Ratatouille, the essence of Provencal cuisine and Ratatouille’s Ancestor, the Bohémienne de Légumes.

from
Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman

behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com

 


Ratatouille
www.flickr.com/photos/pochove/8438320870/
  
The history and recipe of the most famous of all Provencal vegetable stews.

Ratatouille or Ratatouille Nicoise is a traditional recipe from the city of Nice in Provence, France and for at least 100 years before the movie, Ratatouille the dish was a favorite on Provencal menus. Since the movie, the original Ratatouille, or more often an adaptation of the original Ratatouille, is now on menus internationally. 
   

Remy the rat, the chef, from the movie Ratatouille
Gazing over Paris.
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Ratatouille the classic recipe.
    
Ratatouille was originally called Ratatouille Nicoise and the classic recipe from NIce, was eggplants, that's aubergines in the UK, zucchinis, courgettes in the UK, onions, tomatoes, sweet peppers, garlic, herbs, and olive oil. Some of the vegetables will vary with the seasons, To those ingredients, chefs may add, champignons, button mushrooms, lardons which are fried or smoked bacon bits, and occasionally eggs. Quite a number of chefs present their Ratatouille with gruyère cheese browned on top or grated and placed on the side for the diner to add to his or her taste.
    

The ingredients

Search for the restaurants with a large turnover
They will be making ratatouille  fresh every day.
The reason is the virgin olive oil. Read on
  
A tasty ratatouille can only come from the freshest vegetables, and the finishing touch is that drizzle of a tasty virgin olive oil added cold at the last moment. All virgin oils lose their unique flavor when cooked or heated in any way. French diners know the difference between a freshly made ratatouille and a warmed up ratatouille, and that final touch of an excellent virgin olive oil is a must to keep the customers coming back.

Ratatouille
There are arguments among the Ratatouille faithful as some insist that a ratatouille must be cooked while layered while others maintain the original was a mixed stew.
www.flickr.com/photos/davidmarcel/48064682718/
      
Today, many ratatouille offerings are baked, and the dish does not suffer from that change. From my experience, the tastes may be similar, but the more you pay determines if the Ratatouille is served layered; only the texture may be different. You pay for the presentation.
  
Ratatouille
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Ratatouille hot or cold? You choose.
    
Ratatouille may be served hot or cold, and that was always part of the dish's history. Ratatouille began as a main dish and only later gained popularity as a side dish. Now in a return to its origins, Ratatouille is again offered as a main dish accompanied by rice or pasta. Despite the occasional disputes ratatouille did originate in the area of Nice and is just one the many famous and popular dishes Nice has given to the rest of Provence and France. 
    
Ratatouille is so now so popular with visitors to Provence that they are offered fast-food ratatouille versions where it will be served in toasted baguettes, as a ratatouille pizza or inside a Niçoise Fougasse or Fougassette.


Bohémienne de légumes the dish that preceded Ratatouille.
  
Bohémienne de Légumes – Ratatouille's ancestor; and still on some Provencal menus is the classic Bohémienne de Legumes. Bohémienne de Legumes is a vegetable stew that only includes eggplant, aubergines in the UK, and tomatoes. As with its descendant ratatouille, a bohémienne de légumes will be fried in olive oil with garlic and herbs. Modern versions may include onions, but that is about it, as adding anything else will turn a bohémienne de légumes into its grandchild, a ratatouille!

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Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman

 

behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com

 

Copyright 2010, 2013, 2019

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