Alpilles and the mountains of the Lubéron have inspired artists and writers for centuries. Langueredoc-Roussillon is the lesser-known western half of the south of France that lies between the Rhône and the Spanish border. Its southern lowlands are often referred to as the Midi – a region that has no specific boundaries – and can apply to anywhere between Perpignan and Marseilles.
The people of southern France are descendants of Ligurian and Iberian tribes that inhabited the land in the first millenium B.C. In the seventh century B.C. the Phocaean Greeks settled along its shores and introduced the olive and the vine. They also founded the cities of Agde, Nîmes, Antibes, Nice and Marsillia (Marseilles) – the oldest city in France. When the Romans took over from the Greeks they called the land Provincia Romana Narbonensis, with Narbo (Narbonne) as its capital. Roman rule lasted more than 500 years. The Romans drained the marshes of the Rhône delta and improved agriculture in the hinterland. They also left an impressive legacy of their architecture including the Pont du Gard aquaduct and the amphitheatre in Nîmes, which is better preserved than the Colosseum in Rome.
After the Fall of the Roman Empire much of the land was overrun by Visigoths, Franks, and the Moors, or Saracens as they are usually called in France and Italy. The Saracens had little effect on the cooking of the Languedoc except to encourage a wider use of spices and a liking for sweet, layered pastries. Between the tenth and thirteenth centuries most of southern France was divided into fiefdoms ruled by counts, viscounts and minor lords, the most powerful of which were the Counts of Toulouse, the Counts of Barcelona and the Counts of Provence. This was the time of the Troubadours and the Cathars or Albigensians, a heretical sect that believed in reincarnation and were strict vegetarians. The counts of Toulouse were tolerant of the Cathars, but the King of France, King Phillipe Auguste, seized the opportunity to crush the Cathars in order to gain control of their land. At this time France was not much bigger than the Languedoc. Phillipe joined forces with Pope Innocent III and launched a crusade against the Cathars that lasted over thirty years. It ended with their savage slaughter and the Languedoc submitting to French rule. In the early fourteenth century, the Pope acquired the Comtat Venaissin and set up the seat of the Papacy in Avignon, where it remained for almost a century. Aubergines des Papes, or papeton – a kind of soufflé or mousse made with sautéed aubergine that was originally made in the shape of a crown – was created by one of the papal chefs of this period. The County of Provence remained independent for a further 200 years of wars, famine and pestilence before it was finally bequeathed to France in 1486.
Roussillon lies in the south-eastern corner of the French Mediterranean coast next to Spain. Roussillon did not become part of France until 1559; before then it belonged to the Catalan Kingdom of Aragon. Even today Catalan is widely spoken. Both Catalan and Provençal are dialects of the language of oc – meaning ‘yes’ – that was once spoken all over southern France, as opposed to the language of oil that was spoken in the north.
The County of Nice, which had been under Italian rule for 200 years, was ceded to France in 1860, after Napoleon II helped Vittorio Emmanuele II create the future kingdom of Italy. The Italian influence is still very strong, especially on its cuisine. All kinds of pasta are made – les nouilla, (noodles), lasagna and cannelon, as well as gnocchi and polenta. Ravioles are often stuffed with Swiss chard and cheese.
Provençal cooking is Mediterranean cooking at its best. Although it evolved out of la cuisine des pauvres, it is based on the finest ingredients: superb olive oil, garlic, tomatoes and the herbs of Provence – thyme, rosemary, sage, savoury, fennel, parsley, marjoram, oregano and basil. Meals usually begin with fresh fruit such as figs or the famous melon of Cavaillon, steamed artichokes served with aioli – the garlicky mayonnaise that is often called the ‘butter of Provence’ – or perhaps a light salad of tomatoes or roast peppers, bathed in olive oil and garnished with capers or small black olives from Nice.
