Food, glorious food.
Now I live in France, my diet has changed. I eat more bread and cheese, but I also cook with a huge variety of vegetables including aubergine and artichokes that I never used back in my home country, and I love the summer fruits here that I buy at the market.
seasonal produce at French markets
Many people wonder how French people stay so slim eating breads, cheeses, pastries and sweet treats but it has a lot to do with making the most of seasonal produce and portion size.
Locally, a label has been created ‘Cuisine Nissarde’ to respect the authenticity of the cuisine of Nice, and it is granted to restaurants that feature in their menu three traditional recipes selected and developed by a technical committee including professional chefs and Tourism representatives.
Some traditional Niçoise dishes are:
Farcis: tomatoes, round courgettes, onions, aubergines, bell peppers, each with their own stuffing
Fleurs de courgettes: Fritters that are eaten warm with tomato sauce
La tourte de blettes: A pie made with Swiss chard (grown on the hills of Nice) and pine nuts
Pan-bagnat: A small round bun (white bread) split in two and rubbed with garlic then filled with lettuce, tomato, spring onion, celery, purple artichoke hearts, radishes, tuna in oil, anchovy fillets and seasoning
Pissaladière: An onion tart with black olives and anchovy fillets
Porquetta: Stuffed suckling pig
Ratatouille: One of my favourites, delicious served on crusty bread. Made with tomatoes, courgettes, onions, garlic, bell peppers and aubergine sautéed individually then simmered together
Salade niçoise: Perhaps the most well-known ‘dish’ of Nice, there are many variations but generally it contains bell pepper, tomato, onion, hard-boiled egg, tuna, black olives and often green beans, potatoes and artichokes
salade niçoise (image: laroque-provence)
Socca: A chickpea flour crepe made with olive oil. My recommendation for trying socca in Nice is Chez Rene Socca.
Here are the first Nice restaurants that have been granted the ‘Cuisine Nissarde’ label:
A’Buteghinn’a
11 Rue du Marché, 06000 Nice – 04 93 92 28 22 – www.abuteghinna.fr
Auberge de l’Aire St Michel
Chemin de Châteaurenard Gairaut, 06100 Nice – 04 93 84 42 07
Brasserie de l’Union
1 Rue Michelet, 06100 Nice – 04 93 84 65 27 – www.unionrestaurant.fr
La Cantine de Lulu
26 Rue Alberti, 06000 Nice – 04 93 62 15 33
Le Gaglio 2 Place Saint-François, 06300 Nice – 04 93 85 42 13 – www.restaurantgaglio.com
La Maison de Marie 5 Rue Massena, 06000 Nice – 04 93 82 15 93 – www.lamaisondemarie.com
Le Marché 12-14 Cours Saleya, 06300 – Nice – 04 93 85 77 15
La Socca d’or 45 Rue Bonaparte, 06300 Nice – 04 93 56 52 93
La Table Alziari
4 Rue François Zanin, 06300 Nice – 04 93 80 34 03
L’Escalinada
22 Rue Pairolière, 06300 Nice – 04 93 62 11 71 – www.escalinada.fr
Le Safari
1 Cours Saleya, 06300 Nice – 04 93 80 18 44 – www.restaurantsafari.fr
Les Garnuches
13 Rue Cassini, 06300 Nice – 04 83 55 65 53 – www.lesgarnuches.com
Lou Balico
20 Avenue Saint-Jean-Baptiste, 06000 Nice – 04 93 85 93 71 – www.loubalico.com
Lou Bistrot Nissart 26 Boulevard Risso, 06300 Nice – 04 22 16 25 81 – www.lou-bistrot-nissart.fr
Lu Fran Calin
5 Rue Francis Gallo, 06300 Nice – 04 93 80 81 81 – www.lufrancalin.fr
Restaurant Acchiardo
38 Rue Droite, 06300 Nice – 04 93 85 51 16
Restaurant Luc Salsedo
4 Rue Maccarani, 06000 Nice – 04 93 82 24 12 – www.restaurant-salsedo.com
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