A tian is a Provençal dish made by layering sliced vegetables in a shallow baking dish and baking them to tenderness. Unlike a gratin, a tian does not have a browned top or creamy ingredients like béchamel sauce.
A French tian is a popular way to eat roasted vegetables. This traditional layered dish from Provence makes a lovely appearance on any table.
Vegetable Tian 133 Reviews Level: Easy Total: 1 hr 45 min Prep: 30 min Cook: 1 hr 15 min Yield: 4 to 6 servings Nutrition Info Save Recipe
Vegetable Tian 1 Reviews Total Time: Prep: 1 hour Bake: 1-1/4 hours + standing By Taste Of Home Editorial Team Recipe by Francine Lizotte, Langley, British Columbia Tested by Taste of Home Test Kitchen Taste of Home's Editorial Process Updated on Oct. 28, 2023
Tian is a classic Provençal dish of layered vegetables. Like a cassoulet or gratin, tian is named for the vessel it's traditionally baked in: a shallow, round, flat-bottomed earthenware dish.
What is a “Tian”, exactly? The word “Tian” comes from the Greek “ têganon” meaning “a dish” or “a frying pan”. Originally, a “Tian” described glazed earthenware vessels from Provence, used for both cooking and serving, going from the oven directly to the table.
The name Tian refers to the dish that it is cooked in (which is an earthenware vessel of Provence, according to Wikipedia), but nowadays you hear the word being used for lots of Mediterranean dishes.
I always think of a tian as having a mélange of tomatoes, onions, zucchini and sometimes eggplant (like ratatouille), but I think that’s because I’ve taken my notion of a tian from Roger Vergé, the late Provençal chef who popularized the slow- roasted dish.