Bouillabaisse

The second-largest city in France, Marseille, is situated in the Provence area on the Mediterranean coast and is known for its fish stew known as bouillabaisse. Since it was established by the Greeks more than 2,500 years ago, this location has seen the arrival and departure of people and things. The fishmongers supply the freshest seafood of the hour to restaurants, markets, and locals in the Vieux-Port (Old Port), which is the center of trade and transport.

Recipes for bouillabaisse, a stew currently served in local variations all over the world, pay homage to the Marseilles seaside eating tradition. It begins with a mixture of langoustine, mussels, and white fish. Many cuisine-driven variants use a soup base comprised of carrots, fennel, saffron, tomatoes, celery, garlic, and onions. Aromatic Provençal herbs and spices are traditional. It can be delivered to the table in numerous dishes, with the broth served separately from the cooked fish, or it can be presented in a single, steaming bowl.

To feed fishers and their families, the original was made from bony fish that couldn't be sold on the market. Instead, it was thrown together in a soup. According to Le Rhul Restaurant, a renowned Bouillabaisse restaurant in Marseille, native species such as scorpionfish, spider, fielas, and capon as well as monkfish, lobster, and galinette can be introduced. Local producers created the Bouillabaisse Charter in the 1980s under the direction of Le Rhul Restaurant to protect the tradition and standardize preparation and presentation.