What you must try and what Provence gave the world of gastronomy
The Taste of Provence
Provence gave the world not only lavender but also a wealth of delicious recipes. As elsewhere in the Mediterranean, the priorities of Provençal cooking are good fresh ingredients, simple preparation and preserving natural flavour. The dominant ingredients are garlic, tomatoes, saffron, olives, anchovies and, of course, herbs – and the ever-present rosé wine.
Famous dishes from Provence
Ratatouille
The recipe made famous above all by Remy the rat was born right here in Provence, around Nice. The mixture of aubergine, courgette, onion, tomatoes, peppers and herbs was devised by local farmers as a way of using up the summer harvest. The word itself has been known since the 18th century, but the dish as we know it dates only from the 20th.
Salade niçoise
A celebration of fresh vegetables, olives, protein from tuna and eggs, and a zesty dressing. That is the taste of one of the most famous recipes from Provence, named after the city of Nice.
Bouillabaisse
Another famous recipe from the south-east of France. This hearty fish soup comes from Marseille, and its roots are said to go back to the very founding of the city. Since then it has travelled the world. Yet at home it remains as popular as ever.
Tarte Tropézienne
This cake, filled with cream and sometimes fruit, was brought to Saint-Tropez in the 1950s by the Polish-born pastry chef Alexandre Micka – and since Brigitte Bardot, who was in town filming And God Created Woman, took a liking to it, a new sweet sensation was born.
And that is far from all
The list of famous recipes from Provence by no means ends there. Lovers of creamy flavours will hardly say no to aïoli, a thick garlic sauce that goes wonderfully with fried anchovies. Olive tapenade also comes from Provence – a thick spread that is excellent on open sandwiches and canapés.
Nor can we forget nougat, which has a long and very rich tradition in the south of France. The most famous is made in the town of Montélimar, on the northern edge of Provence, and is packed with almonds and pistachios. It won worldwide fame at the turn of the 20th century, when Émile Loubet, long-serving mayor of Montélimar, became President of France and handed out this very nougat as a gift on state visits.
Soup lovers should not miss soupe au pistou, the Provençal version of minestrone with beans and pasta. Gardiane de taureau (bœuf à la gardiane), meat braised in red wine Camargue-style, and daube de bœuf, braised beef, will please all meat lovers. Another favourite is socca – an unleavened flatbread made of chickpea flour, water and olive oil, typical of Nice.
You can also try fried courgette flowers – beignets de fleurs de courgette. The savoury tart pissaladière is well worth tasting, too: it looks strikingly like a pizza but is piled with caramelised onions and anchovies. Those with a sweet tooth can seek out the calisson – a sweet from Aix-en-Provence made from candied fruit and ground almonds.
