Showing posts with label Brenne. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Brenne. Show all posts

Carpe – Carp. Carp on French Menus. Smoked Carp, Fried Carp, Carp Sausages and More.

from
Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman

behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com

 


   
 
Carp - Carpe
Photograph courtesy of Thomas Kohler
www.flickr.com/photos/mecklenburg/4841354483/

Carpe, Carpe Commune  -  Carp, Common Carp.

Near to rivers and streams, nearly every restaurant in France will have carp on the menu. Carp is popular and inexpensive, but not always on the menu in big city fish restaurants where the customers have been trained to expect more expensive fish on their menus.

Not only the French diners love carp, but carp are also among the most popular fish for French anglers who are happy when they catch a 12-kilo (26 L.B.) carp even though they know that rarer 20 kilos (44 lb) and 25 kilos (55 lb) specimens are out there.


17 kilo (38 lb) carp ready to be returned to the lake.
Photograph courtesy of Tim Creque
www.flickr.com/photos/timjc513/3814857918/

The carp on restaurant menus are usually 3-4 kilos (6 - 9 lb) fish that come to the table from fish farms. Fish farms with carp are found all over France. The most well-known is in the Alsace in the Grand Est, in the Dombes in the region of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, and those grown in the many lakes of the Limousin area of Nouvelle Aquitaine.


Carp
Photograph courtesy of Biodiversity Heritage Library

Carpe on French menus:

Friture de Filets de Carpe, Sans Peau et Sans Arêtes aux 4 Sauces, Pommes FritesSalade – Fried filets of carp with the skin and bones removed, served with four sauces, French fries and a salad. The southern part of the Alsace in the region of the Grand Est and is famous for its traditional carp dishes, and fried carp will be on many menus. This menu listing includes French fries; however usually, you will usually have to order the French fries separately. N.B. Carp is a bony fish, and you are well-advised to order it fileted.

The menu listing above is clearly Alsatian and fried carp is the culinary specialty of Sundgau, a small southern region of the Alsace. This particular region has some 40 restaurants that specialize in traditional carp dishes. The tourist information office offers a map with a carp restaurant route. You may also join the Alsace Wine route des vins that runs close by, and in the restaurants, combine the wine with the fish.

The Tourist Information of Office of Sundgau has an English-language website. 

https://www.sundgau-sud-alsace.fr/en/

Salade de Carpe Fumée Maison – A salad served with home-made smoked carp. Smoked carp is popular and is available in supermarkets all over France.

Filet de Carpe Sauce à l'Oseille - A filet of carp served with a sorrel sauce. Sorrel has a light lemony flavor, making it a popular herb to use in fish dishes.


A baked carp filet with a herb crust
served on glazed beetroot with cabbage and a chive foam.
Photograph courtesy of Golf Resort Achental Team
www.flickr.com/photos/chiemseehotel/15545623117/
 

Boudin de Carpe aux Ėcrevisses et Crème au Lard Fumé – Carp sausages, made with minced carp, served with a creamy shrimp sauce and smoked bacon.

 


Freshly smoked carp ready for the lunch-time customers.
Photograph courtesy of Torrenegra
www.flickr.com/photos/alextorrenegra/7788492038/

Filet de Carpe “des Dombes “ Vapeur, Sauce Crustacés  – A steamed filet of carp from the Dombes served with a shellfish sauce.

The Dombes, which combine fish farming as well as agriculture, also has a bird sanctuary. There is a French-language website, and using Bing, or Google translate apps make the website easily understood.

http://ladombes.free.fr/

Salade de Carpe FumeLentilles du Berry, Fromage Frais de ChèvreBasilic - salad of smoked carp served with the famous green lentils from Berry along with fresh goat’s cheese flavored with basil. This dish is from the old province of Berry, now the departments of Cher and Indre, in the region of the Centre-Val de Loire.

In Berry, the chefs take full advantage of the freshwater fish from the National Park of Brenne. The park has over 1,000 freshwater ponds and freeing-running streams, lakes, and freshwater fish farms. Fresh carp, pikefreshwater eelszander (pike-perch), freshwater perch, and frogs (for frog’s legs) come from here.

