To many foreigners, this most typical dish from the South of France has become, along with Quiche Lorraine and snails of Bourgogne, a sort of national French dish. Indeed, zucchini (courgettes), eggplant (aubergines) and tomato, which until the turn of the century were very expensive both in Paris and in the North of France, have now become quite commonplace due to the advent of better transportation and food preservation, and these southern vegetables have now become a part of the traditional French cuisine.
