Behind the French Menu: Red label

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Volailles Fermières Label Rouge – France’s Label Rouge Poultry and the Volaille de Bresse AOP, The Tastiest Poultry in France.

from
Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman

behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com

Chapons Label Rouge

Red label capons.

A capon is a castrated rooster/cockerel that in sixteen or so weeks becomes a large, 3-4 kilo, tasty, chicken with buttery and tender meat. Many families choose a capon over a turkey for family celebrations.

When a Frenchman or woman suggests you order chicken or other poultry in France, they are doing it for a good reason. France’s Label Rouge, red label, poultry have a totally different taste. “Forget about it;” these chickens, capons, guinea hen, ducks, and turkeys taste like something! No other country invests so much time in raising tasty free-range poultry. These birds are free-range for 90% of their lives, and you can taste the difference.

France’s diners know all about the tasteless factory-raised chickens, and some 25% of the population have chosen to refuse those birds. The 25% who buy Label Rouge free-range poultry know they are paying 50% or more than the price of the other poultry in the supermarket. Good restaurants only serve Label Rouge poultry. If you are looking for chicken, capons, Guinea fowl, etc., then look for a restaurant with label rouge on the menu.

Label Rouge French chickens and other French poultry hold the World Cup for taste.

The Label Rouge logo.

There are some 30 groups of farmers from different parts of France, who raise Label Rouge poultry. These farmers co-operate to keep their brand and their unique and very tasty birds in the public eye and on the table. As soon as the birds are old enough, they spend the whole day outside the poultry house in forests and pastures as free-range birds, except for two weeks when they are allowed to be caged and fattened before going to market. When outside in the fields or forests, these birds have at least 5,000 square meters for 500 birds.

Included in the Label Rouge regulations are the instructions on how the birds are cared for, and for certification, there is also is a taste test. These chickens, ducks, and turkeys are pampered birds that come from different breeds; they are very different to the breeds raised in factory farms, and they take twice as long to grow before they are sold. Most of these farms allow the public to visit. Label Rouge poultry is really free-range poultry.

Label Rouge poultry on French menus:

Poulet Fermier Roti de Bourgogne Label Rouge, Servi Avec Gratin Dauphinois – A roasted, farm-raised Label Rouge chicken from Burgundy, served with Dauphine potatoes. Dauphine potatoes are mashed potatoes mixed with choux pastry, shaped into balls or other shapes, breaded and deep-fried.

Suprême de Pintade Fermière d’Auvergne Label Rouge Crème d’Oignons de Gannat - Breast of farm-raised Label Rouge Guinea fowl from the Auvergne in south-central France. (Since 1-1-2015 the Auvergne has been joined with the Rhône-Alpes as the new super region of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes). Here the Guinea fowl is served with a creamy onion sauce from the onions of Gannat. Gannat is a commune in the department of Allie in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. These highly rated Auvergne-Rhone-Alps onions are grown around the commune of Gannat. They are called the Oignons Doux du Bourbonnais, the sweet onions of the Bourbonnais. Bourbonnais is a historical province that includes the modern department of Allier, along with part of the department of Cher. The area gave its name to the Bourbon Kings of France. the most famous sweet onions in France are the Oignon Doux des Cévennes AOP - The Sweet Cévennes Onion AOP

A Label Rouge Guinea hen from the department of Ardèche,

in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes.

Gigolette de Poulet Label Rouge en Farce fine, Jus Corsé au Bergerac - The leg and thigh of a Label Rouge chicken prepared with a stuffing that includes the chicken liver. The dish here is served with the natural cooking juices flavored with Bergerac wine. A "fine farce" stuffing for poultry always includes chicken liver, but the rest of the recipe for the stuffing will vary with the chef.

A Label Rouge Chicken from Loue.

In the department of Sarthe in the region of the Pays-de-la-Loire

Rôti de Chapon Label Rouge Coulis de Marrons au Grand Marnier – Roasted Label Rouge capon served with a puree of chestnuts flavored with Grand Marnier, the orange flavored liquor.