The Parc Naturel Régional de la Brenne has a France-Voyage introduction to the park in English:

https://www.france-voyage.com/tourism/brenne-regional-nature-park-1566.htm

The official website is only in French; however, the Google or Microsoft translation apps the site is easily understood:

www.parc-naturel-brenne.fr/fr/


Fried carp, mango and broccolini.
Photograph courtesy of Marco Verch
www.flickr.com/photos/30478819@N08/50650389408/

Goujonnettes de Carpe Frites à l’Huile de Pépins de Raisin, sur Lit de Verdure – Tiny carp and small pieces of carp fried in oil made from grape pits/pips served on a bed of vegetables. Goujonnettes can be any small fish, and in France, any small sea fish, or freshwater fish, when used for a fish soup, or served as part of a petite friture, a fry up of small fish, maybe called a goujon. Here, at least, you know they are serving small carp.

 


Fried Carp
Photograph courtesy of Chris RubberDragon
www.flickr.com/photos/rubberdragon/6568839579/

Carpe à la Juive  - Carp in the Jewish Manner. This dish is carp filets lightly fried with onions and herbs and served in the restaurants of the Alsace as a cold entrée. The dish was created by Alsatian Jews for the Sabbath when no cooking was permitted. Though the large Jewish population of the Alsace ended with WWII, this recipe is still enjoyed and will be on many Alsatian restaurant menus. Carp is also, traditionally, the main component of the Jewish dish called Gefilte Fish.

 


Carpe à la Juive
Photograph courtesy of Tout le Vins

Taramasalata – Taramasalata is one of the most well-known dishes in traditional Greek mezes and a popular entrée (the French first course) in many French seafood restaurants. Taramasalata should be a light beige to a light creamy pink mixture of salted and cured carp roe, olive oilgarliconions, lemon juice, and breadcrumbs. (Initially, gray mullet roe was used, but that was changed to carp roe when gray mullet roe became too expensive). When you see bright pink versions of Taramasalata, then you know that food coloring has been added to the roe of a fish that is almost certainly neither a gray mullet roe nor carp roe.

In a Greek restaurant, in France, I learned that formerly Taramasalata was only served during the Christian holiday of Lent when meat was not eaten. Traditions, however, do change, and tourists to Greece and diners in Greek restaurants in France look for Taramasalata. Now Taramasalata is available all year round inside and outside Greece.

Farming Carp

Fish farming, including carp, began in China in 2,500 BCE, and Egypt farmed tilapia from 1,500 BCE. Nevertheless, the 5th century BCE was probably when the Romans started commercially farming fish though wealthy Romans had their own seawater and freshwater fish ponds long before. When the Romans occupied France in 121 BCE, along with the trees, fruits, vines for grapes, public baths, and aqueducts, they brought fish farms. Following the Frankish victory in the 5th century CE, a large part of France came under the rule of the Merovingians, the first kings of France. However, there is no extant reference to fish farming under the Merovingian’s.


A carp jumping for its dinner
Photograph courtesy of Philippe Garcelon

For France and elsewhere, the first modern commercially productive fish farms only became important from the mid-twentieth century. The carp that the Romans brought to France are the ancestors of the carp now in French rivers and streams. These wild carp are now considered a pest in many rivers as they damage the ecosystem for other fish.

Koi (or Japanese) carp

Koi (or Japanese) carp are the extremely expensive ornamental carp so highly valued in Japan and China. These ornamental carp are the original species behind the common carp on the menu listings above. The Koi carp were developed from the Amur or Amour carp that originated in the Amour river system in Asia. For over 2,000 years, they have been bred for their unique colors and markings. 

 


Koi Carp
Colored varieties of the Amur carp.
Photograph courtesy of Frédéric BISSON
www.flickr.com/photos/zigazou76/51412907569/

Common carp are members of a large family with other family members on the menu in other parts of Europe and Asia. One member of the carp family is on offer in all pet shops; that is the goldfish, the smallest member of the carp family.


