The specialities of Cannes

Typical products to be tasted in the 4 corners of the city

Mediterranean gastronomy evokes a land full of sunshine and specialities with a strong identity. Over time, under the influence of Provence, with fishing as its heritage, Cannes has been able to perpetuate its culinary traditions: colourful vegetables that flood the dishes, freshly caught fish, drinks with Mediterranean flavours… To be eaten with your fingers or around a table with friends, discover these unmissable Cannes specialities to be devoured in the four corners of Cannes!

Par Abla Carolyn
Blogueuse cannoise

Auteure du blog Ablacarolyn et Riviera City Guide, Ambassadrice Côte d'Azur France et journaliste, je partage mes trouvailles mode, food et art de vivre à Cannes.

Fishing of the day

From its original fishing village, Cannes has kept a traditional appointment, that of the daily fishing. Every day, it is the same ritual. After having criss-crossed the bay of Cannes at dawn, the thirty or so local fishermen display the fruit of their fishing on their benches, right on the ice.

Rock fish, scorpion fish, capon, sea bass, sea bream, dentex, swordfish, red mullet, can be found on the stalls of the Forville market, and above all the pelamide, a bonito with a striped back, which is particularly found between the Lérins islands and the coast. The connoisseurs will tell you, and in particular the restaurant owners around the Cannois square, its taste is incomparable!

The Socca

of the Forville market

The Forville market is a true belly of the city and an unmissable stopover to soak up the specialities of Cannoises. On Sundays, it’s a real tradition to stroll along the stalls, accompanied by a basket in one hand and a slice of socca in the other!

In the South alley, this cake made of chickpea flour is cooked by the minute on a copper plate in a funny wooden oven on wheels.

If socca evokes the cuisine of Nice, here, no mistake, this delicious crispy and golden speciality is called socca’nnes !

The Lerina

the speciality of the Lerins Islands

Closely linked to the history of Cannes, the monks of the Lérins Islands, in addition to the renowned wines they produce thanks to the vines surrounding the monastery, have been making a speciality in Cannes since the end of the 19th century, the Lerina. A true testimony of a know-how, its recipe is passed on between the liqueur brothers. Composed of 44 plants, fruits and spices macerated in alcohol, this century-old liqueur distils all the Mediterranean flavours of the herbs planted on the island.

Embark on Saint-Honorat Island where you can discover the subtle nuances of the green or yellow Lerina and also taste another aperitif with a citrus flavour that is now famous, the Lerincello.

The pan bagnat

at the beach

From the beaches of the Mouré Rouge to those of the Midi, the inhabitants of Cannes only have an appetite for one sandwich, at picnic time, the pan Bagnat. This small round bread, typical, copiously sprinkled with olive oil in which the raw vegetables, full of sunshine, play with the anchovies is a real slice of Mediterranean culture in the mouth!

In the 4 corners of the city, from the blue kiosks facing the sea, to the institutions, the pan bagnat is proposed everywhere. Its recipe ? from the most traditional to the most inventive, but always with local ingredients.

Other Mediterranean specialities

to discover in Cannes

Anchored in its territory, Cannes also distills Provençal aromas through the typical Mediterranean dishes that can be tasted at the best tables of Cannes restaurants as well as at the craftsmen’s in the alley dedicated to the food trades, rue Meynadier.

Pissaladière, fougasse, rock fish soup, bouillabaisse or even daube à la Provençale, are part of the regional culinary heritage and are reinvented with the Cannoise sauce, thanks to its local products.

Where to eat?

The cuisine of Cannes is celebrated!

Guarantors of the culinary identity of the Cannois terroir, restaurateurs, craftsmen and producers have been celebrating the gastronomy of Cannes every year since 2016.

In spring, the weekend event La cuisine Cannoise en fête takes over the Forville market, where renowned chefs honour the ingredients of local producers with typically Cannois recipes to be enjoyed in small portions.

Gastronomic restaurants

Find out more