Roussillon lies in the south-eastern corner of the French Mediterranean coast next to Spain. Roussillon did not become part of France until 1559; before then it belonged to the Catalan Kingdom of Aragon. Even today Catalan is widely spoken. Both Catalan and Provençal are dialects of the language of oc – meaning ‘yes’ – that was once spoken all over southern France, as opposed to the language of oil that was spoken in the north.
The County of Nice, which had been under Italian rule for 200 years, was ceded to France in 1860, after Napoleon II helped Vittorio Emmanuele II create the future kingdom of Italy. The Italian influence is still very strong, especially on its cuisine. All kinds of pasta are made – les nouilla, (noodles), lasagna and cannelon, as well as gnocchi and polenta. Ravioles are often stuffed with Swiss chard and cheese.
Provençal cooking is Mediterranean cooking at its best. Although it evolved out of la cuisine des pauvres, it is based on the finest ingredients: superb olive oil, garlic, tomatoes and the herbs of Provence – thyme, rosemary, sage, savoury, fennel, parsley, marjoram, oregano and basil. Meals usually begin with fresh fruit such as figs or the famous melon of Cavaillon, steamed artichokes served with aioli – the garlicky mayonnaise that is often called the ‘butter of Provence’ – or perhaps a light salad of tomatoes or roast peppers, bathed in olive oil and garnished with capers or small black olives from Nice.
One of Provence’s most famous soups is la soupo pistou – a thick vegetable soup similar to the Italian minestrone that is flavoured with a garlic and basil sauce reminiscent of the Ligurian pesto. Another soup much loved by the Provençals is aigo-boulido – garlic soup flavoured with sage.
Vegetables are held in high esteem. Les farcis – a colourful array of stuffed aubergines, courgettes, pepper, tomatoes and onions – are served throughout the summer months. The same vegetables appear in the well-known Provençal stew, ratatouille. All kinds of vegetable tians (gratins) are made with spinach, artichokes, pumpkin, aubergines, courgettes, small white onions and rice.
Provence produces superb fruit, especially figs, watermelons, apricots, cherries, strawberries, table grapes, pears from the Bouche-du-Rhône and peaches from the Var, so it is not surprising that fresh fruit is usually served for dessert. A variety of pastries, cakes and fritters are made: les bugnes arlésiennes (sweet fritters flavoured with rum), la tourta de blea, (a sweet tart made with Swiss chard, pine nuts and currants), les pignoulats (pine nut biscuits) and la pompe à l’huile – a yeast cake flavoured with saffron and orange flower water that is served at the end of the Gros Souper on Christmas Eve.
A few cheese are produced: les banons (small cheeses made from cow’s or goat’s milk that are sometimes wrapped in chestnut leaves), les brousses (fresh cheese made from ewe’s milk that may be sweetened or salted), le broussin (a fromage fort that is so pungent the locals claim ‘it will make a man of you’), and les picodons (small goat cheeses that are marinated in vinegar before they are wrapped in walnut leaves and stored in earthenware pots).
The cuisine of the Haut Languedoc (Upper Languedoc) is not Mediterranean cooking, although the Arabs did introduce white beans called nounjetas or favots. However, the cooking of Bas Languedoc (Lower Languedoc) is classic Mediterranean fare based on olive oil, garlic, onions and tomatoes. Fine vegetables are grown, especially aubergines, which are prepared in numerous ways. All kinds of mushrooms are gathered in the hills: cèpes, morilles, oronges, lactaires, trompettes de la mort and bolets. Truffles are found in the garrigues – the aromatic shrub that covers much of the hillsides in the Cévennes. Chestnuts are collected from the hills and made into creamy soups, stews and stuffings.
Desserts include various fruit tarts – apple, pear, cherry, grape and myrtille (bilberry) – and a variety of sweet dishes made with honey or nuts. These include la crème d’Homère (a kind of caramelised custard made with eggs, honey and white wine), omelette aux pignons sucrées (a sweet pine nut omelette) and les Jesuites (puff pastries filled with an almond cream). Oreillettes (deep-fried pastries flavoured with rum) are made in Montélimar for Carnéval (Shrove Tuesday).
The cooking of the Roussillon is French Catalan cooking with a liking for tomatoes, sweet and hot peppers, saffron and bitter oranges. All-i-oli (a garlicky mayonnaise) is similar to the aïoli of Provence. Meals often start with el pa y al – slices of bread rubbed with garlic and liberally sprinkled with olive oil. Catalans are fond of egg dishes, especially flat omelettes made with aubergines, mushrooms, tomatoes and asparagus. Oeufs à la catalane are fried eggs served on a bed of sautéed tomatoes and aubergine strongly flavoured with garlic and parsley. Aubergines, courgettes and peppers are stuffed in numerous ways or made into delicious gratins. Poivrons farcis à la catalane are sweet peppers stuffed with rice, green olives, capers, currants, pine nuts, saffron and herbs.
Roussillon has the sunniest climate in France with a growing season that is virtually all year round. In spring, it provides the rest of the country with early beans, parsley and new potatoes; in summer, tomatoes and cucumber; and in winter, lettuce, escarole and mâché (lamb’s lettuce). Excellent fruit is produced – plums, cherries, apricots, peaches and melons, as well as exotic fruit such as jujubes and medlars. Corbières is famous for its fine almonds.
Desserts and pastries, too, are more Catalan than French. Bunyetes (deep-fried pastries) and rousquilles (almond biscuits) are reminiscent of the buñyols and rosquillas that are found across the border in Spain. Le soufflé Roussillonais is a peach soufflé flavoured with eau-de-vie. Black nougat is a speciality of Perpignan. The only cheese made in the Roussillon is lait caillé (fresh curds) and fromage frais.
Corsica is the most mountainous island in the Mediterranean. The rugged gorges, deep ravines, dense forests of pine and chestnut trees and fantastic beaches have earned it the name of L’Île de Beauté. Much of the island is covered with macchia, shrubland that is fragrant with myrtle, broom, lavender, sorrel, borage, pennyroyal, sage, thyme, marjoram and many other aromatic plants that are found only in Corsica.
Like Sardinia, Sicily, Malta and the Balearic Islands, Corsica has been inhabited since the Stone Age. The first wave of settlers were the Ligurians in the seventh millennium B.C. They were followed by the Torreans, Greeks, Etruscans, Carthaginians, Romans, Vandals, Saracens, Pisans, Genoese and the French. Even the British ruled Corsica for two brief years at the end of the eighteenth century. All these invasions and occupations have given Corsicans a strong sense of identity and family honour. There is a Corsican saying: ‘So corsu, ne se fienu’, which means ‘I’m Corsican, and I’m proud of it.’
Corsican food is simple country fare. Soups are substantial – la suppa, a vegetable soup that is similar to the Italian minestra, usually includes onions, tomatoes, potatoes, broad beans and cabbage. Minestra incu i ceci di Jovi Santu, a chickpea