ratatouille

noun

ra·​ta·​tou·​ille ˌra-ˌta-ˈtwē 

ˌrä-ˌtä-,

-ˈtü-ē

: a seasoned stew made of eggplant, tomatoes, green peppers, squash, and sometimes meat

Examples of ratatouille in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Eggplant can also be lightly coated in olive oil and herbs, then grilled until tender, or included in recipes like ratatouille and casseroles. —Chelsea Rae Bourgeois, Health, 29 Sep. 2025

For a delightful seasonal meal here, book a table at Five Little Pigs (a reference to one of Christie’s novels) that may include a Scotch egg, a dry-aged steak, or a ratatouille pancake. —Chloe Arrojado, AFAR Media, 26 Sep. 2025

Recommended: The ratatouille egg yolk, comte, gochugaru and crostini. —Brock Keeling, Oc Register, 19 Sep. 2025

Chef Thomas Lesage shows off the best that Provence has to offer, creating colorful and tasty dishes like fresh Mediterranean catch tartare with basil pistou or lamb shoulder with ratatouille. —Rana Good, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French, "dish of chopped food, stew" (18th century), noun derivative crossing ratouiller "to agitate (water), stir, shake" and tatouiller "to shake, beat, handle excessively," both expressive forms of touiller "to stir," going back to Old French tooillier "to agitate, stir up, soil" — more at toil entry 2

First Known Use

circa 1877, in the meaning defined above