Taste

Provençal Cooking

Provençal cooking
The cuisine of Provence is very distinctive from the rest of France. Hot spices and seafoods come from a Mediterranean influence. Provençal cooking uses very little milk. This is due to the mountainous country, which is more suited to goats than good for herds of dairy cattle. This is why this region has some very good goat cheeses. Garlic, olive oil olives and herbs are a recurring theme in Provençal cooking whilst rosemary, sage, oregano, marjoram, thyme and savory give Provençal cooking its unique taste and smell.

Location: Flayosc
Region: Var, Provence
South of France
Near: Draguignan

In Provence, fennel, farigoulette, garlic, olive oil, basil and onion are used to embellish tomatoes, courgettes, aubergines and sweet peppers. These local vegatables are drenched with 300 days of sun per year and can be eaten with sea food, lamb or game. Specialities of the region also include; Soupe au Pistou (basil soup), the Daube Provençale (stew), the Pieds-paquets Marseillais (cooked meat), the Aïoli (garlic mayonnaise).

Petits Farcis Niçois

French Provencal markets are a delight to all of the senses, visually compelling as well as appealing to the taste buds and nostrils. A visit to one of the local markets as well as the weekly Draguignan market will have to wanting to buy everything and offered little tastes from olives to cheese, pesto to honey.

Back to nature
There is now a common agreement that there is a connection between a well-being and an return to nature. An observation that the people of Provence listen to with amusement. This is because, here in the South of France, this is the way it has always been, enjoying an idyllic relationship with the world around them. Its a land that treats them to an annual bounty of olives, grapes, herbs and citrus fruits with strong natural flavours. Take olive-oil for example, it is a welcome addition to almost every meal. the Var in Provence is the biggest oil producing region of France with it own AOC designation of a variety of olive called "caillette" which is small and black with a strong taste. The region's gardens are not solely devoted to olive-trees. Far from it. They also produce melons, lemons, oranges, cherries and peaches. All of which are made into delicious products.

Provincial Cooking by Elizabeth David

The renowned English writer Elizabeth David wrote extensively about French markets in the Fifties and her writings were the first examples of food-travel journalism as we know it now. She describes "the bright vegetables, the basil, the lemons, apricots and ripe green figs, white goats milk cheeses, the aromatic coffee, the scent of herbs, the honey and yoghurt for breakfast, the rose-petal jam, olives and wild thyme,” and wonderfully in France nothing has changed! She talks about gorgeous French virgin olive oil and garlic, also aubergines, courgettes and basil in her French Provincial Cooking book. Now whilst your visiting Maison Mimosa you can try all these flavours and more - most don’t require much cooking – just eating so enjoy I know we certainly do.