The Soul of Bouillabaisse Town (1962)

I remember being in my early teens and spearfishing for rascasse in La Ciotat (some 30km from Marseille). Brings back good memories.

Anyway, it's strange that the article makes only a passing mention to the "poissons de roche" (lit. fishes from the rocks), which are an assortment of various species that live among the rocks, such as wrasses and blennies, as opposed to those that live in sandy areas. With these fish you make the base of the Bouillabaisse, and to my knowledge these are also endemic to the Mediterranean.

My grandmother would have to buy these fish fresh from the local fishermen as they are caught with nets, being way too small for spearfishing. To these which she would add my rascasses to make the Bouillabaisse.

If you enjoy this article you'll love this book: https://www.amazon.com/Secret-Ingredients-Yorker-Library-Pap...

My French cooking teacher had a saying something along the lines of "Tradition is the last bad performance."

He is in fact quite traditional, but he understands the basic principle: If there was a significant migration from a famed food region to "here", what would they do to adapt, to interpret the spirit of their beloved dishes?

Anyone who can't do that, doesn't understand what they're cooking. He taught me a brilliant bouillabaisse, by the way, structured around principles rather than ingredients.

Where can I find contemporary writing like this?