Posted: Fri Jul 27, 2007 12:09 am Post subject: ratatouille
We see adverts for the new pixar movie in streets now. I was asking myself how is understood the name of that movie in English ? is the dish famous and know by everybody ?
I've never had the dish, so I wouldn't know. Of course I don't know much about French cuisine other than eating at a couple French establishments here, which as we discussed Fab, are always the ultra-fanciful sort found in posh districts. _________________ Operation Northwoods - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Northwoods
Favorite languages = English/Spanish
Followed by Italian/French/Dutch
Location: San Francisco, Noord-Kalifornië, Noord-Amerika
Posted: Fri Jul 27, 2007 1:51 am Post subject:
I've been very fond of ratatouille since I was introduced to it in 1970-something. However, the recipe was from a then-popular book about going vegetarian called Diet for a Small Planet, and garbanzos (chickpeas) were added, to provide protein. But I've had (and cooked) the traditional version many times.
I've never had the dish, so I wouldn't know. Of course I don't know much about French cuisine other than eating at a couple French establishments here, which as we discussed Fab, are always the ultra-fanciful sort found in posh districts.
It is a traditional "dish of the poor" made of vegetables (as many are at the origin!) originary from Nice region.
usually it is one basis accompagnement of meals in summertime :
Since this topic is about food and especially ratatouille, are other dishes originary from Nice and Provence region famous in your countries ? such as, among the most famous :
- Aïoli (which is in fact the name of the garlic mayonaise)
- petits farcis
- the very famous salade Niçoise
- and its sandwich version : Pan Bagnat
- la pissaladière (sort of onion pizza without tomatoes)
- la socca (sort of big crepe made with pees)
- la tapenade (preparation with black olives generally eaten on toasts)
Location: San Francisco, Noord-Kalifornië, Noord-Amerika
Posted: Fri Jul 27, 2007 3:17 am Post subject:
Salade Niçoise is known (yum!). I think aïoli and tapenade are pretty well known in San Francisco, although I expect most people would only know the mayonnaise part of the aïoli. For example, a music club & restaurant that I used to go to served fried Yukon Gold potatoes (a variety of potato that is yellow) with aioli, which was incredibly delicious.
I've only seen pan bagnat and pissaladière on Jacques Pépin's TV cooking show, and this is first I've heard of la socca.
As for the petits farcis, stuffed vegetables have been popular for a long time, though not necessarily prepared exactly as they would be in Provence.
Ratatouille (ratatouia nissarda/ratatolha niçarda, just to throw in a little lesson in Oc) isn't usually served in the finer French restaurants here. It's a little too pedestrian for the posh palate. Ratatouille and fois gras??? I don't think so!!! Although in restaurants serving Cajun cuisine, a spicier version prepared with meats like ham or smoked sausage can usually be found on the menu. Macarèl!
I think the most commonly known dish from Provence (more specifically Marseille), is bouillabaisse (bouiabaissa/bolhabaissa).
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I love aïoli, although it's not too common here. There's an Argentinian restaurant near my house that serves the best meat empanadas in town, served with basil aïoli dipping sauce. Yum!
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Other foods from Provence:
Daube
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Broufado
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Bourride
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Pistou, commonly known as pesto Click to see full size image
Soupe au pistou
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Anchoïade
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Aigo-boulido
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A popular dish from across the Rhône -- cassoulet
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Of course, a Provençal meal wouldn't be complete without...
Well, "Ratatouille" is a clever pun on the fact that the movie's about a rat, who likes fine food, and it's set in France (that's an obviously French word). All three bases are covered with just one word!
As for the dish to which it refers, I think most Americans would have a vague idea of what it is, and would have been exposed to its pronunciation (although the posters make sure to provide a phonetic transcription ... which adults can pretend is aimed at children )
Bouillabaise is another term we would be familiar with, sort of, and aioli is regularly referred to in restaurants and cooking magazines. We ain't all barbecue 'n burgers, you know! A friend who loves the stuff once made it for a dinner party. I'm not a big seafood fan so I wasn't that impressed, but it was a hit with everyone else. (Her sushi and tempura are to die for, though -- but that's another story.)
Salade nicoise is another one we've all probably at least heard of, if maybe not eaten.
Your aigo-boulido looks suspiciously like our "French onion soup", which is immensely popular and found all over the place. My dad makes a killer version of it that I worship. Next time I eat at his house, I should ask him to make it.... yes, I'm drooling like Homer Simpson right now!
Tapanade is becoming fairly popular. My mom makes it. It's ... interesting. I usually hate olives, but ground up and mixed with other ingredients they aren't bad.
Pesto we have all over the place, of course, although we think of it as an Italian dish. Exclusively Italian. Anchovies are well-known, and I even know a guy who loves them on pizza. (Ugh!) Cassoulet I've heard of, and know it has something to do with beans. I assume ham hocks may also be involved.
