BECAUSE it is located in the Mediterranean Sea, Provence has abundant supplies of Mediterranean produce. The two most typical Mediterranean seafood menus here are ratatouille and bouillabaisse. These are all stews composed of diverse Mediterranean seafood such as prawns, lobsters, clams, redfish and grouper. Some toss in a few dashes of olive oil as this is said to be the healthiest cooking oil in the world. Other fish species found in Provence are anchovies, eels, anglers, blanchaille, bouille, chapon, shellfish, conger eels, squids, albacores, sea bass, whiting, mullet, sea urchin, octopus, fish eggs, hog fish, red mullet, flat fish, cuttle fish and turbot.

Provence is also home to the largest and lavish lavender farms in the planet. It really is a beautiful sight to behold when one goes there via a small plane. You will literally be amazed at the sight of rolling fields of lavender. Lavender is exported to other countries in Europe and even outside the continent. But it is usually used as a scent for Mediterranean food such as sautéed fish, roast chicken, roasted lamb and the most important of all, ice cream. Another agricultural produce that can be found uniquely in Provence is black truffles and they are harvested in late December and January. Other agricultural produce found here are olives, tomatoes, zucchini eggplant and lemons. Cheese from goats is widely used here too as there are only a few cows that are grazing here in Provence.

That’s basically winter time. Winter is one of the most beautiful seasons to come here and celebrate in Provence. Provence is after all a sight of snow and that’s a very ideal vacation for honeymooning couples. What better way to go to Provence than to indulge in food that is Mediterranean but uniquely Provencal. Typical ingredients found in a Provencal kitchen are anchovies, capers, cod, extra-virgin olive oil, olives, pesto, truffles, bouillabaisse, Chevre cheese, eggplant, garlic, lavender, pastis, ratatouille and herbes de Provence such as basil, fennel seed, lavender, marjoram, rosemary, sage, summer savory and thyme. Some of the best unique Provencal dishes are beef ribs with puree made from horseradish and potatoes, salmon, tomatoes provencale and eggplant tart, among others.

Escargots a la Provencal are basically made of shallots and snails. This is one exotic dish in France that you can savor and one can find it only here in Provence. The snails and shallots are sautéed and simmered and mixed with a dash of pepper, white wine and cold butter to make the dish really exciting to eat. Then bread crumbs and parsley leaves are then stuffed on top of the serving.

Of course we can’t deny that aside from seafood, a Provencal dish is also composed of vegetables. A few of these dishes are salade de Chevre Chaude, soupe de Poissons, steamed mussels mixed in white wine and seafood pasta. Some of the herbs incorporated in these dishes are angelic, dill, anise, basil, nasturtium, caraway, celery, garlic, chervil, chives, coriander, cumin, tarragon, juniper, geranium, laurel, lemon balm, mint and scallion.

LET’S face it. Food is essential to man. And one can have unarguably the healthiest food in the world in Provence. Provence in France is part of the Mediterranean coastline and the Mediterranean produces a lot of species like redfish, squid, sea bass, scorpion fish, eel, angler, lobster, monkfish, mullet, bulltrout, shrimp and grouper every day for food. The French fishermen in these areas are humble and unassuming. They usually cast out to sea and come back to find themselves lots of their villagers welcoming them and waiting to buy their catch. Just like the other peoples such as some Spanish and Italians who live in the Mediterranean coasts, the people in Provence love to eat their seafood cooked fresh and not frozen. They usually include mixing in olive oil to their food because with its less fat content, olive oil is considered as the healthiest cooking oil in the world. Besides, there are lots of homegrown agricultural produce to boost the health of the natives here. There are tomatoes, zucchini eggplants and lemons cultivated here. If you are planning to travel to Europe for two months and want to continue your healthy eating lifestyle while traveling, then consider staying in Provence. Provence offers the best of both worlds – the Mediterranean catch to the east and the farms to the west. A few nutritious dishes worth trying for during your two-month stay are bouillabaisse and ratatouille.

