Food in Provence

On the way to dry dock from the airport talkative driver initiated a conversation about life in Provence. He was obviously a great patriot of his home region and was eager to describe its beauty to a first-time visitor.
But when the conversation touched the cuisine Monsieur became determined to prove it was the best place on Earth.
He explained how passionate the Marseillais (Marseille inhabitants) are about food. The dinner is the main meal of the day when all the family gathers and everyone is happy to cook something as a way to contribute to the family well-being. At the table – unlike Englishmen – they don’t talk about the weather. Instead they discuss food in detail. Everything matters: not only the freshness of fish or seafood and the quality of wine but even bread and olive oil!
Here despite the existence of the big shopping centers in the outskirts of the city traditional specialized shops are still popular. They are so highly specialized that you will buy raw meat at boucherie (butchery) but all sorts of sausages – at charcuterie; bread – at boulangerie but pastries and other sweet treats – at patisserie. Same way fish (poisson) can be found at poissonnerie, ice-cream (glace) – at glacerie, chocolates – at chocolaterie and so on. Same is true for other items: flowers are bought at fleuristerie, locks and keys – at serrurerie… Basically, the name of your store can be formed by taking whatever you specialize in and adding -erie at the end.
In Provence rightfully proud of pastis (an alcoholic beverage made with aniseed and spice) and olive oil one can even see pastis and olive oil boutiques:

Olive oil boutique

Cadeaux Gastronomiques - "Shop of gastronomic gifts" with a large selection of foie gras 

 Here people are so proud of what they do that you can see on the stores signs like “Maître Artisan de Glace” – Master Craftsman of Ice cream – which does not make sense in other languages and cultures but is a proud title in France.

Soon we got a chance to see with our own eyes how much the food matters to the inhabitants of this beautiful southern region.

We had been on the promenade by the Old Port (Vieux Port) quite a few times but always in the evening. On Saturday morning however we could not recognize it: it was loud and crowded:

Quais des Belges on Saturday morning

When we got closer we realized what all the buzz was about: fishermen were selling freshly caught fish and Marseillais of all ages and social levels were there – picking, bargaining, sniffing, discussing the qualities of each species… The fishermen – rough guys in those tiny knitted black hats – were happily demonstrating best pieces.

An old lady was selling Provencal herbs:

And as all today’s catch was sold out the fishermen could happily depart.

Another peculiarity of Provençal food habits is that people take their time to eat. You will not see Marseillais running along the streets sipping from a plastic coffee cup or biting from a burger. In fact the staff at coffee shops will raise their eyebrows if you ask for a coffee cup “to go”. Most probably they will not have plastic cups or lids neither. Here cup of coffee is a sacred ritual, a “Zen” moment when the world stops and nothing else exists.

Same comes to dinner: by the dinner time (which comes after 8pm) all the shops are closed, shutters pulled down but the street cafes start to become lively. Do not attempt to eat before 8pm! Of course, sandwich stores (or as we can now call it “sandwicherie”) and kebab stalls will be offering their services any time. Some – like our favorite restaurant Les Arsenaulx – will offer a short snack menu. But not one gourmet restaurant will feed you before this time.

After a long time in States with restaurants open from dawn till dusk and all sorts of deliveries and takeaways available at any hour we were surprised that French were not making advantage of natural human desire to eat. But after a while we realized it is simply a different culture: food is not something that people “grab” in-between other things while walking or driving. It is an important– if not the most important – activity of the day. This is something people make time for. They put aside everything, close down the shops and spend hours being together, tasting wine and food, discussing their qualities, ways of cooking, spices used…

Marseillas seem to be neglecting all modern dietology rules: they eat freshly baked bread and croissants, they dine late – yet you cannot see any obese people on the streets. Looks like Provençal diet works against all laws!

 The most memorable culinary experience of our stay in Provence – and one of the most memorable ever – was from restaurant Les Arsenaulx located (as one might guess) in former Arsenal building. They have several dining rooms, a library, conference rooms and spice store.

We would arrive shortly after 7 and were offered to order from snack menu or enjoy wine with typical Provençal snacks: navette – a small hard biscuit in the shape of a boat, usually flavoured with orange blossom but here it was salty – that we were supposed to dip in tapenade – a paste made from capers, chopped olives and olive oil (sometimes anchovies may be added); anchoïade – a paste made from anchovies, garlic, black olives and olive oil. At eight o’clock and not a minute earlier we were offered the main menu.

We visited Les Arsenaux several times and tasted other dishes and each of them was a discovery. Pieds-paquets, another typical Provençal dish prepared from pig's trotters, sheep or pork tripe and lard. Do not be put off by this quite veterinary description for it is delicious.

As to appetizers we also took foie gras, sea urchin, chicken breast and… Of course, we did not miss the main courses and tasted rabbit and lamb shoulder. On our last night in Marseille we tasted XXX which was served raw with warm panisse, a sort of a thick pancake made from chickpea flour. It was such an unusual but delicious combination.

 Of course, it was a must to try bouillabaisse,

 traditional Provençal fish stew originating from the city of Marseille containing assorted shellfish, fish and vegetables, served with rouille, toasted bread (croûtes) and often grated cheese. The French and English form bouillabaisse comes from the Provençal Occitan word bolhabaissa [ˌbujaˈbajsɔ], a compound that consists of the two verbs bolhir (to boil) and abaissar (to reduce heat, i.e., simmer). Recipes for bouillabaisse vary from family to family in Marseille, and local restaurants dispute which versions are the most authentic. 

An authentic Marseille bouillabaisse must include rascasse (eng: scorpionfish), a bony rockfish which lives in the calanque (sort of Mediterranean fjord) and reefs close to shore. It usually also has congre (eng: European conger) and grondin (eng: sea robin). According to the Michelin Guide Vert, the four essential elements of a true bouillabaisse are the presence of rascasse, the freshness of the fish; olive oil, and an excellent saffron.

 Generally similar dishes are found in Portugal (caldeirada), Spain (sopa de pescado y marisco, suquet de peix), Italy (zuppa di pesce), Greece and all the countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea; where these kind of dishes have been made since the Neolithic Era. What makes a bouilabaisse different from these other dishes are the local Provençal herbs and spices, the particular selection of bony Mediterranean coastal fish and the way the broth is served separately from the fish and vegetables. (c)Wikpedia

Cannot say any better than that. I can only add that the taxi driver who was my first guide into Provençal cuisine explained to me that only in Marseille can you try the real bouillabaisse as only here rascasse feeds on this very special seaweed in calanaques. Well… Now to make sure Marseille bouillabaisse is the best we need to taste its other Mediterranean rivals…