I have just learned from a marvelous blogger Derrick Knight at https://derrickjknight.com and the lovely Mrs Knight known as the Culinary Queen that ratatouille with tomatoes and red peppers is called “red ratatouille.” That’s how we have made it in Odessa for the last 200 years, only we called it “sauté.” Here is the proof! Enjoy, Beautiful People.
Visualize two legendary gourmands, the Roman Emperor Caligula and the French King Henri IV, having a heated argument across the span of sixteen centuries. Now imagine a little rat called Remy who loves cooking up a storm and inventing new dishes. Finally, picture a winged Greek goddess Nike (that’s a name, not Michael Jordan’s sneakers!) hovering over all three declaring in a booming voice of a boxing referee, “And the winner is… Remy”
“No way! – screams Caligula, – it’s my favorite dish! Even the Greeks knew how to make it, and we conquered the Greeks, so there!”
Oops, sorry, this is not Caligula; it’s his horse Incitatus, but since he did make Incitatus a member of the Senate, perhaps we’ll get some truth out of the horse’s mouth. No? Oh, well, it won’t be the first case of a senator remaining silent.
Ooops, this is also not the real…
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That would be a main dish for me, i would love it!
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…and knowing where you are coming from, you would perhaps throw in a hot pepper or two, right? Thank you, dear Mimi!
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Thank you so much for the tribute, Dolly. You now have the opportunity to be the first to like one of my earliest posts 🙂 https://derrickjknight.com/2012/09/01/ratatouille/
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Thank you for providing the link and affording me this extra pleasure, Derrick. I can’t say the same about the rat walking across the face part of the story – ugggh!
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🙂 Much appreciated, Dolly. Thanks again.
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You are very welcome, Derrick.
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I have a deep interest in ancient history and always find your historical background very interesting and well researched, right up my alley. However on the gourmet side, I grew up with Ratatouille as one of my favorite dishes, but always considered it as a way to fix eggplant, those other things were just embellishments to add or leave out as to the whim of the cook and availability of embellishments allowed. But then we Creoles have a way of embellishment of each dish on the fly, after all what is gumbo but seared okra in a rue, with a lot of other stuff, thrown in, something a lot of people do not understand, and we also often had colloquial names for foods, some you may never have heard. Many of these dishes were derived from the African influence creolized.
While I have your ear, I need to ask if you read my post:
https://mcouvillion.wordpress.com/2020/07/04/our-mensch/
your opinion is of interest to me.
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Dear Sam, your lovely comment made me chuckle. My husband grew up in New Orleans, so I hear about “we Creoles” all the time, even though he comes from the former Soviet Union, just like myself, and even from the same city. Thus, I know all about “lots of other stuff thrown in,” as well as colloquial names for foods, and I love it!
As to your post, it’s very touching, and I appreciate your sharing it.
Have a wonderful weekend, dear friend!
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Delicious! Thank you very much Dolly! Since i had seen in the past the movie “Ratatouille” (about a rat assisting in a luxury restaurant) reading about “Ratatouille” always brings a smile on my face. 😉 Have a beautiful weekend, and care against the virus. Michael
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Thank you so very much, Michael! You too, have a great weekend. Be well and stay safe.
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Thank you very much Dolly! Very kind of you.
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You are very welcome, dear friend.
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Thank you very much, Dolly! Enjoy the weekend!
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You too, Michael.
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I like ratatouille, but my husband doesn’t care for it so much, he says it’s too mushy, which actually is the whole point of it! Your post reminds me I should be making some, as soon as the weather cools down just a notch, in enough quantities so I can freeze portions for the winter. Leftover ratatouille mixed with eggs and baked in a shell (as you would for a quiche) is excellent too. Those who don’t have issues with dairy can also include a little grated Parmesan.
Another typical dish from southern France is « salade niçoise » with potatoes, hard-boiled eggs, anchovies or tuna, black olives, and any summer vegetables you like: green beans, tomatoes, peppers… I am sure you know all about it! Today for lunch we are having the Azorean variation of this tasty salad, which includes dried cod fish, and hot pepper, as per my mother-in-law’s recipe.
Thank you for the post, Dolly. I am always glad to see them pop up on my screen, it means you are keeping well in these weird times. This Covid bit is starting to get to me: when will I be allowed to visit my children again???
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Dear Joelle, there is a variation of ratatouille which not as mushy. You can bake thick slices, rather than little cubes as I do because we like it mushy. But I am sure you know all about it, as I know about niçoise, which I love, but my husband shouldn’t have potatoes and eggs,.
I am well, thank you, but Covid is getting to us more than to anyone else. We are on top of the “red hot” 11 states, with numbers going up every minute.
How are you and your family doing, dear friend?
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We are fine and masks are now mandatory nationwide in all closed public spaces, which should help slow (if not stop) the spread of Covid-19. We have been following closely what is happening in the U.S., with our children in New England and cousins in Florida also. Hopefully in another year this will be behind us, but at what cost?
I am glad to know that you are well. Take care, Dolly, stay safe!
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Yes, I also think that we are in for at least another year. Meanwhile, our college president has just sent out an e-mail that in the Fall some courses will be taught live – that’s in Dade county that tops the list of hot spots in Florida which, in itself, tops the list of red flag states!
If I don’t have a choice, i.e. if my course is not offered online, I will simply not teach until this thing is over.
New England is thankfully relatively safe, and I don’t know where in Florida your cousins are; hopefully, not in Dade county.
Be well and stay safe, dear Joelle.
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I think I would do the same if I were in your situation. What a mess this all is…
My cousins are in Orange County. They and their children are fine but I know their parents are worried of course. Have a good week, Dolly!
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Orange county is safe. Most cases are in Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties, of which Dade has twice as many as the other two put together.
You too, have a good week, dear Joelle.
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Lulu: “Our Dada says he can’t see ‘ratatouille’ these days without visualizing the movie about the rat who loves to cook.”
Charlee: “What? Rats can cook?”
Chaplin: “Maybe we should stop chasing them then …”
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Maybe you should, cat friends, and start chasing Palmetto bugs instead. Our Mama doesn’t let us eat them. She says they are poisonous, but me (Pyshka) think they are crunchy and yummy!
Meows and Purrs from The Cat gang.
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This dish looks amazing! I wish we lived closer, I could help with little one, and you could cook for me! hahah…..seriously honey, you are such a dear❤️️
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I would love to cook for you, darling!
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😘🐱❤️️
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So is this named after the little rat Ratatouille?
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LOL No, it’s a Latin name, modified in France, that means a chunky mix. The little rat came later, I am afraid.
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I learn something new every day!
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We all do, darling.
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