The Mediterranean is an hommage to the sun and the sea. Based on fruits, vegetables, olive oil, fish, and fine herbs, kitchens are filled with the scents of vacation, pétanque parties, and siestas in the shade of pine trees. And it's good for your health, too!
As an aperitif, taste a pastis, this anise flavored alcohol that the people of the South drink on cafe terraces. Do not forget to taste olive oil, an omnipresent oil in Mediterranean cuisine, but also anchoïade and aioli, cod brandade or tapenade (olive and caper mixture).
Extraordinary vegetable gardens
On the emblematic markets of Provence, fruits and vegetables gorged with sun give you the arms. As a starter, taste the vegetable tian. Then enjoy a soup with pistou (Provençal name for basil). Enjoy the flavors of a ratatouille, small stuffed Provence dishes or even zucchini flower donuts.
The bouillabaisse
Deeply intertwined with Marseille culture, today's bouillabaisse soup is prepared according to a specific charter, which indicates that the fish must be cut up in front of you. At the Miramar, the Marseille restaurant where this charter was founded, the bouillabaisse must be made with at least six types of rockfish. The white wines of Cassis ideally accompany your bouillabaisse.
The brandade de Nîmes: a staple
This recipe jealously asserted by the Nîme gastronomes open the door to a culinary journey in the heart of the Provençal tradition. We must first stir as well as the language sings: derived from the "brandado", a "well stirred" Provençal, the brandade is the product of an emulsion obtained from cod, milk and oil. It is also an evocation of the history since it is said that it was born from a barter in times of scarcity between Provence and Brittany, the first offering its salt, the other its fish. It is also the story of a cook who got in posession of this legacy and established the original recipe more than 180 years ago. The brandade thus constitutes a part of Nîmes' gastronomic heritage which has passed through time without ever losing its character or specificity. Revisited by the talents of gastronomy it knows multiple declensions as proposed by Christophe Mouton in his workshop shop. Among his suggestions are the Salmon Brandade or the famous Brandade truffée! A great way to seduce your tastebuds
A little meat
The Provencal daube, or braised meat, is a meat-based dish marinated in wine with herbs of Provence (thyme, rosemary, savoury). In Avignon, try the daube avignonnaise (lamb and white wine).
Southern sweets
Shuttles (dry biscuit with orange blossom), pompe à l'huile (an olive oil based bread), calissons ... the kitchen of the South of France is tasy and it shows! The most gourmands settle in the Place des Lices in Saint-Tropez and enjoy the famous tropézienne pie (brioche à la crème) made famous by Brigitte Bardot on the shooting of "And God created the Woman". For Christmas in Provence, tables are decorated with 13 desserts, including hazelnuts, dried figs, almonds, nougat...
Find and taste South of France products
- Confiserie du Roy René: since its creation in 1920, this confectionery has been treating you to its calissons, nougats ... In 2012, it obtained the label "Entreprise du patrimoine vivant" and invites you to visit its factory near Aix-en- Provence.
- The Roque and Desclaux houses: the last two Collioure canneries welcome you in their shops and introduce you to the authentic way of preparing anchovies in Collioure.
- La Tarte tropézienne: from Marseille to Saint-Tropez, fifteen branded bakeries allow you to taste the original pie. In Saint-Tropez, the Place des Lices shop also includes a restaurant and a tea room.