Let’s talk about bouillabaisse first. First of all, this is a seafood-veggie combination and so you need a fresh catch from the Mediterranean to begin with. It is cooked as a fish stew and the stew is mixed in with onions, celery, pepper, garlic, salt, olive oil, bay leaf, peppercorns, thyme, white wine, saffron, leeks, tomatoes, parsley, mussels, clams, lobster, orange peel, basil, and shrimp. Boy, which sounds yummy already. In fact, bouillabaisse is popular the world over that it has even found its way to Rio de Janeiro restaurants. With Rio as a cultural destination and visitors eating bouillabaisse there, they can surely find out the roots of this very yummy and nutritious delicacy and they will then be enticed to visit Provence. Ratatouille is a similar dish minus the Mediterranean Sea ingredients.

But wait a minute; it is not just vegetables and fish that the Provencal people are perfect in concocting. They do also have some meat too and one of the byproducts of meat is lamb stock. Provence has one of the best lamb ranches in Europe. In fact, Provencal lamb dish is one of the yummiest dishes in this well…province that people are attracted to. Lamb contains only a few fatty content and chefs and cooks are careful to prepare only the meaty portions of the lamb so everybody is instantaneously attracted to the dish. One delicacy that tourists keep on looking forward to when gobbling this dish is its sauce. Provencal Lamb distinct sauce is actually made of lamb stock stewed with a horde of mostly vegetable ingredients such as garlic, basil, olive oil, parmesan, white beans, green beans, tomatoes, squash and potatoes.

PROVENCE has a Mediterranean coast and is located in southwestern France. Provence is also a border province and it is bound to the east by Italy. Provence is also a natural magnet for tourists because part of the Alps is located there. Thus, we oftentimes see skiers and other winter sports enthusiasts drop by Provence before navigating their way to the Alps and back. They usually come here to have a good time and hit the scenes.

There are lots of delights worth seeing here after all. They include the Pont du Gard aqueduct which is probably one of the oldest aqueducts in Europe if not the world considering that it was constructed during the old Roman Empire reign. Provence is also one of the culinary centers of France. Each village in Provence has a particular market day of the week or in the United States, a farm day. While a farm day in the United States is only held annually, the market day in Provence is held weekly. Farmers gather together and exchange produce for cash just like how they do it in medieval times. Quality produce like bread, cheese, sausages, olives, preserves and olive oil are sold inexpensively here. They are so inexpensive since these produce come directly from the farm without the need for middle businessmen. And these are all of quality because they are shipped directly to a consumer’s home instead of being preserved in artificial processes.

Take olive oil for instance, French homemakers love to use olive oil in their sautéing because it is said to be the healthiest cooking oil in the world. But if foreign tourists during winter just like to drop by for a quick chow, then they can always go to inexpensive eateries which serve fresh and excellent French meals minus the steep price. One of the Mediterranean produce that they love to lure tourists is the sea urchin. In eating this seemingly exotic food which may at first be not exactly a sight to behold, one must scrape the slime of the sea urchin with his or her bare finger taking into consideration not to scrape himself or herself. Then deliciously slide the foamy stuff into your mouth and you will be rewarded with a milky flavor. You can then cap your meal with a glass of rose wine.

It used to belong to Rome long before they became Christians. Provence was conquered by the Romans in the 2nd century BC. The etymology of its name itself comes from the Roman term provincia meaning province in English and naturally, it is a current province of France. After the Romans were Christianized, Provence was obviously Christianized too. When the Roman Empire disintegrated, Provence was conquered again and again by the Visigoths, Franks, Arabs and Berbers. In the 8th century, it became part of the new Holy Roman Empire again. And then it was turned over to the emerging nation of France which was a Roman Empire puppet then.

But Provence is beyond that. The beauty of the place cannot simply occupy this page.