What is the French stew with eggplant?

What actually is a ratatouille? A French – from Provence to be precise – vegetable stew consisting of: eggplant, peppers, tomatoes, zucchini, onions and fresh herbs such as rosemary & thyme. The word is derived from the Occitan term “ratatolha” and the French words “rata” for chunky stew and “touiller” for “toss or stir up”. As so often it tastes best the next day. And then I just seared some pork steaks to go with it. Simply fantastic or maybe you would like a slice of homemade bread with it? What could be better than a delicious, homemade ratatouille with fresh vegetables from the garden? Such a flavourful dish! But when I think of eggplants, there are three ways of preparing it which spontaneously come to my mind. Just salt and grill, fill with some minced meat or as a late summer ratatouille. And of course it was the ratatouille

Ratatouille is a French Provençal dish of stewed vegetables that was popularised in Nice and is sometimes referred to as ratatouille niçoise. Recipes and cooking times differ widely, but common ingredients include tomato, garlic, onion, courgette, aubergine, bell pepper, and some combination of leafy green herbs common to the region, such as marjoram, fennel, and basil, or dried bay leaves, thyme, or mixed herbes de Provence. Modern ratatouille uses tomatoes as a foundation for sautéed garlic, onion, courgette, aubergine, bell pepper, marjoram, fennel and basil. The Larousse Gastronomique says, "according to the purists, the different vegetables should be cooked separately, then combined and cooked slowly together until they attain a smooth, creamy consistency." Ratatouille niçoise, served with buckwheat, is a version of the dish that includes eggplant. The word ratatouille derives from the Occitan ratatolha and is related to the French ratouiller and tatouiller, expressive forms of the verb touiller, meaning "to stir up".