Volatile Fermière Label Rouge au Vin Jaune du Jura et Morilles – A farm-raised label rouge chicken, prepared with the yellow wine from the Jura, accompanied by wild morel mushrooms. The sweet yellow wine from the Jura in the region of Franche-Comté is one of the department's two most famous wines; the other is the Jura's Vin de Paille.

Each group of Label Rouge farmers comes from a different area of France. The poultry they raise has continual inspections that allow the consumer to know how the birds are raised. The consumer also knows what the birds are fed with, and that growth hormones and antibiotics are never used. The inspections make sure that their feed, except what they dig up themselves when outside, contains no animal products. Their feed is 100% vegetable, except for some milk products to supplement what they find outside. Many of the farmers grow corn and other food products for the poultry themselves.

Agriculture Biologique, Organic farming

Some farms raise organic poultry and eggs, and that adds the letters AB to their labels as well as increasing the price. The government-controlled green AB label stands for Agriculture Biologique, Organic farming. The AB is the most trusted organic marking.

Oeufs de Loué AB

Organic eggs from Loué in the department of Sarthe

in the region of the Pays-de-la-Loire.

Volaille de Bress AOC/AOP.

There are one chicken, one capon, and one turkey that have reached higher standards than those offered by Label Rouge; these are the Volaille de Bress AOC/AOP, the poultry from Bresse AOP. These are the most famous, tastiest, and expensive birds that may be found in a French butcher's shop or on a French menu. The poultry farmers of Bresse raise some unique chickens, capons, and turkeys. You may find Label Rouge poultry on the menu at an upper scale butcher or restaurant in the UK, but for any of the poultry from Bresse you will have to come to France, very very little is exported.

The white feathered and blue legged Bresse AOP chicken.

These birds are all raised in the old province of Bresse, that area today includes part of the departments of Jura and Saône-et-Loire in the new super regions of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté and Ain in the Auvergne -Rhone-Alps.

The AOP logo.

The Dinde de Bresse AOC/AOP; the Bresse turkeys are not the largest French turkeys, but they are the tastiest. The Dinde de Bresse AOC is mostly seen on restaurant menus and in butcher’s shops for a short period during the Easter and Christmas seasons. They are sold when they weigh anywhere from 3 –5 kilos (5.5 -11lbs) for hens and up to 8 kilos (17 lbs) for turkey-cocks. These are the elite turkeys of France; the French gourmand’s choice for his or her Christmas dinner. If you want one you had better order it a few months in advance,

Bresse poultry on French menus:

Poulet de Bresse en Croûte de Pain d’Épices, Crème de Cassis et Bonbons de Pommes de Terre - A Bresse chicken, baked inside a covering of ginger bread and served with a black currant sauce and balls of mashed potatoes.

Roast Chapon de Bresse

Photograph courtesy of exprimons-nous.over-blog.com

Dinde Fermière de Bresse Rôtie Lentement, Farce de Châtaigne et Foie Gras, Légumes d’Antan au Jus – A Bresse turkey stuffed with chestnuts and fattened duck liver, and served with vegetable from yesteryear flavored with the turkey’s natural cooking juices. The vegetables of yesteryear are back in fashion and include turnips, parsnips, Jerusalem artichokes and more.

The area of Bresse.

Bresse is a wonderful place to visit with many beautiful villages and magnificent countryside. If you plan your trip well, you will be crossing quite a few routes de vin, wine trails, and passing many restaurants where you may stop to enjoy these tasty birds as well as local wines and the AOP cream and butter of Bresse. To that .the Bleu de Bresse, the most popular, mass-produced, mild blue cheese in France.

Assisting in the promotion of all these famous birds is a Confrérie, a brotherhood, and sisterhood, the Confrérie des Poulardiers de Bresse, The Brotherhood and sisterhood of the Poultry farmers of Bresse. The 2,000 or so members, from all over France and around the world, bear the heavy responsibility of defending the freedom of our tables from tasteless copies.

