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.