from
Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman
Updated June 2019
behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com
Guinea fowl.
Photograph courtesy of David Berkowitz
www.flickr.com/photos/davidberkowitz/5696557977/
Many French menus will include dishes
dedicated to this tasty bird and so if you do not usually see Guinea fowl on a
menu at home that is a good enough reason to try Guinea fowl in France. Guinea
fowl have darker meat than chicken and a slightly stronger taste; more
importantly, is the manner in which French chefs will prepare delicious recipes
created for these birds.
Guinea fowl on French menus:
Cuisse de Pintade aux Girolles, Écrasée de Pomme de Terre - The leg of a Guinea hen prepared with wild chanterelle mushrooms and served with hand mashed potatoes. (Mashed potatoes in French is puree de pommes de terre, écrase means crushed, and so écrasée de pomme de terre is hand-mashed potatoes).
The
Guinea fowl look out.
www.flickr.com/photos/7846004@N05/4312779881/
Filet de Pintade Fermiére, Carottes Confîtes, Endives Braisées et Son Jus de Volaille – A slice of farm-raised Guinea Hen breast served with its cooking juices and accompanied by a carrot confit (a jam) and braised endives.
Les Suprêmes de Pintade à la Crème de Lentilles et Estragon – Breast of guinea fowl served with a cream of lentil and tarragon sauce.
Warm
Guinea fowl salad with croutons.
www.flickr.com/photos/40132124@N00/11935809994/
Suprême de Pintade aux Pleurotes, Gratin Dauphinois - Breast of guinea fowl cooked with oyster mushrooms and served with gratin dauphinois. Gratin dauphinois is sliced baked potatoes baked with olive oil and garlic and layered with cream and milk; some versions include onions. When ready, the dish will be covered with Parmesan or Gruyère cheese and lightly browned under the grill.
The Guinea fowl on your menu are all farmed-raised. Wild Guinea fowl originated in West Africa and were already being raised in Europe in the 14th century. Then guinea fowl were called, in France, the Poulet d’Inde, which with a slight contraction is the name used for turkeys in French today. How two birds received the same name while neither came from India is another story that I have included in a post on turkeys.
A whole guinea fowl will weigh over 1 kilo, and a large guinea fowl may way 1.5 kilos. Your restaurant’s menu listing will be offering breast of guinea fowl or another cut. Grilled or roasted Guinea fowl is leaner and tastier than any supermarket chicken. That is a good reason to ask for it back home.
Pintadeaux - A young Guinea fowl.
Guinea fowl in the languages of France's neighbors:
(Catalan - pintades), (Dutch - parelhoenders), (German - perlhühner), (Italian - galline di faraone, faraone), (Spanish – gallina de Guinea, pintada).
-----------------------------------
Bryan G. Newman
Behind the French
Menu
Copyright 2010, 2013,
2014, 2017, 2019.
For information on
the unpublished book behind this blog write to Bryan Newman
at
behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com
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