À l’aillade is a French expression meaning with garlic. Pain à l’aillade, for example, is bread rubbed with garlic, and drizzled with olive oil. Language Notes “Ail” is French for garlic.
Provençal Food
À l’Albufera
À l’Albufera is a term that can mean two completely different types of garnishes. Larousse Gastronomique defines it as a garnish of small pieces of truffle and ground chicken, with the pieces shaped into the size and shape of peas. Another more elaborate definition is the pancreas and the thyroid gland of a calf (“ris…
Aglandau Olives
Aglandau Olives are grown in Provence, particularly in the counties of Aix en Provence and Salon de Provence. They are grown for making both oil and green table olives from. The oil is considered very high quality: it has a very pronounced fruity taste and stores well. Prepared as table olives, they can be bought…
Aioli Garni
Aïoli Garni (“garnished Aioli”) is a meal of items, usually cooked, arranged on a large plate and served with Aioli sauce. The meal is also called “le grand aioli” or “aioli monstre.” Items that might appear on the platter include: boiled cod; other fish, or seafood such as boiled small octopus or squid; snails simmered…
Bouillabaisse
Bouillabaisse is a seafood stew that usually includes fish, shellfish, onions, tomatoes, white wine, olive oil, garlic, saffron, spices and herbs. Often fennel seeds and orange zest are added as well. Ideally, you start by making a broth from fish bits and shrimp shells. You strain the broth and add the veg, and cook that….
Bouteillan Olives
These olives are grown for oil. They have a high oil yield. The flesh clings to the pit. The oil is usually used as a blending oil with other olive oils. The tree needs another type of olive tree to cross-pollinate with. It is grown in Provence, France; some trees are now being grown in…
Brousse du Rove
Brousse du Rove is a fresh, unaged goat’s milk cheese very popular in Marseille, France. It is a soft, liquidy, creamy cheese that melts in your mouth. Brousse du Rove is made in the small village of Rove (population 4,000 as of 2005), just west of Marseille, France. The milk used is from a breed…
Brousse du Var
Brousse du Var is a fresh cheese made from sheep’s milk. In fact, it is so fresh, that the cheese is sold on the same day it’s made. It is usually made for 1 to 1 1/2 months after Easter. The area of production is the French Varois coast, especially near Toulon (between Marseille and…
Feita Cheese
Feita is a fresh, soft cheese made from raw sheep’s milk in Provence, France. It is good in salads or with slices of tomato, basil and oil. Cooking Tips Serve Feita Cheese in slices or cubes. Language Notes Feïta comes from the Provençal word for “ewe”, which is “feï.”
Fougasse
Fougasse is a term that is used to refer to three different types of flat bread. The best-known type is made in Provence, France, and is similar to Italian focaccia. The dough is made from flour, salt, water, yeast and olive oil. It can be formed into shapes such as a leaf, tree or stalk…
Grossane Olives
Grossane Olives are large, round olives that are harvested when black. The flesh separates easily from the pit. They can be used to make a fragrant oil, but the oil has a short shelf life. They are used mostly for producing “Olives Noires de la Vallée des Baux de Provence.” They are grown in France…
Herbes de Provence
Herbes de Provence (courtesy Mary Harvey) © Denzil Green Herbes de Provence is a mixture of herbs that are typical in Provence, a region in the south of France. The mixture may include any of the following: basil; bay; fennel; hyssop; lavender; marjoram; oregano; rosemary; sage; savoury; thyme. Thyme and savoury are usually among the…
Lavender
Lavender © Denzil Green Lavender is an herb with long, narrow leaves and small purple flowers that grows in clusters on spikes. Both the leaves and flowers are heavily scented. Lavender can be grown from seeds and cuttings. Once settled in, it can grow up to 3 feet tall (1 metre) and is a perennial….
Nyons Olive Oil
Nyons Olive Oil is made from “Tanche” olives grown in the area of Nyons, Provence. The olives contain 20 to 25% oil. The olives are allowed to ripen till black and wrinkled, then harvested in December and January, and pressed. The olive oil is yellow in colour, and mild tasting. The olive oil received AOC…
Nyons Olives
Nyons Olives are made from Tanche Olives grown in Nyons, France. The olives are pricked on all sides then dry-cured, then brined for 6 months. They end up wrinkly, dark black and shiny, tasting mildly salty and bitter. They are packed in olive oil. Cooking Tips Good in cooking, particularly in Tapenade.
Olives Les Baux de Provence
Olives Noires de la Vallée des Baux de Provence (full name) is a style of olives made in Provence from olives from Grossane trees (which grow in the same area, Vallée des Baux de Provence.) The style of processing the olives is AOC protected.The olives are harvested in December when the olives are changing from…
Picholine Olives
Picholine Olives are the most widely available variety of olives in France. The tree generally needs another olive tree for good pollination. The olives are small to medium-sized, and pointed at one end. The pit is smooth, but the chewy, fruity flesh clings to it. The olives are grown for making both oil and green…
Pissala
Pissala is a fish paste. Fish is fermented for a few days, then puréed and mixed with olive oil and seasoned with thyme, bay leaf, cloves, etc. Generally anchovies are used, but sardines can also be used. Unlike some of the earlier Roman fish sauces and pastes that were made, the strong taste of the…
Poutargue
Poutargue is a small, sausage-shaped pouch of salted, dried fish eggs. It is made at various places throughout the Mediterranean. Martigues (a city in the French département of Bouches-du-Rhône in Provence), Corsica and Greece were historically centres of production, but now they are being challenged by Brazil, Mauritania and Tunisia. In Greek, it is called…
Poutine
Poutine are very young fish fry about 1/2 cm (1/4 inch) long, and so young they’re still transparent enough that you can see their insides. What types of fish are served as “poutine” varies by breeding season for the fish, and by locale. It can be freshwater fish from rivers. When saltwater fish are used,…
Provençal Olives
Provençal Olives are not a botanical variety of olive, but rather Picholine Olives prepared in a certain way. Cured Picholine Olives are marinated in oil with herbs such as thyme and lavender, and spices and garlic. You can buy these black or green, pitted or unpitted.
Provençal Sauce
Provençal Sauce is a sauce used in cooking in France. It is meant to conjure up images and memories of the Provence area of France. Recipes for the sauce vary. There are two main categories: with and without tomatoes. While many people now associate the Provence area with foods such as tomatoes, it’s important to…
Provencal Sauce (cold)
This is an easy, classical sauce from the south of France that you can whip up in a blender or food processor. It’s so little work and time that you can easily squeeze this in on a weeknight.
Provencal Sauce (cold)
Sauce provençale froide (“provencal cold sauce”) is a sauce made in the Provence area of France. It is made room temperature and served room temperature with fish, grilled meats, or cold meats. It is is somewhat like another sauce from Provence, aoili, except that sauce provençale froide is somewhat more translucent than aoili. It is…