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.
www.flickr.com/photos/fernandogaleano/781642430/
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
www.flickr.com/photos/foodista/3405362209/
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!
------------------------------------------
Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman
behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com
Copyright
2010, 2013, 2019
--------------------------------
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