Discovering France's regions via gastronomy: Marseille, a Mediterranean melting pot • FRANCE 24

foreign [Music] place with a heart and a soul all its own located on the French Riviera the southern port city has been at the crossroads of trade and immigration since it was founded in 600 BC so just how is marseille's Rich history reflected in its culture and Cuisine join us as we explore the wild culinary wonders of Marseille [Music] thank you [Music] if you're in Marseille you have to make a stop at the Old Port Marseille here you'll find amazing views of the Mediterranean and the sprawling City around it these days the commercial Port is located outside of the city center but traditionally this is where all the action happened and you can still find professional fishermen selling their cat to the day it's the perfect place to meet filmmaker author and Marseille foodie veran frediani thanks for being with us today you've written this book it's called Marseille Cuisine lemon before we dive in though give us an idea of the vibe of Marseille some people describe it as the anti-paris it's just a completely different city a complete different mentality state of mind we have a hot temper but we calm down very quickly too not everybody can like Marseille it's really a different um sense of time here we enjoy life I would say the Maasai identity is stronger than the French identity because here everybody is from somewhere else and that's okay we are from somewhere else but we are all Mercier the stereotypical dish of Marseille is this fish soup that everyone knows in the south of France but you really want to go beyond the cliches tell us a bit more about marseille's Cuisines yeah I think the diversity of the population and of the history of the population now is um is seen in dishes you know in restaurants over the last 10 years open lots of restaurant diverse restaurants mixing cultures and food cultures in the in their dish in their dishes and so that's what I think is more interesting right now yes has always been here because we are Harbor it represents part of Marseille culture I would say but it's an expensive dish today most Mars say you don't eat bouillabes that's why I think it's important to see other Alternatives people have traditionally flocked to Marseille for a new beginning traditionally people came from Greece Italy North Africa Algeria Tunisia but it seems like the city is experiencing another Renaissance right now lots of people are coming to the city what draws people to Marseille to start again so here is really um from a creative point of view a land of opportunities to open a restaurant it's easier it's cheaper you have more space thank you so much so there's an exciting new food scene going on here in Marseille but it's also important to know your Classics and you're going to take us to meet an institution in Marseille let's go meet it [Music] first stop on our Marseille food tour delfino's restaurant medley legalinet then you've been in the restaurant business for almost 30 years and you're specialized in grandmother dishes from Marseille like bouillabets which is very famous and was invented in the city why is it so typical of Mase is we're very lucky because you're going to teach us how to make one of these typical purple side dishes should we head to the kitchen yes go so Delphine what are you gonna make us today what does that means um so it's very easy yes it is [Music] sauce is amazing it's delicious Delphine thank you so much for showing us this recipe thank you to you so uh Marseille has food going for it but that's not it here are some other fun facts about the city yeah located on the beautiful Mediterranean Coast Marseille is France's second biggest Metropolis it's the country's sunniest City and the oldest masalia as it was called was founded around 600 BC by Greek settlers from focia an ancient city on the Aegean Sea these days it's still referred to as La Sita Fusion Marseille boasts France's biggest commercial Port trade as well as immigration waves from southern Europe and North Africa have made the city into a Mediterranean Melting Pot Marseille is famous for its food and culture as well as its soap a business that dates back to the Middle Ages in the late 17th century King Louis XIV sets standards for a now protected trademarkse a hard soap made from vegetable oil mainly olive oil it smells delicious traditionally Marseille have been seen as a counterweight to the capital Paris when it comes to political power sports especially soccer and a generally more laid-back way of life it's also a rival when it comes to beautiful landmarks there's a lot to see in the city like the Notre Dame de la guarde Basilica the gorgeous Kellogg National Park or numerous art centers like the museum a museum dedicated to Mediterranean art and culture it's definitely worth a stop on your next trip to France [Music] oh when you wander around Marseille it's clear that this is a gritty thriving Metropolis with a distinctive working-class character and Southern French Soul laissez is also a city in Metamorphosis recent years have seen a series of major urban renewal projects which have drawn a wave of artists entrepreneurs and chefs with ambitious projects [Music] thank you [Music] you created this restaurant The Republic where you serve seasonal Mediterranean dishes with a modern twist but solidarity is really a key part of your philosophy tell us about that yes social um and Sebastian solidarity is also part of your hiring process here soon um so your restaurant really sums up the spirit of Marseille and it also has popularity which is the is that it's where you play pit talk the first underground of Marseille and we're gonna go check it out [Music] [Music] pittong is a French institution some would even say it's a way of life it's really fun and easy to play you can either play one-on-one or in teams of two or three I'll be solid you'll be Stripes First Step you draw a line in the sand and you throw this little guy it's a round little wooden Jack or ball that's called a bushel or a cushina a little pig then you take the metal balls and you throw them as close as you can to the cushine whoever gets closest wins the points and whoever gets to 13 points first wins all right let's play Junie all right you're on [Applause] first you throw the cook tonight so there are two techniques when you're throwing the ball you can either fonte which means you try to get your ball as close to the cushione as possible [Music] okay when you try to knock your opponent's metal ball out of the way So Satisfied [Music] oh you move it closer see a little buddha you can kiss that booty goodbye fit tank is a great game to play with friends during apeho pre-dinner drinks especially with a local Masai specialty that's disa and that is our next stop cheers foreign [Music] thank you so much for being with us today you started where you make all sorts of alcohols and Spirits like gin and rum and of course besties what's the history behind what we call the petition so the best is the petition is the success of absent absent was the original anisid spirit in France it was a year spirit and it was forbidden in 1815 and so the produce of of absent they started to make other products and that's the way the past disappeared so it's a success of absent and many of our viewers might know of absinthe from the reputation it has of making people crazy is there any truth to that not really it makes you crazy if you drink probably three bottles so normally you're off before drinking of the bottles but the the thing is there is a molecule which is dangerous we call treeon it was a it was the reason the legal reason to to forbid the absent the real reason is that absent was a competitor to wine and during the 19th centuries there was philosopher this little bug that destroyed the one yards and so the wine Lobby asked the forbid the introduction of absent and then came the pasties you teach people how to assemble their own pesties and you're going to teach us it's not me it's my colleague Adrian which is the master Asanda I will show you how to make your own pestis okay let's do it [Music] so Adriana what are the ingredients in pestis is [Music] it's really Rosemary it smells delicious I feel like a mad mad scientist foreign [Music] [Music] [Music] we did it so we've mixed our pestis what's the best way to drink it is and you can drink this different ways too you can add things to this right yeah so you can Jazz up your pestis but it's really good when it's pure too cheers and this being friends we have to remind you to drink responsibly thank you so much [Music] well that wraps it up for this special French Connections in Marseille and a big thank you to our team Luis morer and George jesbeck is there a region of France you'd like us to discover if so why don't you reach out on social media and we'll try and make it the next stop on our culinary children form and we'll see you very soon for another episode of French connections Plus [Music] France 24 more than ever before is your window onto the world [Music]

Channel: FRANCE 24 English

Views: 18,413

Keywords: FRENCH CONNECTIONS PLUS, France, French culture, Marseille, culture, food, france24, gastronomy, news

Id: NXTk98RWzFo

Length: 16min 24sec (984 seconds)

Published: Fri Jun 23 2023