Photos by Joann Pai
While the southeastern French coast is known as a mecca for sun seekers, it is also home to a distinct culinary culture. “Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur isn’t solely a fantasyland of wine and lavender and endless vacation,” writes Rebekah Peppler. “It’s a real place, with real people and four seasons.”
Rebekah’s cookbook, Le Sud, is a love letter to the sweet memories that are made around Provençal cuisine. The tantalizing photos shot by Joann Pai across the dreamy landscapes of Cassis, Marseille, Aix, Grasse and more, beautifully convey the convivial emotion that comes with sharing summer meals in this romantic region.
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“Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur cooking is country cooking and city cooking and seaside cooking and mountain cooking and river cooking. And like so many regions where landscapes happily crash into each other in this way, the food is dynamic, it’s exciting, it’s new and it’s old, and maybe needless to say at this point, all things considered — it’s very worth writing a book about.”
For this special Provence issue, we are delighted to give you a taste of Rebekah’s delicious recipes featured in Le Sud, inspired by her frequent travels and sentimental experiences across the south.
The (Chickpea) Picnic Salad
In the July/August magazine, we featured four of Rebekah’s summer-forward recipes that will transport you to the shores of the south of France. In the issue, you can look forward to recipes for Carottes Rosés, The (Chickpea) Picnic Salad, Moules in Aïoli, and Whole Roasted Fish.
With picnic season in full swing, we are delighted to share Rebekah’s recipe for a fresh and simple salad that you can take to the rocky seaside or to a local park. In her book, she explains her inspiration for this picnic-perfect recipe:
“The south of France is home to a great many prime picnic spots, but my favorites lie on the jagged shoreline running from the edge of Marseille to Cassis. Some of les Calanques—craggy, narrow, picturesque coves framed by massive limestone cliffs—are more accessible than others, but all are worth the commitment. Once you choose your spot, find people diving off rocks, sunning on the tiny beaches, swimming in the clear, salty Mediterranean. Everyone picnics in one way or another. My way is packing this chickpea salad tossed with a punchy caper-preserved lemon vinaigrette, a bag of chips, plenty of water, maybe a bottle of Citron Pressé or local rosé. The salad travels well, just like you.”
We hope this salad recipe transports your tastebuds to the south of France!
SEE A PREVIEW OF THE JULY/AUGUST 2025 MAGAZINE
To see all of the recipes featured in the July/August issue, get a copy of the magazine here.