We’d love to tell you the origin of this dish began with a talented rat hiding under the chef hat of a cook in a French restaurant, but sadly, that’s not the case. However, the story of how this plentiful dish made it to the mainstream is just as humble.
You see, Ratatouille comes from Nice, in the South of France. Originally considered “peasant food”, ratatouille was created by Provencal farmers as a filling summer dish that took advantage of the fresh vegetables available.
Typically, these vegetables were aubergines, courgettes, onions, tomatoes and garlic. The word ‘ratatouille’ is thought to come from the French word ‘touiller’, which means to “stir up”, which makes sense because a good ratatouille needs regular stirring!
