy. Some of inland Normandy’s famous recipes include the mouth-watering pork fed on windfall apples and cooked in cider, chicken vallée d'Aug in rich Normande creamy sauce, the tasty duck from Rouen, tripe from Caen, black pudding from Mortagne and the tenderest cuts of beef from salt-marsh fields.

For yummy dessert, ask for bourdelos – baked apples or douillons – pears en croûte. Next time around, try the glazed apricot jam covered in cream called tarte au pommes Normande. In Normandy, cider always accompanies a meal. Then calvados is served half-way through the meal to aid digestion and then another one before you leave your table so that all in all it’s memorable.

So, is your stomach grumbling yet? Why don’t you plan your next cuisine escapade in Normandy, France?