Pan Bagnat

The pan bagnat, often mistakenly called “pain bagnat” is a tuna sandwich, vegetables and olive oil composed in a bun made especially for this purpose.

Pan Bagnat

In Occitan, pan bangnat means “soaked bread”, implied with olive oil. The terminology is directly related to the Italian bagnato pane, soaked bread.

It is initially a snack to feed fishermen and other workers in the morning and made from simple cheap ingredients. Thus, the tuna, which is now part of the ingredients everywhere, replaced the anchovies. Indeed, the tuna was in the nineteenth and early twentieth century an expensive fish compared to anchovy, popular fish. The tuna variant is the “rich” variant of pan bagnat.

Its composition makes a complete meal, very affordable and quick to prepare. The pan bagnat is easily transportable, which makes him perfectly fulfil its function.

Its composition is the same as the salad nicoise, that is to say, only vegetables, tuna or anchovies and sliced hard-boiled egg.The whole is copiously sprinkled with olive oil and a little vinegar to well “dip” bread, which makes it easier to chew. The commonly used ingredients are: tomatoes, hard boiled eggs, tuna (anchovies are preferred), fava beans (young and tender beans), green peppers, fresh onions (scallions), basil, black olives, salt and pepper. Bread (usually round bread) is open in two, completely wet with vinegar and lots of olive oil and topped with these ingredients. It can also be previously rubbed with garlic.

In Nice, it is found in almost all bakeries, and of course in all the snacks. There is now a “seal of authenticity of Pan” displayed by select sellers of Nice. This is a humorous response to the proliferation of “pan bagnats for tourists”, containing fanciful ingredients. That is to say that the recipe for pan bagnat, with its historic working-man origin, is now part of Nice popular culture heritage.

• Round bread
• Lettuce
• Tomatoes
• Green peppers
• Spring onions or red onions
• Broadbeans (optional)
• Black olives, sliced or halved without stone
• Canned tuna or anchovies
• Oilve oil
• Basil leaves
• Salt

Other optional ingredients: boiled eggs, artichoke hearts, sliced radish, vinegar.

Fill the bread with the ingredients sliced, pour some olive oil, salt, eat fresh and crispy