The smallest member of the carp family.
Photograph courtesy of Dean McCoy.
www.flickr.com/photos/deanmccoyphotos/5493432536/

Common carp - Carpe in the languages of France’s neighbors:

(Catalan -  carpa), (Dutch – karr). (German – karpfe, karpen, weissfische, wildkarpfen).  (Italian- carpa), (Spanish - carpa), (Latin -  cyprinus carpio carpio).

Amur or Amour Carp - Latin - cyprinus rubrofuscus.

Crucian carp - Carassin Commun in the languages of France’s neighbors:

(Dutch - kroeskarper), (German - karausche), (Italian - carassio), (Spanish - carpin), (Latin - carassius carassius).

--------------------------------

Searching for the meaning of words, names or phrases

on

a French menu? 

Just add the word, words, or phrase that you are searching for to the words "Behind the French Menu" (best when including the inverted commas), and search with Google.  Behind the French Menu’s links, include hundreds of words, names, and phrases that are seen on French menus. There are over 450 articles that include over 4,000 French dishes with English translations and explanations.

---------- 

Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman

 

behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com

 

Copyright 2010, 2016, 2021
 
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Berry, One of France’s historic Provinces, Enjoy its excellent Berrichonne Cuisine. Savor its wines. Taste its outstanding cheeses and much more.

from
Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman

behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com

 

   
Château de Valençay
In the department of Indre (Berry).
www.flickr.com/photos/sybarite48/8313808905/
  
Berry
  
Berry is a historic French province in the Loire Valley that, during the French revolution, was divided into the two departments. They are Cher and Indre in the administrative region of Centre-Val de Loire. Despite more than two hundred years of administrative division, Berry remains united in its cuisine. 

How to get there.

Berry's old provincial capital was the city of Bourges, now the prefecture, the department capital of Cher. Châteauroux is the largest city in the department of Indre ad its prefecture. From Paris, the departments are two-and-a-half-hours by car, and less than two hours by direct TGV train.
   
Berrichonne's traditional dress.

Berrichonne the people and Berrichonne the Cuisine
  
Berrichonnes is the name given to the people who live in the area and Berrichon was the language they spoke. That language was a precursor of modern French. Berrichonne is the name of the excellent cuisine that was and is still is being created in the area. 
  
The cuisine.
  
Berry’s cuisine has well-established culinary credentials, but like much of the best French cuisine does not cling to a single style or type of recipe. Local dishes will often be assigned suffixes that will show their origin. Your menu may offer dishes… du Berry or…. à la Berrichonne.  Outside of the area, Berry’s name remains famous throughout France for its vegetables, freshwater fish, cheeses, snails, and wines. When traveling in the area, local restaurants will always include at least one dish with their famous green lentil, the Lentille Verte du Berry, IGP, Label Rouge and their cheeses will include one their five famouse AOP goat’s cheeses.

Your menu may offer you:

Coq au Vin à la Berrichonne – Coq au Vin made with one of the red wines of Berrichone.  
  
Coq au Vin.
www.flickr.com/photos/nathan_y/5180111161/
 
Crème de Lentille Verte du Berry  - A cream of lentil soup made with the green lentils of Berry. These yellow-green lentils from Berry have a mild chestnut flavor, and they are France’s only label rouge, red label lentil. These lentils were the first dried vegetable to be awarded the Label Rouge for their consistent quality.
   
Cuisses de Grenouilles Flambées à la Crème d'Ail Persillée – Frogs’ legs in a cream of garlic sauce flavored with parsley and flambéed before serving.
   
Fricassée de Lumas à la Berrichonne – The local Petit Gris snail fried in butter and flavored with garlic, parsley, sea salt, and pepper, often made with an added local white wine.
  
RIs et Rognon à la Berrichonne, En Croûte –  Sweetbreads and kidneys, cooked in a pastry covering in the manner of Berrichonne.
  
