Ratatouille ( , ), oc, ratatolha , is a

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

Provençal dish of

stew A stew is a combination of solid food ingredients that have been cooked in liquid and served in the resultant gravy. A stew needs to have raw ingredients added to the gravy. Ingredients in a stew can include any combination of vegetables a ...

vegetable Vegetables are parts of plants that are consumed by humans or other animals as food. The original meaning is still commonly used and is applied to plants collectively to refer to all edible plant matter, including the edible flower, flowers, ...

s which originated in

Nice Nice ( , ; Niçard: , classical norm, or , nonstandard, ; it, Nizza ; lij, Nissa; grc, Νίκαια; la, Nicaea) is the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative ...

, and is sometimes referred to as ''ratatouille niçoise'' (). Recipes and cooking times differ widely, but common ingredients include

tomato The tomato is the edible berry of the plant ''Solanum lycopersicum'', commonly known as the tomato plant. The species originated in western South America, Mexico, and Central America. The Mexican Nahuatl word gave rise to the Spanish word ...

garlic Garlic (''Allium sativum'') is a species of bulbous flowering plant in the genus '' Allium''. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chive, Welsh onion and Chinese onion. It is native to South Asia, Central Asia and northeas ...

onion An onion (''Allium cepa'' L., from Latin ''cepa'' meaning "onion"), also known as the bulb onion or common onion, is a vegetable that is the most widely cultivated species of the genus '' Allium''. The shallot is a botanical variety of the on ...

, courgette (zucchini), aubergine (eggplant, brinjal),

capsicum ''Capsicum'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the nightshade family Solanaceae, native to the Americas, cultivated worldwide for their chili pepper or bell pepper fruit. Etymology and names The generic name may come from Latin , me ...

(bell pepper), and some combination of leafy green

herbs In general use, herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables and other plants consumed for macronutrients, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicina ...

common to the region.

Etymology

The word ''ratatouille'' derives from the Occitan ''ratatolha'' and is related to the French ''ratouiller'' and ''tatouiller'', expressive forms of the verb ''touiller'', meaning "to stir up". From the late 18th century, in French, it merely indicated a coarse stew. Modern ratatouille uses

es as a foundation for sautéed

, zucchini, aubergine (eggplant),

bell pepper The bell pepper (also known as paprika, sweet pepper, pepper, or capsicum ) is the fruit of plants in the Grossum Group of the species ''Capsicum annuum''. Cultivars of the plant produce fruits in different colors, including red, yellow, orange ...

marjoram Marjoram (; ''Origanum majorana'') is a cold-sensitive perennial herb or undershrub with sweet pine and citrus flavours. In some Middle Eastern countries, marjoram is synonymous with oregano, and there the names sweet marjoram and knotted marj ...

fennel Fennel (''Foeniculum vulgare'') is a flowering plant species in the carrot family. It is a hardy, perennial herb with yellow flowers and feathery leaves. It is indigenous to the shores of the Mediterranean but has become widely naturalized ...

and basil. Instead of basil,

bay leaf The bay leaf is an aromatic leaf commonly used in cooking. It can be used whole, either dried or fresh, in which case it is removed from the dish before consumption, or less commonly used in ground form. It may come from several species of tr ...

and

thyme Thyme () is the herb (dried aerial parts) of some members of the genus ''Thymus'' of aromatic perennial evergreen herbs in the mint family Lamiaceae. Thymes are relatives of the oregano genus '' Origanum'', with both plants being mostly indigen ...

, or a mix of green herbs like

herbes de Provence (; oc, label= Provençal, èrbas de Provença) is a mixture of dried herbs considered typical of the Provence region of southeastern France. Formerly simply a descriptive term, commercial blends started to be sold under this name in the 1970s. T ...

can be used. The modern version does not appear in print until c.1930.

Preparation

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers '' The Observer'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the ...

''s food and drink writer, Felicity Cloake, wrote in 2016 that considering ratatouille's relatively recent origins (it first appeared in 1877), there exists a great variety of methods of preparation for it. The '' Larousse Gastronomique'' claims "according to the purists, the different vegetables should be cooked separately, then combined and cooked slowly together until they attain a smooth, creamy consistency", so that (according to the chair of the Larousse's committee

Joël Robuchon Joël Robuchon (, 7 April 1945 – 6 August 2018) was a French chef and restaurateur. He was named "Chef of the Century" by the guide Gault Millau in 1989, and awarded the Meilleur Ouvrier de France (France's best worker) in cuisine in 1976. H ...

