![]() A true ratatouille is a labour of love, with emphasis on labour. One thing is for sure: today’s ratatouille is a far cry from these basic stews of 19th Century mess halls and the poor. In fact, the word for a military ration – rata – is likely linked to the word ratatouille, though which came first – rata or ratatouille – is a bit of a chicken-and-egg scenario. One of the first published appearances of the word “ratatouille”, in the 1831 Journal des sciences militaires des armées de terre et de mer (Journal of military science for armies of land and sea) continues in this vein, referring not to a rich vegetable medley but rather to a watery vegetable stew served to soldiers in which “float here and there a few scrawny ribs of veal or bad mutton”. Stemming from the French verb touiller, meaning “to stir”, the first dishes of the name were stews popular on the tables of southern France’s poor: less a recipe than a hodgepodge of whatever was on hand. But ratatouilles of some kind predated the popularisation of these vegetables as food in the 18th Century, albeit in a very different form.
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