If you are going to be in the area of Bresse in mid- December, check ahead and see which towns are having special events at the dinner table. This is when the Confrérie, have competitions for the best poultry. Competitions are held in the towns of Bourg-en-Bresse, Pont-de-Vaux, and Montrevel-en-Bresse in the department of Ain in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, and in the town of Louhans-Chateaurenard, in the department of Saône-et-Loire in Burgundy, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté.

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Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman

behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com

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Searching for the meaning of words, names or phrases

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Boeuf de Bazas. The Beef from the Bazadais Breed of Cattle. Among the best Beef on French Menus.

from
Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman

behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com

Bœuf de Bazas – The Bazas beef

Photograph by courtesy of Bruno Compagnon.

The Bazardaize Beef.

Boeuf de Bazas or the Boeuf Bazadais, Label Rouge, IGP, the Red Label Bazas Beef is a very special breed. Whether as a steak, stew or a roast this is a uniquely flavored beef.as Bazadais beef cattle do not go to the market under 36 months. That is the age when beef will be naturally well marbled. Organically raised Bazadais beef is also available.

The breed developed from Aquitaine and Spanish breeds into an easily recognized breed 700 years ago. However, towards the end of the Middle Ages, the Bazas had been pushed back to being bred for milk and as a work animal. With modern farming techniques, one hundred years ago the few farmers who did breed the cattle decided to organize. Today the breed is raised in the Gironde and other departments of Nouvelle Aquitaine. The beef is named after the town of Bazas in the department of Gironde just 45 km (28 miles) from Bordeaux.

The Bazadais cattle brought back from extinction.

From just 700 animals that could be certified as real members of the Bazas breed fifty years ago, the breed was brought back from the brink of extinction. Twenty plus years ago, they were commercially reintroduced for their highly rated beef, though the Bazas milk is also considered excellent. The association has 300 farmers in the departments of Gironde, Landes, Lot-et-Garonne, and Gers.

The Label Rouge, the Red Label

The Label Rouge, the red label, is awarded by INAO, the French Government office that controls and continually inspects all Label Rouge rated foods. To meet the requirements for the Label Rouge, all the beef must be of a unique and consistent quality and raised with modern forms of animal husbandry. Calves must be raised by their mothers and allowed to graze freely, and no antibiotics or growth hormones may be used.

In the summer the cattle are free range and in the winter, Bazas' cattle are kept in barns where they feed on grasses that were collected from their pastures during the summer. That, along with natural cereals is their complete diet. No animal additives may be part of their diet. Apart from the winter the only time the Bazardais cattle are not allowed to range freely is in the summer just before they go to market.

Boeuf Bazadaise on your menu:

Le Marbré de Bœuf de Bazas au Poivre Verte et Moutarde à l'Ancienne - A well-marbled green pepper steak from the Bazas beef served with a traditional mustard.

Green pepper is the chef's pepper of choice for most pepper steaks; these are the same peppercorns that produce black and white pepper, but picked before they are fully ripened and then pickled in brine and dried. The result is a pepper with a slight herbal flavor, that is much less pungent than black pepper.

Steak au poivre

Photograph courtesy of Mark Mitchell

www.flickr.com/photos/mmitchell/3774239084/

Moutarde à l'Ancienne is mustard made in the traditional manner. That usually indicates that the chef is making his or her own mustard. Dijon is the most famous of French mustards, though there are quite a number of regional mustards. Two examples of regional mustards include the Moutarde de Reims, the mustard of Reims, the hometown of Champagne and the Moutarde de Meaux, the mustard of Meaux, the hometown of one of the two most famous French Brie cheeses.

