Why Do We Hate Ratatouille?

Ratatouille should be an American staple: It’s easy, tasty, and bursting with fresh veggies, Gourmet’s Laura Shapiro writes. Instead, the French dish is passed over by Americans—but why? Perhaps eggplant is the culprit: “Fat, purple and interminable, eggplant is one of the least-loved vegetables in the land,” Shapiro writes. After all, the average American eats less than a pound of it per year.

Each season, food writers try to make ratatouille more palatable with new ingredients, but the humble mix of vegetables will never achieve the status here that it holds in France, writes Shapiro. Maybe we should bid adieu to eggplant, she suggests: “Olive oil, onions, peppers, tomatoes, zucchini—it’s simple to cook, and there’s absolutely nothing not to like. Unless, of course, you can’t stand zucchini.” (More cuisine stories.)