Recently, I had the pleasure of talking about the food of France with Dr. Isabelle Drewelow, Associate Professor of French and Applied Linguistics at the University of Alabama. Hailing from Bordeaux, Dr. Drewelow often spends summers with her aunt and uncle in Provence. During our time together, we discussed the culinary patchwork of France, French food and the misconceptions surround it, and how/why the cuisine of Provence is so unique.

 

AD: The first question I have is, where are you from?

ID: I’m from Bordeaux in France. It’s the southwest of France.

AD: What is the food like there?

ID: Well, there’s a lot of specialties. Bordeaux is known as a gastronomy region, and it is also known for wine. But, you need to eat with drinking, right? So, one of the specialties of the southwest region is foie gras, which is duck or goose liver. [Another specialty] is oysters, fresh oysters. They are raised in the Bassin d’Arcachon, which is like a lake, but it has an opening to the sea so the water [can come] in and out with the tide. And then we have magret, which is duck breast that you usually cook on [the] barbecue. It’s a lot of heavy food. Of course, there’s the grapes because of the wine. Duck confit (duck cooked slowly in its own fat) is another thing. So, it’s a lot of duck.

AD: Is Bordeaux on the coast?

ID: It’s about a 40 minute drive.

AD: With Bordeaux being on the coast and Provence being on the coast, do you think there are similarities between their cuisines?

ID: Yes and no. I think Provencal cuisine is a lot more Mediterranean; olives and olive oils and tomatoes are really the basics, whereas olives are not basic in Bordeaux because it is too humid compared to the dry climate of Provence. Also, the soil around Bordeaux is very sandy, so there’s not a whole lot of things that can grow besides pine trees and vineyards. It (the soil) is great for vineyards, but not so great for other things. There’s a lot of cornfields, but wheat [is grown] in the northern or central parts of France.

AD: Do you find that the cuisine of Bordeaux is more stereotypically “French” than the cuisine of Provence?

ID: No, not necessarily, because each region in France really has its identity expressed through its dishes. Because of that, you’ll say “Oh, Bretagne (Brittany) has crepe and Alsace has choucroute, which is like sauerkraut and is much more German. Dijon has the mustard, right? Lyon has some specialty with meat. Every region really expresses itself. It’s different, but it’s not more or less French.

AD: [This discussion] leads nicely into the next question I have, which is, what are some misconceptions you think Americans have about French food?

ID: I think that we eat this rich food all the time, which isn’t true. You don’t eat foie gras or magret every day, it’s just for holidays, like oysters. You do eat baguette every day, that’s for sure. But, I think the Provencal cuisine is more suited to everyday than Bordeaux cuisine, for example. I think one [misconception] is that it’s refined all the time. It’s not refined all the time; everyday food is just vegetables and meat and rice or pasta, and that’s it. You don’t go out of your way with a gigantic meal. Another misconception, I think, is that French people take long lunches of two hours, but it’s more like a half-hour with a sandwich or something else they bring from home. It’s really similar to here. [Another misconception is] that we drink wine with every meal—not necessarily.

AD: When did you first visit Provence?

ID: I don’t know, [when I was] one or two years old. I have an uncle who lives there. Christmases were either at his place or in Bordeaux, or sometimes we went skiing in the Alps.

AD: So pretty much your whole life [you’ve visited Provence]?

ID: Yes, and I go there every summer. My uncle and my aunt are both from Bordeaux, but they’ve lived in Marseille for 45 years.

AD: I know that seafood is a really [important] component of Provencal cuisine. [I also know] that a lot of Americans [can be] squeamish when it comes to seafood. Have you ever felt that way when it comes to fish or seafood?

ID: No, never. Seafood has always been part of my diet. In Bordeaux, there’s this river, and there’s a fish that’s only in [that] river, and it’s only in the spring when they come up the river so people will try to catch them and sell them. It’s called­­­­­­ alose. I remember having parties in the backyard— it’s April or May, the fish are on the barbecue. My mother would have la fête de l’alose. I probably started eating oysters when I was… I don’t even remember! For me it (seafood) has always been part of [my diet], and in Marseille, it’s the same way. My kids are the same way; for them, fish is normal. When we go [to Provence] every summer, I think every three days there’s fish.

AD: From what I’ve read, fish markets on the coast are really popular.

ID: Yes, and in Marseille, what’s interesting is that you have the Vieux Port, the Old Port, which is sort of like a big square, and at the bottom of it, if you go in the morning, the fishermen are there and they have fish. The fish is literally coming off the boats, and you can go and buy your fish right there. My aunt and uncle, they don’t live downtown. They live close to L’Estaque, which was a small fishing village just outside Marseille—now it’s included in Marseille—where the Impressionist painters like Cezanne painted a lot of views. There’s one street, but, like, four fish stores. Each has different boats that come in every day, so if one store doesn’t have what you want, you can go to another.

AD: What dishes [or ingredients] do you most associate with Provence?

ID: Grilled fish. Bouillabaisse, which is fish soup. Ratatouille, of course. The soup, pistou, which is a basil soup with white beans. Tomatoes, tomato salads with olives and feta cheese. [The onion tart] pissaladière, that’s a good one, too. Olives, of course, and olive oil. Another thing that I associate [with Provence] is the melon. It’s a small, orange melon from Cavaillon, which is in “Green Provence.” They’re so good. You usually eat them as an appetizer, but you can also have them for dessert. They’re small, kind of like a cantaloupe but juicier and sweeter.

AD: Is there a particular dish that is your favorite?

ID: Well, I love bouillabaisse, but it costs so much money. I really love the pistou soup. You can have it in the summer or the winter. We eat it in the summer because my aunt makes it and knows that I love it. It’s very simple, but very flavorful.

AD: Is pistou like the Italian pesto?

ID: It’s fresh basil. My aunt grows her own basil in flowerpots outside. It’s vegetarian; she uses tomatoes and white beans and it simmers for like, eight hours. You add basil to it at certain moments. It’s all about the simmering. French food is all about the preparation.

AD: If you wanted good French food, could you get it here (Alabama)?

ID: No. I’ll make it. But it’s difficult, for example, to find duck. You can find it at the Chinese market, but it’s just not the same. There are French restaurants in Birmingham, and I’ve been to one, but I think they’re a bit snobbish. There are some types of French food that are all about the gastronomy, but for me, it’s about the meal, the preparation, but also sitting with friends. [There are] none in Tuscaloosa, that’s for sure.

AD: If you wanted to feel like you were in Provence, if you wanted to have that experience here, what would you eat?

ID: Olives, green or Kalamata olives, as an appetizer. Probably tomato, mozzarella, and basil salad, drizzled with olive oil. Ratatouille would be easy to make. I’d get some fish, probably trout or mussels, if I can find them. For dessert, just fruit.

AD: We’ve talked a lot about misconceptions, but if there is something you’d want people to know about the food of Provence, what would it be?

ID: It’s really good! The olive oil, rather than butter, gives it a really distinctive flavor. I think more people here should cook less with margarine or butter and more with olive oil. And basil is good with everything. I hear a lot about the Mediterranean diet being healthy. I don’t think it’s [necessarily] healthy, I think it’s a way of life.