Outrage at chefs’ ‘desecrations’
A CELEBRITY chef has provoked outrage in Nice by adding chicken, ham and mozzarella cheese to a cherished local speciality, the pan bagnat, a bread roll traditionally filled with tuna, olives and egg.
Thierry Marx, a Michelinstarred exponent of molecular gastronomy, was accused of desecrating the city’s proud culinary tradition by offering patrons of his restaurant at Nice airport a choice of ham and mozzarella or honey chicken fillings, in addition to the traditional pan bagnat niçois.
One furious Niçois tweeted: “Where’s the whipped cream? Band of Nazis!”
The protests were led by Franck Viano, who organises cooking competitions and has set up a Facebook group called “Cuisine Niçoise Collective” to defend local specialities against “non-purist influences”.
Viano rejected claims that he is stifling culinary creativity. “We are not ayatollahs,” he told French television.
“Niçoise cuisine should continue developing, but we must not alter recipes that are written down and well known.”
Surprised by the impassioned outcry, Marx, a former marine paratrooper, retreated.
He has now agreed to change the name of his sandwiches so they are not confused with the authentic pan bagnat.
Having countered Marx’s affront to their cuisine, the purists soon took offence at another “perversion” of a Nice speciality, the pissaladière – sometimes considered akin to Italian pizza with a thicker dough, although traditionalists claim they are unrelated.
Hélène Darroze, who has restaurants in London and Paris, and was voted the world’s best female chef in 2015, incurred their wrath by adding cherry tomatoes, rocket, parmesan and herbs to her version of the pissaladière, traditionally topped with anchovies, onion and olives.
“This is a disgrace,” one Niçois posted. “You might as well add ketchup too!”
Viano is lobbying Unesco to recognise the cuisine of Nice as part of France’s cultural heritage after discovering French law would not allow the pan bagnat to be protected under an “appellation d’origine” – a certification for French agricultural produce often used for wines and cheeses. – The Telegraph