Why go
Try French onion soup for the contrast between slowly cooked onions, savoury stock and a browned cheese-topped crouton. It is commonly served as a starter in the bowl used to gratinée it. The crisp bread and melted cheese make it more substantial than a plain broth, while the onion base keeps the dish recognisably simple.
The full story
Onion soups date back to Roman times, when onions were plentiful and inexpensive. The French version developed in the 18th century around beef broth and caramelized onions. Its familiar gratinéed form is finished under heat with bread, often called a croûte or crouton, and melted cheese such as Comté. Recipes differ in stock and seasoning, but slow cooking gives the onions their characteristic sweetness. The finishing step matters as much as the soup beneath it: heat browns the cheese and crispens the bread, creating the contrast that identifies the dish. A menu description using gratinée points to this baked top rather than a plain onion broth, and signals a richer, more filling starter. It commonly arrives in its own bowl.