Forget wine, northern France locals take pride in beer and cheese

Lille is the fifth largest French metropolis but everyone knows each other at the bar Le Cheval Blanc, located on the main square.

We like to warm up with a beer and good typical songs: “In the north, they were the corons (In the north were mining villages), the earth was coal (The ground was coal), the sky was the horizon” (Country song published in 1982 by Pierre Bachelet).

In the north, artisanal products are favoured: Maroilles, or Mimolette, regional cheeses, green olive bowls, salted peanuts and the famous baguette. Beer, on the other hand, is rich in taste, we like to produce it ourselves and share it. Anosteke, for example, a blonde woman who became famous in Lille in recent years, has 8% alcohol and a bitter taste compensated by a fruity sweetness. Northerners also drink their beer called “Ch’ti” of which they are proud.

Whether you are black, white, atheist or religious makes no difference. There’s a kind of left-wing festive spirit in this bar and don’t be afraid of their dark humour.

 

Don’t drink and drive. Enjoy responsibly.

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