Culinary Traditions of Southeast France

French food is famous the world over, and the south of the country has a whole lot of culinary traditions of its own.

Top of the list is pastis, an anise-flavored spirit that is the perfect thirst quencher on those hot days the south of France is known for. Order one while you play a game of petanque and you could almost pass for a local.

For some sustenance, try the soupe au pistou. It’s like a Provencal version of Italian pesto, without the pine nuts. Chefs make a paste from garlic, cheese and basil, then added to a soup containing green beans, white beans and tomatoes. It’s a summer soup, so it’s nice and light.

Socca is a favorite around Nice and over the Italian border. It’s a pancake made from chickpeas in a similar way to the more common crepe. You can also find it at the Marche Forville in Cannes.

For the meat lovers among you, there’s the daube provencale. This beef stew is slow cooked in a casserole pot, and stands out for the inclusion of anchovy paste and red wine.

Salad nicoise is found around the world, but it actually comes from Nice. A true nicoise will always have black olives, green beans, tomatoes, lettuce and hard-boiled eggs.