ratatouille
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of ratatouille
Borrowed into English from French around 1875–80
Explanation
A vegetable stew from the Provençal region of France is called ratatouille. Traditionally, ratatouille is made with tomato, eggplant, zucchini, and peppers, as well as onion, garlic, and herbs. A classic ratatouille contains summer vegetables that are native to Provence, where the dish originated. It's a hearty, healthy, and simple stew that can be the main entree or a side dish. The carefully arranged layers of thinly sliced vegetables featured in the 2007 animated film Ratatouille aren't strictly traditional, but this is a dish with many acceptable variations. The word itself stems from the French touiller, "to stir up."
Vocabulary lists containing ratatouille
World Cuisine - Introductory
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World Cuisine - Middle School and High School
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This Week In Words: December 5–11, 2020
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The short film tells the story of Johanne Sacreblu, a trans baguette heiress, who falls for Agtugo Ratatouille, a trans croissant heir, in a comedic riff on Romeo and Juliet.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 29, 2025
It was also hard to find some locations in animated films like areas of Paris for Ratatouille and Regent's Park for 101 Dalmatians.
From BBC • Jun. 11, 2023
One example actually comes from the Disney film "Ratatouille."
From Salon • Mar. 26, 2023
"A sewer rat is a small, cute, but at the same time clever and crafty creature that also appears in children's stories," Kubicki said, citing the popular animated movie "Ratatouille" as an example.
From Reuters • Sep. 27, 2022
The TikTok Ratatouille musical— aka the Ratatousical— debuted online on New Year’s Day and has already sold more than $1 million in tickets, in quite the feel-good start to 2021.
From The Verge • Jan. 2, 2021
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