) "each egetablewill taste truly of itself." File:Ratatouille.jpg, ''Ratatouille niçoise'' File:20170329 ratatouille-debut-cuisson.jpg, Raw ingredients File:20170329 ratatouille-fin-cuisson.jpg, Heavily simmered and garnished with fresh parsley

Related dishes

Similar dishes exist in many cuisines. These include: '' pisto'' ( Castilian-Manchego, Spain), '' samfaina'' ( Catalan, Spain), ''

tombet Tombet or tumbet is a traditional vegetable dish from Majorca, consisting of layers of sliced potatoes, aubergines and red bell peppers previously fried in olive oil. It is available at almost every local restaurant on the island. Tombet is ofte ...

'' (

Majorca Mallorca, or Majorca, is the largest island in the Balearic Islands, which are part of Spain and located in the Mediterranean. The capital of the island, Palma, is also the capital of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands. The Bale ...

n), ''

ciambotta ''Ciambotta'' or ''giambotta'' is a summer vegetable stew of southern Italian cuisine. The dish has different regional spellings;Michael ScicoloneMake It Your Way: Ciambotta ''Los Angeles Times'' (June 20, 2001).Anthony F. Buccini, "Western Medit ...

'', ''

caponata Caponata ( Sicilian: ''capunata'') is a Sicilian dish consisting of chopped fried aubergine (U.S. eggplant) and other vegetables, seasoned with olive oil, tomato sauce, celery, olives, and capers, in an agrodolce sauce. Numerous local variant ...

'' and '' peperonata'' (

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

), ''briám'' and '' tourloú'' ( Greek), '' şakşuka'' and ''

türlü Türlü is a casserole of Turkish cuisine. It is made of stewed vegetables and may also include stewed meat. Varieties of this dish are also found in Balkan cuisines. In particular, it is known as turli perimesh in Albania, tourlou or tourlou tou ...

'' ( Turkish), '' ajapsandali'' ( Georgian), ''

lecsó Lecsó ( en, Lecho, ; hu, lecsó ; Czech and Slovak: ''lečo''; german: Letscho; pl, leczo; Russian and ua, лечо) is a Hungarian thick vegetable ragout or stew which traditionally contains yellow pointed peppers, tomato, onion, salt, ...

'' ( Hungarian), '' ghiveci'' (

Romanian Romanian may refer to: *anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Romania ** Romanians, an ethnic group **Romanian language, a Romance language ***Romanian dialects, variants of the Romanian language **Romanian cuisine, traditiona ...

) and ''

zaalouk Zaalouk or Zalouk ( Berber: ⵣⴰⵄⵍⵓⴽ ary, زعلوك, zaʿlūk) is a Moroccan salad of cooked eggplants and tomato The tomato is the edible berry of the plant ''Solanum lycopersicum'', commonly known as the tomato plant. The ...

'' ( Moroccan). Different parts of the

Indian subcontinent The Indian subcontinent is a physiographical region in Southern Asia. It is situated on the Indian Plate, projecting southwards into the Indian Ocean from the Himalayas. Geopolitically, it includes the countries of Bangladesh, Bhutan, In ...

have their own versions of winter vegetable stew.

Gujarat Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...

makes ''

undhiyu Undhiyu is a Gujarati mixed vegetable dish that is a regional specialty of Surat, Gujarat, India. The name of this dish comes from the Gujarati word "undhu", which translates to upside down, since the dish is traditionally cooked upside down u ...

'',

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South Ca ...

'' avial'' (with coconut and curry), and Bengal '' shukto''. ''

Confit byaldi Confit byaldi is a variation on the traditional French dish ratatouille by French chef Michel Guérard. History The name is a play on the Turkish dish " İmam bayıldı", which is a stuffed eggplant. The original ratatouille recipe had the ...

'' can be considered as a variation of the dish.

In popular culture

In 2007

Walt Disney Pictures Walt Disney Pictures is an American film production company and subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios, which is owned by The Walt Disney Company. The studio is the flagship producer of live-action feature films within the Walt Disney Studios unit ...

and

Pixar Animation Studios Pixar Animation Studios (commonly known as Pixar () and stylized as P I X A R) is an American computer animation studio known for its critically and commercially successful computer animated feature films. It is based in Emeryville, Califor ...

released the film '' Ratatouille''. The film features Remy, a young rat with an exceptional sense of taste and smell who dreams of becoming a chef. The climax of the film sees Remy prepare the titular dish in the form of

confit byaldi Confit byaldi is a variation on the traditional French dish ratatouille by French chef Michel Guérard. History The name is a play on the Turkish dish " İmam bayıldı", which is a stuffed eggplant. The original ratatouille recipe had the ...

for the notoriously harsh food critic Anton Ego, who unexpectedly loves the dish due to childhood

nostalgia Nostalgia is a sentimentality for the past, typically for a period or place with happy personal associations. The word ''nostalgia'' is a learned formation of a Greek compound, consisting of (''nóstos''), meaning "homecoming", a Homeric word ...

for his mother's cooking. The movie gave widespread exposure to this meal in American culture and around the world.

References

External links