Nord Pas de Calais is a forested region with a huge coastline.  The Channel Ports of Callais and Boulogne are in this area which is the closest part of France to England. The waterways feed into marshlands and there is much meadowland and hilly areas. In May 1994 the long planned and worked on Channel Tunnel opened in the Calais area linking France with Dover in England.

 

Departments and Main Towns

Nord (59) Capital: Lille, Pas-de-Calais (62) Capital :Arras

Lille is a bustling and commercial city of contrasts.   The older part of the city has many beautiful old houses with intricately carved facades. Vauban designed the citadel in the eighteenth century and this is worth visiting.  In the modern part of the city there are many new buildings which are of modern architectural interest.  

 

Cheese

Belval

Boulette d'Avesnes

Boulette fraîche de Cambrai 

Carré du vinage

Cœur d'Arras

Crayeux de Roncq

Dauphin

Fromage de Bergues

Fromage fort de Béthune
Fromage sans nom
Hesdin

Mimolette extra vieille (affinage)

Monts des Cats

Pas de l'Ayau

Saint-Winoc

Vieux gris de Lille
Vieux Boulogne                         
Vieux Samer

 

 

Specialities

Beetroot sugared which is a type of sweet

Coquille de Noël, bread with a buttery taste

Craquelins aux raisins - flour based crisp type pastry/bread

Craquelin de Boulogne - is a special Christmas pasty usually eaten after midnight mass

Crêpes à la bière - pancakes made with beer

Faluche - breakfast dish

Galopins  - thinly sliced brioche filled eaten with milk with the addition of a beaten egg.

Gauffre - a sweet, soft biscuit with a "lattice work" effect on which fillings such as fruit, creams or ice-creams are place

Galette flamande a type of brioche with nuts - hazelnuts, almonds, egg whites and chopped orange rind.

Germinal - a combination of chicory and bitter chocolate used to flavour this dessert which is a type of mousse

Nieulles  - from the town of Armentières - which are little dry cakes.

Pain boulot otherwise known as “quignon” which is a speciality bread

Pains briochés du Nord -a sweet tasting type of bread

Passe-pierre, seaweed which has been made into a condiment

Tarte à gros bords du Boulonnais which is also known as tarte au papin which is a type of flan

 

Transport

Channel Tunnel links England and France and the TGV runs from Paris to Lille.