{{short description|French stewed vegetable dish}} {{About|the dish|the animated film|Ratatouille (film){{!}}''Ratatouille'' (film)|other uses}} {{Use dmy dates|date=July 2025}} {{Infobox food | image = Ratatouille home cooked.jpg | image_size = 250 | caption = Ratatouille, layered and served with a tomato cream sauce | alternate_name = Ratatouille niçoise | country = France | region = Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur | course = Main course | type = Stew | main_ingredient = Vegetables (tomatoes, onions, courgette, aubergine, bell peppers, garlic, marjoram, fennel and basil or bay leaves, thyme) | variations = Confit byaldi | cookbook = Ratatouille I }}
'''Ratatouille''' ({{IPAc-en|ˌ|r|æ|t|ə|ˈ|t|uː|i}} {{respell|RAT|ə|TOO|ee}}, {{IPA|fr|ʁatatuj|lang|Ratatouille pronunciation.ogg}}; {{langx|oc|ratatolha}} {{IPA|oc|ʀataˈtuʎɔ||LL-Q14185 (oci)-Davidgrosclaude-ratatolha.wav}}) is a traditional French vegetable dish originating in the Provence region of southern France, particularly associated with Nice and its surrounding region. It developed within the context of rural Provençal cuisine, where seasonal vegetables were stewed together as a practical means of using surplus summer produce.<ref>"Ratatouille". ''Oxford English Dictionary'', 2nd edition (1989)</ref> The dish consists of a stew or sauté of seasonal summer vegetables cooked in olive oil and is sometimes referred to as ''ratatouille niçoise'' ({{IPA|fr|niswaz|lang}}).
Although preparation methods and cooking times vary considerably by region and household, ratatouille is typically made with tomatoes, onions, garlic, courgettes (zucchini), aubergines (eggplants) and bell pepper, seasoned with herbs characteristic of Provençal cuisine. These may include fresh herbs such as basil, marjoram or fennel, as well as dried herbs such as thyme, bay leaves, or blended ''herbs de Provence''.
==Etymology== The term ''ratatouille'' derives from the Occitan ''ratatolha''<ref>[http://www.lexilogos.com/provencal/felibrige.php?q=ratatouio « ''ratatouio'' »], ''Lou tresor dou Felibrige'', Frédéric Mistral</ref> and the related French verbs ''ratouiller'' and ''tatouiller'', which are expressive forms of ''touiller'', meaning "to stir" or "to toss".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.lacademie.com/ratatouille-nicoise/ |title=Chef Brian Discusses The Origin of Ratatouille Nicoise |publisher=LADC |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151009192347/https://www.lacademie.com/ratatouille-nicoise/ |archive-date=9 October 2015}}</ref>
In the early 19th century, the word was originally used to describe a coarse stew or mixed dish, sometimes with a pejorative connotation, rather than a specific vegetable preparation. Early printed references show that the term applied broadly to rustic mixtures, indicating that the name predates the standardized recipe known today.<ref name="Davidson2014">{{cite book |author=Davidson |first=Alan |author-link=Alan Davidson (food writer) |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RL6LAwAAQBAJ |title=The Oxford Companion to Food |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2014 |isbn=978-0-19-967733-7 |page=655}}</ref>
==History== {{expand section|the history of the dish|date={{monthyear}}|small=no}}
The development of ''ratatouille'' in its modern form depended on the gradual incorporation of several vegetables introduced into European diets.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Flandrin |first1=Jean-Louis |last2=Montanari |first2=Massimo |title=Food: A Culinary History from Antiquity to the Present |date=1999 |publisher=Columbia University Press}}</ref> Tomatoes, peppers, and squash were introduced to France after the 16th century following contact with the Americas during the New World, but were not widely accepted as food until the 18th and 19th centuries.<ref name="Davidson2014" /> Aubergine, introduced earlier through Mediterranean and Islamic culinary influence, became established in southern France before spreading to northward.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Clifford A. |first1=Wright |title=Mediterranean Vegetables: A Cook's ABC of Vegetables and Their Preparation in Spain, France, Italy, Greece, Turkey, the Middle East, and North Africa with More Than 200 Authentic Recipes for the Home Cook |date=2001 |publisher=Harvard Common Press}}</ref> Once these ingredients became commonplace in Provence, they were combined with olive oil, onions, garlic and local herbs into vegetable stews resembling modern ''ratatouille''.<ref name= "Montagné">{{cite book |last1=Montagné |first1=Prosper |title=Larousse Gastronomique |date=1938 |publisher=Éditions Larousse |location=Paris}}</ref>
Although vegetable stews had long been prepared in Provence, historical evidence suggests that no fully developed recipe identifiable as modern ''ratatouille'' appears in printed cookbooks before the late 19th or early 20th century.<ref name= "Mennell">{{cite book |last1=Mennell |first1=Stephen |title=All Manners of Food: Eating and Taste in England and France from the Middle Ages to the Present |date=1995 |publisher=University of Illinois Press |edition=2}}</ref> Earlier preparations varied considerably and did not consistently include the now-standard combination of aubergines, tomatoes, courgettes and peppers. The consolidation of these ingredients into a recognized dish appears to be a relatively recent culinary development, where a modern version does not appear in print until 1930.<ref>Scotto, E., and Marianne Comolli. "Vegetables: A Garden of Eden." ''France, the Beautiful Cookbook: Authentic Recipes from the Regions of France''. San Francisco: Collins, 1989. 195. Print."</ref>