Salade de Lentilles Vertes du Berry au Chaud  - A salad made with the green lentils of Berry and warm goats' cheese. Your cheese plate or a restaurant’s cheese trolley will include at least two of Berrichonne’s five famous goats’ cheeses. Berry has quite a number of other excellent cheeses, and you may enjoy them locally; unfortunately, most do not have the production required to receive a national following. For more about the famous five, see lower down this post.
    
Green lentil salad with a walnut dressing.
www.flickr.com/photos/stone-soup/357601017/

Salade Berrichonne – A salad in the manner of Berry. The traditional version is a warm goat’s cheese served with toast, on top of a poached egg, bacon, and tomatoes. The salad is flavored with nuts, cider vinegar, walnut oil, and a small amount of mustard. Like all salads linked by name to a specific area, there are small changes in the recipe from chef to chef, and Berry chefs will also make one or two tweaks to the original recipe. Ask how your Salade Berrichonne is prepared; it should be close to the traditional recipe.
  
Tarte Berriaude - An apple tart flavored with a cinnamon cream sauce. Occasionally this dish may be served flambéed with Calvados, France’s famous and unique apple brandy.

The fish, frogs, and snails of Berry

Local chefs take full advantage of the freshwater fish from the National Park of Brenne. The park has over 1,000 freshwater ponds as well as freeing-running streams and freshwater fish-farms. From here comes fresh carppikeeels, pike-perchfreshwater perch, and frogs, here uniquely called guernouilles; in the rest of France, frogs are grenouilles. Local menus will also feature their lumas snails, the Lumas de Cluis, the local name for their homegrown petit gris snails. Most of these snails are raised in and around the small town of Cluis in the department of Indre. Cluis has a number of snail fairs every year, but the big one is the Fête Du Luma held on 1st May.     

Sandre – Zander or Pike-Perch.
www.flickr.com/photos/marsupilami92/46524550024/
   
The wines of Berry
    
Berrichonne is part of the Loire Valley, so even the house wines, in small restaurants, will usually be the excellent IGP Val de Loire wines. If you do want an AOP local wine ask for the wine list and look for a white, rosé or light red Sancerre AOP;  a white, rosé or red Menetou Salon AOP; a white Quincy AOP; a rosé or red Châteaumeillant AOP or their white, rosé, and red Reuilly AOP wines. For those who want a sparkling wine, the nearby Crémants de Loire are excellent whites and rosés sparkling wines. 
   
www.flickr.com/photos/e_calamar/7073195509/
    
The five most famous cheeses of Berry.
  
Berry has many wonderful goats’ and cows’ cheeses though their internationally famous five AOP cheeses are all goats’ cheeses. 

Pouligny Saint Pierre AOP;  
Selles sur Cher AOP,
Valençay AOP.

   
The Sainte-Maure-de-Touraine cheese.
    
Listening to French in Berry
  
You may have learned excellent French in school or college; however, among themselves, the locals do allow old Berrichon words to slip in, and that, along with local usage, may interfere with any eavesdropping!
   
Visiting Bourges the old capital of Berry
   
Bourges, the ancient capital of Berry, is now the prefecture, the departmental capital of  Cher. Bourges has a fantastic history, a unique Gothic 13th-century cathedral, and is set on the River Yevre. Of particular interest is the Marais Berruyers, the marshes of Berry; there is no longer any marshland there though the name remains. The marshes are an amazing agricultural area in the center of the city, a 10-15 minute walk from the cathedral. Originally, this was a market gardening center; now, it has over 700 private plots with some that include amateur fish farms. You may visit and walk among most of the plots. Bourges is 250 km (153 miles) from Paris. With a direct TGV train, traveling time is 1 hour and 45 minutes, and by car two and a half hours.
   
The cathedral of Bourges. (Cher).
www.flickr.com/photos/sybarite48/5026494266/

Visiting Châteauroux the largest city in Indre
and the Brenne national park.
  
