It's summer, and we're avoiding turning on the oven in favor of salads, barbecues and chilled desserts. So here's a simple yet refreshing recipe for this hot summer season. Made with fresh fruit and Indian spices infused in brown cane sugar syrup, this fruit salad is a delight. Depending on your eating habits, you can replace the cane sugar with a lower glycemic index sugar. Fruit salad with Indian spices...Continue Reading

Whether it's from Algeria, Tunisia or Morocco, couscous is all about sharing and celebrating with family and friends. Berbers celebrate the New Year with couscous, and colorful eggs are sprinkled throughout the dish. What are the origins of couscous in France? It's no coincidence that couscous is one of France's top 10 favorite dishes. It's been known in France since the 16th century, and in 1534 Rabelais wrote "Force coscossons, et renfort de potages" (Gargantua,...Continue Reading

Eggplant caviar and its long series of recipes, each one different from the next. What haven't I read? Incorporated with mayonnaise for some, mixed with garlic and parsley for others, with cumin and olive oil, recipes vary according to regional moods and traditions... So what is eggplant caviar? Eggplant caviar is a reduction of the pulp of the cooked/confit fruit, which, depending on the country, can be seasoned with different...Continue Reading

I've been drinking this infusion for years, as it's an excellent revitalizer after intense or long sports training sessions. Marathon runners will appreciate it for its taste, of course, but also for its real anti-inflammatory and antioxidant virtues. Sprinters and half-distance runners will find it beneficial for their recovery after certain split sessions. In short, a powerful detoxifier. What is lemon turmeric ginger infusion? It's well known that turmeric is a powerful anti-inflammatory, but it's...Continue Reading

It's summer, it's hot, so it's not surprising to see Senegalese and Egyptians drinking hibiscus flower juice all day long. For thousands of years, the Egyptians' Karkadé (carcadet) has helped to lower body temperature, which is a good thing when midsummer temperatures flirt with 50 degrees in the shade. Let's discover this marvellous, tangy beverage to drink without moderation. Scientific name: Hibiscus sabdariffa English name: roselle You can...Continue Reading

Of Arabic origin, the word "coffee" comes from "qawha". Coffee was introduced to Egypt in the 15th century (during the Mamlûk period) from southern Egypt (Nubia) via Yemen and Arabia. The Mamlûks had complete control over the trade, which was initially limited to the upper social classes. As you may have read in our various episodes on the history of the world's spices, the 15th century saw the discovery of the Cape of Good Hope, enabling...Continue Reading

5th to 11th centuries: the world's spice trade in turmoil In 410 AD, the Visigoths sacked Rome. The ransom amounted to several thousand pounds of pepper. This was followed by a period when the world spice trade came to a halt (notably following the invasion of North Africa by the barbarians). For 400 years, all traffic between kingdoms ceased; laws, religions, arts and sciences seemed threatened by a...Continue Reading

You've got them all in your kitchen cupboard: pepper, curry, saffron, papryka, turmeric, cinnamon... But according to the French fraud control authority, there is a lot of fraud - up to 81% for saffron! Do you really know what's on your plate? For RMC, Marie Dupin unveils a fraud investigation into spices and spice blends. Spice consumption has exploded in less than 10 years: +35%. But the investigation by the French Direction...Continue Reading

It's decided, the barometer looks set to stay on a high, so barbecues are out. Olive wood, beech wood or charcoal for the less patient, it doesn't matter what you use as long as you've got embers. So get out your chicken thighs (or sleeves only), remove the skin (unless you like fats that aren't super-essential for our good health 😉 and score the flesh widely, forming crosses. In a bowl,...Continue Reading

In the beginning... 4300 B.C. // 520 B.C. The discovery and trade of spices has seen empires rise and cities fall, and great powers succeed one another, but it has also served to bind together different eras of human history. This trade has been the starting point for relations between nations, and has kept East and West in constant contact. These spice trade routes have remained the main arteries of...Continue Reading

Barigoule is originally a mixture of mushrooms stuffed with bacon, shallots and carrots. There are different ways of writing it, depending on the era and region of Provence (bérigoule, barigoula, barigoulo, brigoule, bourigoule or baligoule). Our recipe here is much simpler. Serves 4: 16 small violet artichokes from Nice 4 nice cebettes niçoise (alternatively fresh spring onions) 4 nice slices of bacon...Continue Reading