French Recipes, Podcast Episodes and France Travel Tips!
A to Z of French Herbs - Herbes de Provence
Herbs de Provence is pronounced the same in French as it is in English really. The key difference is in the spelling. In French it’s spelt Herbes de Provence.
Herbs de Provence is a dried herb mix that is sold now all over the world due to it’s popularity in the US in the 60’s when it was featured by Julia Child in her Art of French Cooking book series in the dish Poulet Saute aux Herbes de Provence. But the first written mention of the mixture of Provencal herbs dates back to 1910, in the book La Cuisine Provençale, by Jean-Baptiste Reboul.
Spice and herb blends are not uncommon in France and around the world of course. In French cuisine you also have the previously covered in this series Bouquet Garni and the Fine Herbes blend.
Pistou Soup Recipe
Pistou Soup is a vegetable and noodle soup from the Provence region and the Cote d’Azur. It’s made with noodles (vermicelli or angle hair pasta), beans, onions, potatoes, tomatoes and sometimes smoked ham. This soup at the table is usually served alongside of some Pistou to place in yourselves.
So now that you have the Pistou recipe you need to make some Pistou soup.
I didn’t have vermicelli or angle hair pasta for this recipe when I made it so I just used what pasta I had left in the cupboard also it’s not the season for green beans so I used zucchini instead. You can do the same as well.
My favourite recipe for Pistou is as follows.
Pistou Recipe
Possibly the most famous dish in French cuisine that has Basil as its main ingredient is Pistou which is the French version of the Italian Pesto. Pistou is a similar sauce to Pesto in ingredients and the way it’s made but there are two main differences. The first is that there is no pine nuts in Pistou and the other is that sometimes they use Gruyere cheese instead of Parmesan cheese.
Pesto and Pistou the names come from the Latin word Pestare which means, to crush. Pistou is mainly found in the southern region of France. It’s considered by locals to be a Provencal or Nicoise creation. This makes a lot of sense as Nice was for hundreds of years an Italian city. Nice only became part of France around 150 years ago.
My favourite recipe for Pistou is as follows.
A to Z of French Herbs - Basil
Basil isn't always thought of as a French herb, but it certainly has its place in French cuisine, especially the cuisine of the Mediterranean or Provence area.
Basil in French is pronounced Basilic. One variety of basil sold in France is actually called French Basil, but it’s known to many people around the world as Thai basil or sweet basil.
French basil belongs to the lamiaceae family or mint family of herbs and is known to many as St. Joseph's wort. It's also Known to French chefs as the king of herbs or herbs royal, the Royale herb.
The herb royal name is probably one of the most popular names for basil in France. But the name basil actually comes from the latin Basileus or the Greek βασιλικόν φυτόν (basilikón phutón), meaning Royal. It said that the Princesses of Byzantium gave it its name for its beauty and its fragrance.