from
Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman
behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com
Kirsch from the Fougerolles.
Photograph
courtesy Grandes Distilleries Peureux
Kirsch or Kirschwasser
Kirsch is a cherry eau-de-vie (brandy), and from the north to the south of France will be part of many sauces, desserts, cakes, or cheese fondues. On its own, as an aperitif, Kirsch will be served very cold or offered as a digestive, at room temperature
A Kirsch label from the Alsace
Photograph courtesy of Patricia M.
www.flickr.com/photos/taffeta/4617971457/
The history of Kirsch
Kirsch is a traditional, colorless, cherry brandy with 40% to 45% alcohol, though a few manufacturers allow cherry juice to color their product. The creation of Kirsch is claimed by both France and Germany. However, the honor for the earliest version of Kirsch goes, as you may have guessed, to the usual suspects, the Romans. When the Romans colonized France around 100 BCE, they brought cherry trees to continue enjoying wines flavored with cherry juice. (The Romans had colonized Spain about 100 years before France and knew from their early settlers that to enjoy all the comforts of home they needed to import vines, tree seedlings, as well as many of the other fruits and vegetables).
The Romans brought plum trees, apricot trees, almond trees, and many others, along with cherry trees. The Romans left nothing to chance, and they also brought the art of snail farming and fattening geese for foie gras, fattened goose liver.
N.B. Distilling fruit juice and creating a high alcohol level liqueur was only invented in the 12th century, long after the Romans had disappeared from France. All the Europeans quickly adopted the science of distillation, and within 100 to 300 years, many fruit liquors, including Kirsch were born.
Morello cherries, the source of
the original Kirsch.
Photograph courtesy of Rod Waddington
www.flickr.com/photos/rod_waddington/11530343543/
What does Kirsch taste and smell like?
Most of the taste comes from the fruit, but some crushed cherry pits (stones) are included in the recipe. Kirsch retains a smooth cherry aftertaste and cherry bouquet with a slightly bitter almond taste from the fruits and the pits. Kirsch is distilled twice, and that produces a smooth brandy.
The origin of the word brandy
When the Dutch turned wines into liquor, the result was called “brandewijn,” which meant burnt wine. Brandewijn was the word that would become brandy. So Kirsch is a fruit eau-de-vie or fruit brandy. For the story behind the Dutch and Cognac, click here.
Kirsch is produced in many French regions.
There are many respected French producers of Kirsch, and so French Kirsch probably needs a small book. However, that is too much for this post, especially since I have not tasted enough of the most well-known products and their variations to adequately compare.
Many of the most well-known French distilleries are in the commune of Fougerolles-Saint-Valbert in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region or in the Alsace in the Grand Est.
Kirsch from the Alsace
Photograph courtesy of Maison Willm
The cherries that flavored their wine were called guignes by the Romans. Still today, you will see that many distilleries around Fougerolles and elsewhere produce both Kirsch brandy and the Guignolet (Guignolet-Kirsch) liqueur.
Guignolet or Guignolet-Kirsch
A sweet, red, French, cherry liqueur with 16-18% alcohol.
(Cherry Heering is a Danish, sweet, 24% alcohol liqueur).
Photograph
courtesy of Drinks and Co
Kirsch on French menus:
Clafoutis aux Cerises et au Kirsch – A cherry clafoutis flavored with Kirsch. The original clafoutis were made with cherries; here you have Kirsch added to the clafoutis recipe.
A heart-shaped cherry clafoutis.
Photograph courtesy of Noelle Gillies
www.flickr.com/photos/noellegillies/19584503876/
Confiture de Bleuets au Kirsch – A bilberry jam flavored with Kirsch.
Fondue au Fromage: Emmental, Comté, Beaufort, Champignons Forestiers, Lardons Fumés, Vin Blanc, Kirsch – A fondue made with three of France’s most famous cheeses, French Emmental, Comte, and Beaufort; made with added wild mushrooms, bits of smoked bacon, white wine and Kirsch. The bacon pieces may be flavoring the fondue, but the mushrooms will be for dipping alongside the bread.
Dipping the bread in a cheese
fondue.
Photograph
courtesy of Pedro Cerqueira
www.flickr.com/photos/pcerqueira/5402321948/
How a cheese fondue is made and
served.
