A tian is an earthenware vessel of

Provence Provence is a geographical region and historical province of southeastern France, which stretches from the left bank of the lower Rhône to the west to the France–Italy border, Italian border to the east; it is bordered by the Mediterrane ...

used both for cooking and serving. It is also the name of the dish prepared in it and baked in an oven. Tian comes from the ancient Provençal word designating a terracotta cooking dish, and is also used to refer to food prepared in it. The word comes from the ancient Greek "teganon" (frying pan). The classic vessel is a truncated cone, flattened at the base and flaring outward to a wide rim. It is traditionally glazed on the inside, and unglazed on the outside. It is shallower than the ''

cassole A cassole () is a conical earthenware container, glazed inside. The bowl is made from red clay and is noted for its capacity to retain heat. Cassole originated from the French form of the Occitan word ''cassolo''. The earthenware was first made ...

'', the earthenware vessel characteristic of the

Camargue The Camargue (, also , , ; ) is a coastal region in southern France located south of the city of Arles, between the Mediterranean Sea and the two arms of the Rhône river delta. The eastern arm is called the Grand Rhône; the western is the ''P ...

and

Languedoc The Province of Languedoc (, , ; ) is a former province of France. Most of its territory is now contained in the modern-day region of Occitanie in Southern France. Its capital city was Toulouse. It had an area of approximately . History ...

. The shape has become less definitive, though the

earthenware Earthenware is glazed or unglazed Vitrification#Ceramics, nonvitreous pottery that has normally been fired below . Basic earthenware, often called terracotta, absorbs liquids such as water. However, earthenware can be made impervious to liquids ...

body remains key.

Stew dish

The dish called tian has also changed over time. An 18th century dictionary describes it as "a lean stew". Modern tian is described as having no added liquid, the ingredients being cooked until their naturally inherent liquid or moisture has evaporated. In Provence, the dish may be made with vegetables alone, but also with lamb, fish, or egg added to vegetables. Goat cheese is a common ingredient. Tian can be described as a

gratin Gratin () is a culinary technique in which a dish (food), dish is topped with a Browning (food process), browned crust, often using breadcrumbs, grated cheese, egg or cheese.Courtine, Robert J. (ed.) (2003) ''The Concise Larousse Gastronomique' ...

in the Provençal style. Typical ingredients in tian are more associated with Provence than with other regions of France.

References

{{reflist Cooking vessels Serving vessels Cuisine of Provence French stews

Stew dish

See also

References