Pistou, a fragrance of the Provence region

Originally published in the Journal de Montréal on September 9, 2007.

Vegetable soup with pistou, which is almost a meal in itself, is the pride of Provence. The term «pistou», often confused with the neighbouring and perhaps more well known Ligurian «pesto», means «crushed».

Pistou was a condiment traditionally prepared by crushing together basil, garlic, olive oil and freshly grated Parmesan cheese in a mortar and pestle. You can add different types of vegetables to the actual soup.

Nowadays it’s much more practical to use a food processor instead of a mortar and pestle. In case fresh beans are not available, you may substitute them with canned beans: although the end result will not taste the same, you’ll at least save on the shelling time.

Try our recipe for Vegetable Soup with Pistou