With colorful produce, fresh seafood and fragrant herbs, Provence is a land of abundance that has inspired and attracted epicures from all over the world, among them renowned food writers such as Elizabeth David who introduced the region’s vibrant dishes to post-war Britain. In her influential French Provincial Cooking, she wrote: “Provence is a country to which I am always returning. (...) Here in London it is an effort of will to believe in such a place at all.” American culinary legends Julia Child, M.F.K. Fisher, James Beard and Richard Olney also fell in love with Provence, even calling it home for a while. You can read about their delicious adventures and the wonderful meals they cooked together in the brilliant book, Provence, 1970: M.F.K. Fisher, Julia Child, James Beard, and the Reinvention of American Taste.
But what exactly does this culinary mecca, which stretches from the Rhone Valley to the shores of the Mediterranean and the Italian border, have to offer? Here are a few favorites, plus my recipe for a classic ratatouille.
