Provencale - Unique French Flavour From South France

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Provencale or Provencal dishes have origins in Provence in the south of France. It is cooked with the combination of garlic, olive oil, herbs and tomatoes in various meat based dishes that remind the medieval touch of French flavor. Non-vegetarian dishes made of lamb, chicken, shrimp or tuna have a tinge of this flavor that makes it different from the rest of Europe.

Provencal has been influenced not only by the French taste but Greek and Roman flavors have been integrated in the French cuisine too. Some of the Provencal dishes underwent changes due to Italian or Mediterranean influences which made olive and olive oil more significant in the preparation of marine dishes or home-made recipes. Olives are commonly used in various types of sauces and salads.

The non-vegetarian cuisine has been the specialty of Provence due to nearness to sea and varied climatic conditions. The sea food stew is most prominently eaten using herbs, tomatoes and shellfish of Provence. Bouillabaisse as it is called is cooked in the authentic kitchens of Provence giving the real Provencal taste.

Since the genuine and original ...
... taste of French cuisine of Provence is to be used worldwide, the herbs produced here are marketed and exported. "a la Provencal" is commonly used in French cuisine. This term implies a combination of garlic and tomatoes of Provence. The ingredients like almonds, eggplants, figs and artichokes also find place in other herb based Provencal dishes of Southern France.

The traditional Provencal dishes are rich in taste and ingredients. Prepared with cream, olive oil, butter and home-made cheese, they are often served with red wine. Vegetarian dishes of aioli and onion tart are more popular among vegans.

Tomatoes are basic ingredient of Provence based recipes. Almost every dish is cooked, roasted, baked or fried along with tomatoes. Tomato tarte is a pastry arranged with fried tomatoes, black olives, cheese slices and roasted onions. Lunch or supper can include courgettetian with baked tomatoes. Perhaps, the most famous dish is tomato a la Provencal that was at one time prepared using clay-baking process. The tomatoes are stuffed with mixture of herbs and baked in oven/microwave nowadays. This dish is used as starter and often included in lunch or supper along with salad.

Provencale dishes are quite famous as they offer a pallet of non-vegan dishes. The seafood has ingredients like tomato, thyme, basil, garlic, cheese and olive oil. The taste and flavor is quite different from rest of Europe as they are grown and harvested in Provence.
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