A wafer-thin waffle cooked flat in cast-iron moulds over a flame, so light it shatters at the edges. The name comes from the occitan escaleta, and the biscuit is sold in stacks in flavours from orange-flower to anise.
Where to eat it: 2 restaurants across 1 city.
The escalette is documented as a Languedoc recipe going back more than seven centuries, made at home over an open fire in hinged iron moulds of the kind that also produced communion wafers. It disappeared commercially and was revived relatively recently by producers working the same flat cast-iron format rather than the deep Belgian pattern. The result is closer to a brandy snap than to a modern waffle: almost no crumb, a caramelised surface, and a snap that goes soft within a day. It is a market and gift-shop item rather than a bakery one, and it travels badly, which is part of why it stayed local.
Tours, tastings and classes that match this page, bookable on GetYourGuide.
Day trip · 3.5 hours
In a typically Mediterranean landscape, discover two of the region’s greatest treasures on this unforgettable half-day experience combining fine...
Guided tour · 3 hours
Join us on this fantastic food tour to taste and learn everything you've ever wanted to know about French gastronomy. Savory and sweet specialities...
Day trip · 4 - 4.5 hours
Discover St-Emilion on a guided village tour, followed by a guided visit and tasting of 3-4 wines with a French aperitif platter at a Grand Cru...
Common allergens: Gluten, Eggs, Dairy
Halles Castellane is Montpellier's iron-and-glass central market on Rue de la Loge, 25 stalls of cheese, oysters and produce a minute from the Comédie.
TipSeveral stalls shuck Bouzigues oysters to eat on the spot with a glass of Picpoul; go before noon for the full spread.
The Marché des Arceaux lines Montpellier's Saint-Clément aqueduct on Tuesday and Saturday, up to 80 producers selling organic vegetables, cheese and flowers.
TipThis is where the city's chefs shop; arrive by 09:00 on Saturday before the best producer stalls sell through.
Not on this list, but among the highest we score in this city. Every one is in our guide with its address, hours and what to order.
More cities are in research. Want escalette de montpellier covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.