One of Provence’s most famous soups is la soupo pistou – a thick vegetable soup similar to the Italian minestrone that is flavoured with a garlic and basil sauce reminiscent of the Ligurian pesto. Another soup much loved by the Provençals is aigo-boulido – garlic soup flavoured with sage.
Vegetables are held in high esteem. Les farcis – a colourful array of stuffed aubergines, courgettes, pepper, tomatoes and onions – are served throughout the summer months. The same vegetables appear in the well-known Provençal stew, ratatouille. All kinds of vegetable tians (gratins) are made with spinach, artichokes, pumpkin, aubergines, courgettes, small white onions and rice.
Provence produces superb fruit, especially figs, watermelons, apricots, cherries, strawberries, table grapes, pears from the Bouche-du-Rhône and peaches from the Var, so it is not surprising that fresh fruit is usually served for dessert. A variety of pastries, cakes and fritters are made: les bugnes arlésiennes (sweet fritters flavoured with rum), la tourta de blea, (a sweet tart made with Swiss chard, pine nuts and currants), les pignoulats (pine nut biscuits) and la pompe à l’huile – a yeast cake flavoured with saffron and orange flower water that is served at the end of the Gros Souper on Christmas Eve.
A few cheese are produced: les banons (small cheeses made from cow’s or goat’s milk that are sometimes wrapped in chestnut leaves), les brousses (fresh cheese made from ewe’s milk that may be sweetened or salted), le broussin (a fromage fort that is so pungent the locals claim ‘it will make a man of you’), and les picodons (small goat cheeses that are marinated in vinegar before they are wrapped in walnut leaves and stored in earthenware pots).
The cuisine of the Haut Languedoc (Upper Languedoc) is not Mediterranean cooking, although the Arabs did introduce white beans called nounjetas or favots. However, the cooking of Bas Languedoc (Lower Languedoc) is classic Mediterranean fare based on olive oil, garlic, onions and tomatoes. Fine vegetables are grown, especially aubergines, which are prepared in numerous ways. All kinds of mushrooms are gathered in the hills: cèpes, morilles, oronges, lactaires, trompettes de la mort and bolets. Truffles are found in the garrigues – the aromatic shrub that covers much of the hillsides in the Cévennes. Chestnuts are collected from the hills and made into creamy soups, stews and stuffings.
Desserts include various fruit tarts – apple, pear, cherry, grape and myrtille (bilberry) – and a variety of sweet dishes made with honey or nuts. These include la crème d’Homère (a kind of caramelised custard made with eggs, honey and white wine), omelette aux pignons sucrées (a sweet pine nut omelette) and les Jesuites (puff pastries filled with an almond cream). Oreillettes (deep-fried pastries flavoured with rum) are made in Montélimar for Carnéval (Shrove Tuesday).
The cooking of the Roussillon is French Catalan cooking with a liking for tomatoes, sweet and hot peppers, saffron and bitter oranges. All-i-oli (a garlicky mayonnaise) is similar to the aïoli of Provence. Meals often start with el pa y al – slices of bread rubbed with garlic and liberally sprinkled with olive oil. Catalans are fond of egg dishes, especially flat omelettes made with aubergines, mushrooms, tomatoes and asparagus. Oeufs à la catalane are fried eggs served on a bed of sautéed tomatoes and aubergine strongly flavoured with garlic and parsley. Aubergines, courgettes and peppers are stuffed in numerous ways or made into delicious gratins. Poivrons farcis à la catalane are sweet peppers stuffed with rice, green olives, capers, currants, pine nuts, saffron and herbs.
Roussillon has the sunniest climate in France with a growing season that is virtually all year round. In spring, it provides the rest of the country with early beans, parsley and new potatoes; in summer, tomatoes and cucumber; and in winter, lettuce, escarole and mâché (lamb’s lettuce). Excellent fruit is produced – plums, cherries, apricots, peaches and melons, as well as exotic fruit such as jujubes and medlars. Corbières is famous for its fine almonds.
Desserts and pastries, too, are more Catalan