A chef who makes his own mustard in Dijon told me that good mustard depends on the freshness of the grinding. He mixes white and black mustard grains, and to the ground mustard seeds, he adds a fruit vinegar, sugar, and a little salt. He lets his creation mix its flavors in the refrigerator for a day or two. When ready to use he achieves the final the taste he desires adjusting the ingredients or occasionally adding Worcester sauce. The final taste will depend on the dish that the mustard will be served with. Since he doesn’t sell his tasty mustard outside his restaurant, its pale brown color is of no commercial importance. This chef makes fresh mustard, three times a week and no preservatives are used; anything older than three days will be thrown out. When you see Moutarde à l'Ancienne on the menu ask the waiter or Maire D’ for more information. The mustard they offer may be something very memorable.

Bœuf de Bazas en Pot-au-Feu, Brochette de Légumes, Bouillon à l'Huile de Truffe - A beef stew made with the Bazadaise beef. Here the traditional beef stew has been upgraded by preparing the broth with truffle oil and the dish is accompanied by skewered vegetables. With a menu item like this, always ask for more explanations from your waiter. Some pot-au-feus can be two stage servings, a meal in itself. Truffle oil may be a step down from real truffles, but it should provide a hint of what a fresh truffle can add to a dish.

Joue et Queue de Bœuf de Bazas, Effilochée en Salade d'Huile Vierge. The cheeks and tail of Bazas beef thinly sliced and served with a salad made with virgin olive oil. Beef cheeks and beef tail are traditional bistro dishes; this menu listing makes the traditional dish into a salad. The meat will cook for hours until it is really tender. The word effilochée which is part of the listing means ripped apart, however, here the word effilochée indicates the meat is so tender that it will fall apart. The virgin olive oil will be added just before serving; using virgin olive oil to cook destroys the flavor.

Pavé de Bœuf de Bazas au Pinot Noir d'Alsace – A thick slice of Bazas beef served with a sauce made the light red Pinot Noir wine of the Alsace. When a menu offers a Pavé de Bœuf that indicates a Pavé de Rumsteck, a French rump steak; usually the USA sirloin or the UK rump steak. French rump steaks are very well prepared, certainly much better than similar steaks in the USA or the UK. The meat will have been chosen by the chef or the sous chef and personally prepared by them. French chefs cannot order beef by grades like US prime, choice or select, etc. The chef or his or her sous chef will personally choose the meat that the restaurant will serve, and that is all to the diner's benefit. All the beef will be carefully prepared and marinated before being grilled or fried. The Pinot Noir d'Alsace wine is a light red, and its taste will not interfere with the taste of this unique beef. N.B. The Pinot Noir from the Alsace is a very light red and so for a red wine to accompany this dish choose a good red from elsewhere in France.

Carpaccio de Boeuf de Bazas, Chutney de Figues et au Parmesan. A beef Carpaccio served with a fig chutney and a creamy Parmesan sauce. Carpaccio is so much a part of French menus that few French citizens realize that it is a relatively new Italian creation. However, the French have never refused great recipes brought from other countries. Another Italian, Catherine de Medici, a Florentine, came to France in the 16th century to marry Prince Henry, later King Henry II and then French menus changed. France exports its creations and imports others.

Entrecôte Bazadaise- An entrecote from the Bazadaise beef, Entrecôte is a rib eye steak in North America and the UK the rib-eye, forerib and may also be a UK sirloin. The French entrecôtes cover a wider area than the UK or USA rib-eyes.. The name entrecôte is French and means between the ribs, and that it is. A French entrecôte steak is usually prepared without the bone, and is one of the tastiest steaks that any restaurant can offer.

An entrecote with Sauce Béarnaise on the side.

Photograph courtesy of Malmaison Hotels and Brasseries.

