Ratatouille

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This article is about a vegetable dish. For the film, see Ratatouille (film).

Ratatouille (IPA:[rætəˈtui, -ˈtwi]; English [răt'ə-tū'ē] "ra-tuh-TOO-ee") is a traditional French Provençal stewed vegetable dish which can be served as a meal on its own (accompanied by rice, potatoes, or simply French bread), or as a side dish. Tomatoes are a key ingredient, with onions, zucchini (courgettes), eggplant (aubergine), bell peppers, a little herbs de provence, and sometimes basil. All the ingredients are sautéed in olive oil. Adding plenty of fresh coriander adds much flavor to the dish.

The name of the dish appears to derive from the French touiller, to stir, although the root of the first element "rat-" slang from the French Army meaning chunky stew.

There is a Maltese version of ratatouille called “kapunata”, which is very similar to its French counterpart. Kapunata is made with tomatoes, green peppers, eggplant, and garlic, and goes well with grilled fish. A comparable Spanish dish is called "pisto".