Tourte de blettes

Tourte de blettes (torta de blea in Niçois) is a culinary specialty from Nice made with Swiss chard, which can be served as a main course or as a sweet dessert.

It is made with an olive-oil-based crust, Swiss chard, raisins, pine nuts, Parmesan or Gruyère cheese, sugar, and apples. Other leafy vegetables can be used instead of chard, including leeks, cabbage, spinach, and radish greens.

The pie is a traditional dessert emblematic of the cuisine of Nice, whose origins date back to the Middle Ages. This pastry is part of a long tradition of "herb pies", which included leafy vegetables such as spinach. The first written recipe for the chard pie dates back to the 15th century.

Over the centuries, recipes have evolved. For example, in the 18th century, there was a pie made with spinach, sugar, almonds and candied lemon peel.

Swiss chard pie is one of the thirteen desserts of Christmas in the Niçoise version of this Provençal tradition. It is traditionally eaten on Christmas Eve.

Despite the presence of chard (a vegetable very popular in Niçoise cuisine, used in particular to make ravioli), this is a pastry, eaten cold or warm. Finely chopped chard leaves are mixed with ingredients that vary depending on the recipe but always include pine nuts and raisins. The pie is most often served covered in powdered sugar.

There is also a savory version made with chard, rice, pork and hard cheese.

Sweet or savory, the pie calls for a regional white wine such as a Côtes-de-Provence, a Coteaux-d'Aix-en-Provence, a Coteaux-Varois-en-Provence, a Pierrevert, or a Bellet.