The story
Bouillabaisse began as a fishermen's meal in Marseille. When sorting the catch for market, they kept back the bony rockfish that were hard to sell and simmered them with olive oil, garlic, fennel and saffron. Locals like to link it to the Greek sailors who founded the city around 600 BC, but that is legend. The name comes from Provençal words for boiling and then lowering the heat. By the 1800s it had become a restaurant dish, and in 1980 a group of Marseille chefs signed a charter setting out the authentic recipe, served with rouille on toasted bread.
Also known as bouillabaisse marseillaise, Marseille fish stew, bouiabaisso.
On the Meridish menu
Bouillabaisse was the soup course on menu No. 1 on October 1, 2026. Its clue in the game, which hints at the place without naming it:
A fishermen's stew of rockfish, saffron and fennel, served with rouille on toasted bread.
In Meridish, every dish is pinned to the town or city most widely credited with creating it. A guess within 25 km scores all 100 points. How scoring works.
Sources
- marseille-tourisme.com/en/discover-marseille/gastronomy/bouillabaisse
- nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/bouillabaisse-deconstructing-pride-marseille
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bouillabaisse
Food history is often disputed. Think we've pinned it in the wrong place? Tell us at hello@meridish.com, ideally with a source.