By the early 20th century, ''ratatouille'' became increasingly associated with the cuisine of Nice.<ref name= "Montagné" /> Regional cookery texts describe variations in preparation, including methods in which vegetables are cooked either together or sautéed separately before being combined.<ref name= "Willan">{{cite book |last1=Willan |first1=Anne |title=The Country Cooking of France |date=2007 |publisher=Chronicle Books}}</ref> The inclusion of ''ratatouille'' in major culinary reference works during this period contributed to its codification as a distinct Provençal specialty, and facilitated its recognition beyond its regional origins.<ref name= "Mennell" />
The international recognition of ''ratatouille'' expanded significantly in the mid-20th century, particularly through the growing interest in Mediterranean cuisines outside France.<ref>{{cite book |last1=David |first1=Elizabeth |title=A Book of Mediterranean Food |date=1950}}</ref> Cookbooks aimed at English-speaking audiences presented ''ratatouille'' as emblematic of southern French cooking, emphasizing olive oil, ripe seasonal vegetables and simplicity of preparation.<ref name= "Willan" /> Through these publications, ''ratatouille'' transitioned from a regional peasant dish to a widely recognized component of French cuisine.<ref name= "Mennell" />
From the late 20th century onward, professional chefs began reinterpreting ratatouille using refined techniques and modern presentation.<ref name="Davidson2014" /> One influential variation, known as Confit byaldi, arranged the vegetables in thin, carefully layered slices rather than preparing them as a stew, aligning the dish with contemporary haute cuisine aesthetics.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Guérard |first1=Michel |title=Michel Guerard's Cuisine Minceur |date=1986 |publisher=William Morrow & Co}}</ref> While Confit Byaldi and similar interpretations influenced later fine-dining adaptations and popular representations, they differ substantially from the traditional rustic preparation associated with Provençal home cooking.<ref name="Davidson2014" />
==Preparation== ''The Guardian''{{'}}s food and drink writer Felicity Cloake wrote in 2016 that, considering ratatouille's relatively recent origins, there is a great variety of methods of preparing it.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Cloake |first1=Felicity |author-link=Felicity Cloake |date=15 July 2010 |title=How to make perfect ratatouille |url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2010/jul/15/how-to-make-perfect-ratatouille |access-date=9 September 2016 |work=The Guardian}}</ref> The ''Larousse Gastronomique'' says, "according to the purists, the different vegetables should be cooked separately, then combined and cooked slowly together until they attain a smooth, creamy consistency."<ref>{{cite book |title= The Complete Robuchon |last= Robuchon |first= Joël |author-link= Joël Robuchon |year= 2008 |publisher= Alfred A. Knopf |location= New York |isbn= 978-0-307-26719-1 |page= 597}}</ref>
==Gallery== {{gallery | align=center | width=200 | height=160 |File:RatatouilleWithBuckwheat.jpg|''Ratatouille niçoise'', served with buckwheat |File:Ratatouille.jpg|''Ratatouille niçoise'' with fresh herbs |File:20170329 ratatouille-debut-cuisson.jpg|Raw ingredients |File:20170329 ratatouille-fin-cuisson.jpg|Heavily simmered and garnished with fresh parsley |File:Confit byaldi 2.jpg|Small pyramid (Confit byaldi) }}
==Related dishes== {{Unreferenced section|date=December 2024}}
Dishes of similar ingredients or preparation style exist in many cuisines. These include: piperade (South-West of France), bohémienne (Vaucluse), chichoumeille (Languedoc), tian (South east of France), Confit byaldi (created by Michel Guérard), ''pisto'' (Castilian-Manchego, Spain), ''samfaina'' (Catalan, Spain), ''tombet'' (Majorcan), ''ciambotta'', ''caponata'' and ''peperonata'' (Italy),<ref>{{Cite web |last=SophieCG |date=3 April 2014 |title=A Brief History Of Ratatouille |url=https://urbangardenguerilla.com/2014/04/03/a-brief-history-of-ratatouille/ |access-date=12 February 2025 |website=The Buzz}}</ref> ''briám'' and ''tourloú'' (Greek), ''şakşuka'' and ''türlü'' (Turkish), ''ajapsandali'' (Georgian), ''lecsó'' (Hungarian), ''pinakbet'' (Filipino), ''ghiveci'' (Romanian) and ''zaalouk'' (Moroccan). Different parts of the Indian subcontinent have their own versions of winter vegetable stew. Gujarat makes ''undhiyu'', Kerala ''avial'' (with coconut and local spices), and Bengal ''shukto''.
==In popular culture== In 2007, Walt Disney Pictures and Pixar Animation Studios released the film ''Ratatouille''. The movie gave widespread exposure to this dish around the world.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Le |first=Luc |date=3 November 2022 |title=Why ratatouille is more than just a dish |url=https://dailynexus.com/2022-11-03/why-ratatouille-is-more-than-just-a-dish/ |access-date=28 September 2024 |website=The Daily Nexus}}</ref>
==See also== {{portal|France|Food}} * List of stews * List of vegetable dishes * Shakshouka
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== {{Wiktionary|ratatouille}} * [http://cuisine.larousse.fr/recettes/detail/ratatouille Recipe (in French) from ''Larousse Cuisine''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161025015511/http://cuisine.larousse.fr/recettes/detail/ratatouille |date=25 October 2016 }}
{{Eggplant dishes}} {{French cuisine}}
Category:Cuisine of Provence Category:Eggplant dishes Category:French cuisine Category:French stews Category:Occitan cuisine Category:Vegetable dishes