Oil, fish and wine

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Oil, fish and wine

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Oils, fish and wines Provençal cuisine is particularly rich and varied, with herbs and spices playing an essential part. © Darqué - age fotostock

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Provençale cuisine alone, with its symphony of colours, scents and flavours, is reason enough to visit.
Colourful vegetables, olives, olive oil, anchovies, seasoning, herbs and spices are always central ingredients of any dish, finding their way into ratatouille, tapenade, rouille, aïoli (garlic mayonnaise), pistou soup and Niçoise salad. Meat and pork specialities (lamb chops, rabbit 'à la provençale', stuffed meat) and, of course, fish specialities (bouillabaisse, bourride [Mediterranean seafood stew]) have also become essential elements in the Provencal way of life.
There is room on the menu for desserts to, with all the honeys and jams from the mountains, 'calissons' from Aix (almond and marzipan sweets), candied fruit from Apt, 'câlins' (almond sweets) from Saint-Tropez and Saint-Tropez tart, etc. Then there is the famous pastis (an alcoholic aniseed-flavoured drink) and prestigious wines (Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Côtes-de-Provence, Rasteau, Bandol, etc.), which are to be consumed in moderation, of course.