Moules-frites — Lille, France

Moules-frites — mussels and chips — belongs to the whole Flemish coast, both French and Belgian, but Lille has turned it into a local festival: every first weekend of September, the Braderie fills the Grand-Place with brasseries whose success is measured by the height of the mussel shells piled outside their doors. The mussels are cooked à la marinière, in a base of shallots, white wine, parsley and butter, until their shells pop open. They are served straight in the pot they were cooked in, alongside a portion of hot chips meant for dipping into the buttery, winy liquid left behind. Preparation is quick: the chips are cut, rinsed and fried twice, so the outside crisps while the inside stays soft, while the mussels themselves need only a few minutes over high heat once the aromatics and wine are simmering. Any mussel that stays closed once the cooking time is up, or was broken beforehand, is discarded. In Lille, cooks readily add cream to the cooking liquid, and some replace the white wine with a local beer, a swap that fits a region where brewing runs as deep as wine drinking does further south. Other versions lean on a little curry powder or extra celery, but the core stays the same: mussels, broth, and chips on the side.