Ratatouille is Good to Eat

Made famous by the Disney film Ratatouille in 2007, this dish is predominantly associated with the Provence area. Imagine a colorful vegetable stew with tomatoes, eggplant, zucchini, onions, garlic, and other veggies of choice like squash or peppers. Doused in oil and cooked separately, the vegetables are also eventually cooked together in order to obtain a soft and wonderfully gooey texture! This dish is also prepared with a blend of provincial herbs (herbes de provence), like lavender, thyme, basil, sage, marjoram (a cousin of oregano), savory and rosemary. You can eat the dish either warm or cold, and I can personally vouch for the deliciousness of both experiences! The origin of the dish and its name is not definitively known; ratatouille supposedly comes from the French word touiller which means to stir. Because of the popularity of ratatouille in Nice in the south of France, you may find that the dish is listed as ratatouille niçoise on your menu.