Last day of class before the holidays, but already a festive atmosphere on this unusual Friday for the students of Terra Amata primary school in the morning, and those of Papon kindergarten in the afternoon. Indeed, as part of Taste Week, Niçoise cuisine made its entrance for our “pitchouns”.
The recess bell has just rung and the first and second-grade students of Terra Amata school are already in the corridor, ready to enter the classroom transformed for the occasion into a culinary laboratory. On the tables are fifty plates containing the ingredients of the sweet Pan Bagnat they will create at the end of the workshop.
First, however, there’s a bit of Niçoise culture with contributions from Denis Zanon, Director of the Nice Tourist Office, who came to speak about the upcoming Nice Carnival, which will celebrate its 130th anniversary, and about Niçoise gastronomy. Gastronomy again, with the “Cuisine Nissarde” label, for which he’s one of the stewards, was explained quite naturally: “Well, it’s like for you kids, when you work well in class, you get good grades. For restaurants, it’s the same thing, those who respect the tradition of Niçoise cuisine can also get a good grade in the form of this label.”
Then it’s game time, with a series of riddles in the form of photographs of a dozen iconic Niçoise dishes under which the students had to place the name of the recipe. Scoring 8 out of 12 for both groups resulted in a tie that lifted everyone’s spirits. While Salade Niçoise, Socca, or Pissaladière were quickly recognized, it was not always simple to identify Stockfish or Zucchini Flower Fritters. Everyone will leave with the official poster of the upcoming Carnival, King of Gastronomy.
It was now time to move on to the preparation of the sweet Pan Bagnat. Positioned in front of their plates, the budding chefs of the day began assembling with precision and in an olympic calm, not without first moistening their brioche with a syrup made of water, sugar, orange blossom water, and star anise. Strawberries replaced tomatoes, kiwi stood in for bell peppers, and crumbled gingerbread for tuna, with the assembly proceeding smoothly. The dish was completed with a sprinkle of chopped mint instead of basil. Some deserved applause for this young brigade followed by a tasting that concluded a morning likely to accompany these first days of holidays, well deserved too!
