Ratatouille

French cooking · vegetables · Provence

A veggie stew. Ratatouille is a traditional dish made by cooking seasonal summer vegetables together in olive oil. It's a way French cooks in Provence used to make sure nothing from the garden went to waste.

From Provence. This dish comes from the Provence region in southern France, especially from a city called Nice. It developed in rural areas where families grew their own vegetables and needed practical ways to use them all.

Summer vegetables. The dish is made with whatever fresh vegetables are in season, all cooked together as a stew or saute. Eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes, and peppers are common vegetables that go into ratatouille.

Olive oil base. Olive oil is the key ingredient that brings all the vegetables together and gives the dish its rich flavor. This is typical of Mediterranean cooking, where olive oil is used in almost every savory dish.