Where to eat Oreillettes in Montpellier: 3 editor picks

Paper-thin strips of dough scented with orange-flower water or anise, fried until they blister and dusted heavily with icing sugar. Carnival food across the Languedoc, eaten within hours of frying.

The oreillette belongs to the family of pre-Lent fritters found right across southern Europe, from Italian chiacchiere to Spanish orejas, and the name simply means little ear. The Languedoc version is rolled thinner than most, sometimes to the point of translucency, and flavoured with orange-flower water rather than lemon. Traditionally they were made at home in the days before Ash Wednesday to use up eggs and fat, and a household would turn out enough for the whole street. Montpellier bakeries put them out through January and February, and they are gone from the counters by the time Easter arrives.