The rest of the dishes you mention I personally have never heard of, although I can't speak for the whole country. _________________ An apple a day....
Pesto we have all over the place, of course, although we think of it as an Italian dish. Exclusively Italian
In fact yes, Pesto is Italian. But not Pistou.
What we refer in Provence is Pistou, which is almost the same, but a lightly different reciepe. (Pistou is made without pignons and cheese is facultative, unlike Pesto)
Pistou is generally refered to the soup that is made with it: "soupe au pistou".
but it is not surprising that both are similar since Pesto is from Liguria, the bordering region that follows the french riviera. So, on one side Pesto, on the other Pistou... ;)
What we refer in Provence is Pistou, which is almost the same, but a lightly different reciepe. (Pistou is made without pignons and cheese is facultative, unlike Pesto)
Pistou is generally refered to the soup that is made with it: "soupe au pistou".
but it is not surprising that both are similar since Pesto is from Liguria, the bordering region that follows the french riviera. So, on one side Pesto, on the other Pistou... ;)
Hmm, that's interesting. I LOVE pesto. I make a mean garlic chicken and pesto pasta dish. I make the pesto from scratch, using my super-powerful blender. Lol. It's one of the few things I know how to cook, because I'm just lazy when it comes to anything in the kitchen. It's interesting that you use the French word, pignons. In Spanish we say piñones, and I actually often forget the English word for them. That would serve the argument for classifying my speech as "Chicano English". I also always forget the English equivalent for potatoes, corn, handtowels/washcloths and a few other words, because I normally use the Spanish equivalents at home. Does this mean I speak "Chicano English"? _________________ Operation Northwoods - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Northwoods
Favorite languages = English/Spanish
Followed by Italian/French/Dutch
And I don't know much about Spanish or French food, but from what I do know of it, I gather that it's very different from Italian cuisine. French and Spanish food don't seem to be nearly as good as Italian. _________________ Operation Northwoods - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Northwoods
Favorite languages = English/Spanish
Followed by Italian/French/Dutch
Location: San Francisco, Noord-Kalifornië, Noord-Amerika
Posted: Fri Jul 27, 2007 11:03 pm Post subject:
Porthos wrote:
French and Spanish food don't seem to be nearly as good as Italian.
When I spent the summer in Europe in 1970, my family mostly bought food in grocery stores. But most evenings, we ate at an inexpensive restaurant. At least in my experience, all those years ago, if you had to eat in cheap restaurants, French cooking beat everything else. It was not, of course, haute cuisine, and maybe we were just lucky, but just the quality of the food was excellent. I didn't have such good luck in Italy. In Spain, we ate in restaurants less often -- we were probably running low on money at that point -- but the quality seemed to be between French and Italian.
When I was in Italy in 1980 for a few days, again, I didn't have good luck in cheap restaurants. However, at least in the US, Italian is definitely my favorite of the three.
[img]It's interesting that you use the French word, pignons. In Spanish we say piñones, and I actually often forget the English word for them.[/img]
You mean it's not "piñon"?
"Pine nuts", I think, is what our eastern kindred call 'em.
Quote:
That would serve the argument for classifying my speech as "Chicano English". I also always forget the English equivalent for potatoes, corn, handtowels/washcloths and a few other words, because I normally use the Spanish equivalents at home. Does this mean I speak "Chicano English"?
Mmmm, nothing beats an elote with butter, lemon juice, sour cream, and cheese on it....I pass on the chile powder, though. Every fair I go to, and every flea market I visit, I eat one!
Italian food is wonderful, but nothing beats French food, Porthos. Nothing. I could literally eat myself to death in France! And it's not just the restaurant food that's good -- even out of a can it's divine! My dad heated up a can of lentil soup one day -- lentil soup, ugh! -- and I figured, well, I'll eat it to be polite. I tell you, I licked that bowl clean! Incroyable! _________________ An apple a day....
"Pine nuts", I think, is what our eastern kindred call 'em.
Pinones is the plural form of pinon. And yes, I know they're called pine nuts, but I didn't learn this until a couple years ago when at a restaurant I asked, "What are pine nuts?" _________________ Operation Northwoods - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Northwoods
Favorite languages = English/Spanish
Followed by Italian/French/Dutch
And I don't know much about Spanish or French food
I thought you were once being working in a resteurant that serve French italian and Spanish cooking ?
[quote] but from what I do know of it, I gather that it's very different from Italian cuisine.
Quote:
Actually it doesn't mean much to say that as a whole those cooking are different from each other. The variety is, in my opinion inside each of those countries. cuisine from pays Basque is not the same than andalucian or Galician, the same way cuisine from Lombardy is different from sicily, and cuisine of Normandy is not the same of Corsican one.
French and Spanish food don't seem to be nearly as good as Italian.
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Although in restaurants serving Cajun cuisine, a spicier version prepared with meats like ham or smoked sausage can usually be found on the menu. 
