Like a true Mediterranean dish, today's ratatouille is a stew of sun-dried vegetables and olive oil. Tomatoes, zucchinis, eggplants, peppers, onions, and garlic make up the recipe. Its name comes from the Occitan word "ratatolha," meaning a vegetable stew.
Although highly popular today, ratatouille took a long time to establish itself as a flavorful and beloved dish in France. In fact, the earliest written traces of the word "ratatouille" date back to 1831 in the Journal des sciences militaires des armées de terre et de mer, where it was described in a somewhat unflattering way.
It was eaten by soldiers and also in prisons, as it was easy and quick to prepare. In 1846, the Provençal French dictionary defined ratatouille as "a stew of rats" and "a bad stew"...
The first publication of the more praise-worthy recipe for ratatouille appeared finally a century later, in 1952, in a transportation magazine called "La Vie du Rail." Traditionally made from vegetables widely cultivated by Provençal families, it was then very similar to the Basque pipérade, as well as to bohemia, another Provençal dish made with tomatoes and eggplants.
For several years now, renowned chefs have enjoyed cooking ratatouille to transform it into a delicious and refined dish.