Cheese fondues have the cheese and wine melted together. Other additions may include Kirsch liquor, lemon juice, and a clove or two of garlic. This is a dish where French bread comes into its own. Small pieces of bread are dipped into the mixture at the end of special long forks and then eaten. Cheese fondues are made with a variety of cheeses, primarily regional preferences from the Emmental, Gruyère and Comté families. As with meat fondues, beware of hot fondue forks; move the cheese from the fork you dipped with to your plate and then transferred it to another fork to eat. Burnt tongues are a common work accident when enjoying fondues! The special bowl in which the cheese is melted is called a caquelon.
Magret de Canard, Sauce aux Cerises et au Kirsch – Duck breast prepared with a cherry and Kirsch sauce.
Sliced duck breast in a cherry-based
sauce.
Photograph courtesy of Pierre L
www.flickr.com/photos/titounet/18201612889/
Mousse Glacée aux Cerises Macérées au Kirsch d'Alsace – An iced mousse, flavored with cherries macerated in Kirsch produced in the Alsace in the Grand Est. N.B. Macerated fruits are made by steeping them in sweetened alcoholic liquor; when the fruit has absorbed enough alcohol, it may be served or bottled for future use.
Cherries macerated in Kirsch on
sale.
Photograph courtesy of Mark
www.flickr.com/photos/coffeegeek/3129354809
Tarte Flambée aux Griottes et au Kirsch –Tarte flambe, also called Flammekueche, is a famous dish from the Alsace, here made with griottes and Kirsch. Griottes are the slightly sour Morello cherries. The original Kirsch was made with Morello cherries.
Tartelette aux Châtaignes et Chocolat avec Mousse au Kirsch – A small tart made with chestnuts and a chocolate mousse flavored with Kirsch.
Cherry blossom
From the Luberon
in France
Photograph courtesy of Fulvio
Spada
www.flickr.com/photos/lfphotos/458899407/
Tartare de St-Jacques en Rosace de Melon et sa Vinaigrette au Guignolet – A tartar of the meat from the King Scallop served with melon cut into petals and served with a fan or floral shape. The tartar is flavored with a vinaigrette sauce made with the sweet Gignolet cherry liqueur.
The cherry museum in Fougerolles
If you are visiting the town of Fougerolles, make sure you leave enough time to visit their Écomusée du Pays de la Cerise, their museum of cherries. The museum takes you through the process of growing cherries until their final appearance as brandy inside a bottle. If you do not like Kirsch, the town is also well known for its modern, legalized Absinthe.
For visitors, the town of Fougerolles has an English language websi
http://www.otsi-fougerolles.net/index.php?lang=en
The Fougerolles museum of cherries.
The website is in French but easily underside with the Google
Translate app.
Inside the Écomusée
du Pays de la Cerise,
The Fougerolles’ Fête des Cerises.
Photograph
courtesy of Le Progrès
The Fougerolle cherry fete is held on the first Saturday and Sunday
in July.
(Always check dates with the French Tourist Information Office).
The Fougerolles cherry fete has been held annually for 50 years and is organized by many interested parties from the town. At the fete, you may taste enough different kirsch products to make you aware of the different tastes from different producers. Involved in promoting the Fougerolles’ Kirsch is La Confrérie des Gousteurs de Kirsch de Fougerolles, the brother and sisterhood of the lovers of the taste of the Kirsch from Fougerolles. This brother and sisterhood work all year to promote and taste varieties of their true love; then, they provide kirsch tastings and donuts at the fete—woe to those who do not dip their donuts deeply enough in the local brew.
Some members of the Kirsch brother and sisterhood
In their would-be ancient costumes.
Confrérie
des Gousteurs de Kirsch de Fougerolles
Fougerolles may be famous for its Kirsch, but
the title of the sweet cherry capital of France is claimed by Céret in the South of France, nearly in Spain,
and that is part of a separate post mostly on sweet cherries.
Morello and similar sour cherries in the languages of France’s neighbors:
(Catalan - guinder) (Dutch - zure kers), (German - sauerkirsche or weichsel ), (Italian - amareno), (Spanish - guindo, cerezo de Morello), (Latin - prunus cerasus and its cultivars
Sweet Cherries in the languages of France’s neighbors:
(Catalan – cirerer or guinda,),(Dutch - kers or kriek), (German - kirsch),(Italian – ciliegia), (Spanish – cereza).(Latin - prunus avium and its cultivars).
With thanks to Wikipedia for assistance with the translations above.
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Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman
behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com
Copyright 2010, 2015, 2021
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