Carol,

Yep the food pics are all about you Carol! The food in Nice is an interesting topic because of the history of the area.

The historical ties between France and Italy along the Riviera go way back. Although technically Nice and the surrounding area was never “part of” Italy, they were part of the House of Savoy. The house of Savoy was tied to Sardinia and Piemonte, which became part of modern Italy. That all transpired in the early 1860s, with Nice declaring that they were part of France in 1860.

I say all this because the food is much closer to Italian than French (IMHO). Some might say the food is confused between the two gastronomic pillars.

Niçoise food is definitely inspired by the sea, and the use of olive oil is very prevalent in many of the dishes. I must admit, I was surprised on how many pasta dishes were most of the menus. The ones I had were all very good, but were they good as the frutti di mare we enjoyed in Liguria a few years back…? Not so sure.

Here is a good example of the crossover: Pissaladière, which you can find on almost any menu, is an onion tart that looks like a pizza and is usually topped with anchovies and olives.



Although the dish is not visually appealing it has a whole lot going on. Even the most avid diners that dislike anchovies find themselves enjoying this combination. Lots going on!