Châteauroux was the largest city in Berry and now is the prefecture, departmental capital of Indre. The town is set on the River Indre and the edge of the Brenne national park. If you just wish to enjoy the country travel slowly around the National Park of Brenne with its ponds, fields, forests, and villages along with many small, but good, local restaurants. The park’s English language website is http://www.parc-naturel-brenne.fr/en/.  
    
A Squacco Heron (ardeola ralloides).
In the Brenne National Park.
www.flickr.com/photos/bensphotograph/25816609498/

The Circus Museum
and the annual Green Lentil fete in Vatan (Indre).

If you are traveling with children, the small town of Vatan has a unique circus museum. Vatan is just 30 km, or twenty-five minutes by car, from Châteauroux. However, when visiting the museum, do check its opening times as they used to close daily for two hours for lunch! The circus museum’s French-language website is www.musee-du-cirque.com/Vatan; it is easily understood using Google or Microsoft translation apps.

On the second weekend in September, Vatan hosts the annual Fete de la Lentille Verte du Berry à Vatan, the Festival of the Green Lentil of Berry in Vatan. Their French language website is www.lentilleduberry.com/FR/esprit-terroir.html. This green lentil was the first dried vegetable to be awarded the Label Rouge, the Red Label.
        
The snail fete, the Fete de Lumas, in the town of Cluis (Indre).
      
Cluis has several snail fetes every year, but the largest begins on the first of May. The town also has a farmers’ market on the first and third Sunday mornings of every month. The Berry Province French language website    https://www.berryprovince.com/agenda/fete-du-luma-cluis/ give more information; it is easily understood with the Google or Microsoft translate apps. You can write ahead for dates and information on all their snail fairs to info@cluis.fr.   They promise to reply in English.
  
Château Valençay and its gardens

The beautiful Château Valençay was once the home of that consummate politician Talleyrand. Talleyrand: Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord, Prince Benevento (1754- 1838).
    
Talleyrand was a gourmet and France’s first internationally famous politician, as well as the first politician to use the dinner table for political maneuvering. As a Minister, he first served King Louis XVI but later supported the French revolution and took part in writing the Declaration of the Rights of Man. As a true Everyman’s’ politician, he later served Napoleon I as Foreign Minister, and then when the monarchy returned served King Louis XVIII and King Louis-Philippe, Philippe Égalité.

One of Talleyrand’s most famous quotes was:

L’Angleterre a deux sauces et trois cents religions; la France au contraire, a deux religions, mais plus de trois cents sauces.

The English have two sauces and three hundred religions, while on the other hand, France has two religions and more than three hundred sauces.
  
The nearby town of Valençay gave its name to the Chateau. It is the only town in France to have an AOP for both its cheese and wine, as well as a chateau named after it. The Valençay AOP wines are whites and reds and its cheese is one of France’s most respected goats’ cheeses.

The main fountain in the grounds of the Chateau de Valencay.
www.flickr.com/photos/zigazou76/18620718256/

Champagne Berrichonne
  
Look at a map of Berry, and you will see one large part is called Champagne Berrichonne, and that causes some confusion. Champagne Berrichonne has no Champagne; the word champagne historically refers to a type of soil, and the name was adopted further north for the famous sparkling wine. Champagne Berrichonne is not a center for bubbling wine or any wine for that matter though it does have a micro-brewery. Champagne Berrichonne is a vast plain, and a center for the cultivation of Berry’s famous green lentils, and also their cattle farming. The area is covered with hundreds of small lakes and is also home to the Pouligny Saint-Pierre AOC goats’ cheese.

--------------------------------

Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman

 

behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com

 

Copyright 2010, 2013, 2014, 2019
 
--------------------------------

Searching for the meaning of words, names or phrases
on
French menus?
 
Just add the word, words, or phrase that you are searching for to the words "Behind the French Menu" (best when including the inverted commas), and search with Google, Bing, or another browser.  Behind the French Menu’s links, include hundreds of words, names, and phrases that are seen on French menus. There are over 450 articles that include over 4,000 French dishes with English translations and explanations.

Connected Posts:

 
 



 
 
 


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


 
 
 
 



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