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'Bouillabaisse' is a traditional Provençal fish stew originating from the port city of Marseille. The French and English form ''bouillabaisse'' comes from the Provençal Occitan word ''bolhabaissa'' , a compound that consists of the two verbs ''bolhir'' (to boil) and ''abaissar'' (to reduce).
Bouillabaisse is usually a fish stock containing different kinds of cooked fish and shellfish. These are complemented with a variety of herbs and spices such as garlic, orange peel, basil, bay leaf, fennel and saffron. Classically, there are usually a dozen or so kinds of sea food such as monkfish, weever, mullet, mussels, conger eel and bullrout; other kinds of fish may also be used. Vegetables such as leeks, onions, tomatoes and celery are boiled together to produce a rich flavour. The exact proportions vary by cook and region. For example, in Marseille intense arguments rage between different restaurants, all of whom claim to make "authentic Bouillabaisse."
The stew and the fish are usually served in separate bowls, with the stew poured over slices of French bread seasoned with a spicy sauce of bread crumbs, olive oil, and chilis called rouille, although sometimes an aioli is served. Bouillabaisse is often only served when there are large groups of people, as it is time-consuming to prepare and some of its ingredients may be expensive; it is also generally available from restaurants along the coasts of Provence.
The origins of the dish date back to the time of the Ancient Greeks, when they founded Marseille in 600 BC. Then, the population ate a simple fish stew known in Greek as 'kakavia.' Bouillabaisse also appears in Roman mythology: it is the soup that Venus fed to Vulcan, to lull him to sleep, so that she could cavort with the god Mars.

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Pop culture

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Pop culture

★ In the 1966 James Bond spoof, Our Man Flint, starring James Coburn, an analysis of the key components of traces of bouillabaisse provides a vital clue for tracking down an assassin.

★ B-Boy Bouillabaisse is the title of the final track on the Beastie Boys' 1989 album Paul's Boutique. The reason for the use of Bouillabaisse in the title is due to the track being a medley of 9 short songs strung together.

★ Steven Seagal's most successful film ''Under Siege'' features Seagal as a ship's cook on the ''USS Missouri'' preparing a pot of bouillabaisse when a band of mercenaries seize control of the ship.

★ Bouillabaisse is mentioned in the book ''Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire'', when the French student from Beauxbatons, Fleur Delacour, asks Ron to pass the bouillabaisse from the Gryffindor table during the Halloween Feast.

★ In the dub of the anime ''Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo'', the oden battleground that served for the battle against Hanpen (General Lee Fishcake) was changed into bouillabaisse in order to keep a similar context for American audience. Since oden usually has elements such as fishcake and chikuwa, the oden was made into a "fishy soup".

★ In the Friends episode "The One with the Cooking Class" the character Monica (Courtney Cox Arquette), who works as a chef, tries to prove to a food critic her cooking skills by making a bouillabaisse for him to taste.

★ In the Seinfeld episode "The Shoes" bouillabaisse is mentioned twice in a hillarious though not that flattering way. A particular restaurant is rumored to use the bouillabaise for a toilet.

★ A deleted line from had Jack Sparrow (played by Johnny Depp) exclaiming "Bouillabaisse!" upon finding Bootstrap Bill Turner (Stellan Skarsgård). (This was apparently ad-libbed by Depp from Skarsgård being nicknamed "Bouillabaisse" by the crew because of the prosthetic make-up he had to wear).

See also

★ Caldeirada

External links

★ The Celluloid Pantry: Bouillabaisse from Marseilles and Our Man Flint (1966)