Herbes de Provence are an aromatic mixture of commonly used herbs from the south of France. The mixture varies but always includes lots of thyme, plus rosemary, bay leaf, basil, savory, marjoram, fennel, sage and lavender. These fragrant herbs are dried and used during cooking to flavor Provençal dishes such as roast chicken, grilled meats, soups and vegetable-based stews.
While popular with Provençal grandmothers throughout the ages, commercial production of Herbes de Provence began in the 1970s. You can now find Herbes de Provence in supermarkets and farmer's markets throughout the world. In Provence, the herbs are stored in handy olive-wood grinders made especially to release the trapped scent of the herbs just before they go in the pot. You can also just crush them gently with your fingers before sprinkling on food or mixing with oil to season a dish.
Savory is an aromatic herb from Southern Europe that is a cross between mint and thyme. Its name comes from the Latin word satureia (satyr's herb) that refers to its reputation as an aphrodisiac.
Both summer and winter savory are used in cooking. In Provence, either fresh or dried savory is a popular flavoring for pulses, salads and grilled meat; dried savory, which can often be found in Herbes de Provence, is used as well to flavor soups, pâté and other dishes.
Savory is also a popular seasoning regularly found on Bulgarian tables, next to the salt and paprika.
Pistou is the French answer to pesto.
A Provençal condiment made from basil, garlic and olive oil, it's primarily used to flavor a vegetable, bean and vermicelli soup known as soupe au pistou.
Traditionally, pistou does not include parmesan, but in a borderless Europe, the neighboring cheese sometimes makes it into the mix.
Tapenade is an olive-based Provençal condiment.
To make it, you pound together olives, capers and anchovies with a mortar and pestle (or a food processor), plus olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, herbs and a possible drop of Cognac. The end result is a slightly chunky paste you can spread on toasted baguette slices or scoop up with raw vegetables. Tapenade can also be spread on fish before baking, blended with roasted vegetables or served as an accompaniment to grilled meats.
Reference: What's the difference between a sardine and an anchovy? (Cookthink)
Reference: What are herbes de Provence? (Cookthink)
Recipe: Pan-Seared Chicken With Two-Olive Tapenade And Sun-Dried Tomato Cream (hogwash)
The word sardine is an imprecise term referring to any number of small, silvery saltwater fish related to the herring and found throughout the world. Fish labeled as "sardines" include sprats, brisling and pilchards.
Frequently caught off the Mediterranean coast and eaten in abundance in Spain, Greece, Portugal, Italy and Morocco, you can also find sardines from the Atlantic, the Pacific, the East Coast of South Africa and beyond.
Sardines tend to travel in large schools close to the water's surface and are harvested fresh in the summer. The name sardine may be a reference to the Sardinian coast, where pilchards were one of the first fish to be packed in oil.
Reference: What's the difference between an anchovy and a sardine? (Cookthink)
Recipe: Bucatini With Sardines, Fennel And Tomatoes (Cookthink)
Aïoli is a garlicky Provençal mayonnaise made by pounding garlic with oil, salt and egg yolks until it's emulsified into a thick, creamy sauce. Take out the garlic and add mustard and you have a basic mayonnaise.
You can eat aïoli with vegetables, cold meats, hard-boiled eggs, poached fish or snails. It can also be spread on baguette croutons and eaten with Provençal fish soup. Australians eat it with fries. Aïoli is served at room temperature.
Spanish allioli is a similar sauce that was originally made without egg yolks, but now usually is.
Pastis is an anise-seed-flavored liqueur that is a popular apéritif in southeastern France. It is similar to Pernod, which is made in northern France.
Pastis is actually a watered-down version of absinthe, which was considered "madness in a bottle" and banned in France, in 1915, because the wormwood was thought to cause hallucinations and madness.
Manufacturers responded by stripping absinthe of wormwood, upping the anise flavor and sugar and lowering the alcohol content. But licorice-y pastis is still very strong; to drink it, you dilute it with cold water -- and ice if you like it extra-cold -- which turns it cloudy.
When used in cooking, pastis lends a licorice note, particularly to seafood dishes.
Note: Pastis is also a word for pastries made in southwestern France.
Recipe: Pastis Negroni (Cookthink)
Recipe: Pastis-Flamed Shrimp (Cookthink)
A rouille is a Provençal sauce that takes its name from the French word "rust." This is due to its ruddy saffron or chili-induced color.
Something along the lines of a kicked-up eggless mayonnaise, rouille is made from pounded garlic and chilies or saffron that is mixed with breadcrumbs and emulsified with fish stock and sometimes a touch of olive oil until thickened and increased in volume.
Rouille is smeared on baguette toasts and floated in bouillabaisse, and can also accompany poached fish. Depending on the cook, sometimes rouille is embellished with fish liver or lemon juice.
Ancestor of gumbo, bouillabaisse is a fast-cooking French fish stew that was invented in Marseille and is a staple of provençal cooking.
Originally a fisherman's meal cooked up on the beach, dozens of fish varieties may end up in a so-called authentic bouillabaisse, but everyone agrees that it must contain rockfish. This aromatic soup also includes shellfish like muscles and crabs, plus aromatics and vegetables such as fennel, carrots and tomatoes, as well as olive oil, saffron and orange zest. Normally the ingredients are marinated for a few hours, then boiled quickly to cook the fish.
The fish and broth are eaten separately. Bouillabaisse broth is either poured over dried bread or served with garlic-rubbed, rouille-topped croutons.
Farigoule is the French word for both wild Provençal thyme and the traditional liqueur that is made from adding it to Eau de Vie de Marc.
Flowering farigoule is harvested in early summer. It has a bluish hue and pale pink flowers that are known as la fleur du thym, an ingredient that tastes like lavender and lemon-infused thyme, and is used in many local dishes.
Farigoule is drunk straight up or on the rocks, or mixed into cocktails.