Faux Filet de Bœuf de Bazas, Mousseline de Carotte, Blettes au Citron. Faux fillet or Contre Fillet is, cut just below the entrecote. In the USA, this may be called a Strip Steak, a Kansas City Strip or a Delmonico among other names. In the UK, this would be a UK sirloin steak. (UK and USA sirloins are different cuts). Here the steak is served with a very light carrot puree and Swiss chard flavored with lemon. (The word mousseline used here comes from the material muslin. Until the arrival of very thin metal sieves muslin was used to prepare very light purees). These are very juicy steaks; order yours as thick as possible. A contre-fillet will be grilled, or lightly pan-fried, and never well done. Well done, this cut would be very tough. For ordering a steak the way, you like it click here:

The Town of Bazas

Bazas is a small pretty town in the department of Gironde with its history going back to Roman times. The town still has late medieval houses and narrow streets along with a Cathedral built during the 13^th and 14^th centuries

The Bazas Tourist Office English website:

http://tourisme-bazadais.com/z/index.php

The Confrérie Bazadaise du Bœuf.

To improve the local menus and keep out the competition there is the Confrérie Bazadaise du Bœuf, the brother and sisterhood of the Bazadaise beef. The Confrérie was formed in 1995 when the Bazas began to be a significant commercial enterprise. Confreiries are a unique French idea where those who work with or enjoy a particular food or wine form an organization to promote their chosen product. There are hundreds of confreiries including those that support fresh mayonnaise, the real Tart Tatin, pink garlic, and more. They dress up in would be ancient costumes and organize fairs and dinners. For many members, their primary job apart from the Mardi Gras celebrations is to have a good time.

Members of the Confrérie Bazadaise du Bœuf.

The brother and sisterhood of the Bazardais beef

The celebration of the Bazardais beef.

A butcher and a member of the Confrérie Bazardais du Bœuf getting ready for the parade.

Photograph courtesy of Boucherie-lucbert

This brother and sisterhood claim they reintroduced a tradition dating back to when the English ruled Aquitaine. Remember that Eleanor of Aquitaine married Henry II of England in 1154 making Henry II the ruler of Aquitaine and Eleanor Queen of England; nevertheless, the English finally lost Aquitaine in 1453. Even if you argue with the dates, the tradition is undoubtedly over 300-years-old. The confrérie’s fete coincides with Carnival, and the celebrations begin with a parade the day before Mardi Gras (Mardi Gras means Fat Tuesday, in French). On Mardi Gras, special meals for carnivores are served, and at the same time, a large amount of wine will be drunk. For observant Christians, Mardi Gras was followed by the days of prayer and fasting of Lent, when no meat was eaten, so everyone ate as much as they could afford before those 40 meatless days.

The Fête des Boeufs Gras de Bazas.

The fete of the fat beef of Bazas.

Children on stilts leading part of Mardi Gras parade.

Photograph by courtesy of Lezzles.

The only problem is that Fat Tuesday (Mardi Gras) moves around each year as it linked to Easter. So Mardi Gras can be anywhere from March 22 to April 24. To check the dates, click on the Union Jack for the English language website of the Bazas:

http://www.tourisme-bazadais.com/z/index.php

In the modern Fete, the Confrérie organizes a parade where the bulls are paraded through the town.. The parade is led by horses followed by children playing on fifes and drums with others on stilts. Parades and contests end with the finest specimens wrapped with flowers and ribbon on their horns with the smallest specimens weighing in at least 800 kilos. To win an 800-kilo bull to take home and show the folks buy a lottery ticket when you arrive.

Decorated bulls getting ready for the parade.

Bazas is a small and beautiful town with a long history and less than 5,000 inhabitants. Its restaurants and happenings are important for they bring additional visitors and income. Many visitors come to the town not knowing anything about the very special Bazadais beef. They may be on their way to Bordeaux or have come to see the Bazas Cathedral. The Cathedral of St Jean Baptiste de Bazas was built in the 13th and 14th centuries and is a UNESCO World Heritage site. The Bazas Confrérie will try to have these tourists stay for lunch or dinner! Bazas has other fetes and celebrations that may interest you, and the Bazas English Language Tourist Office website has them all registered.

The Bazas Tourist Office English website:

http://tourisme-bazadais.com/z/index.php

IGP

The Indication Géographique Protégé, the English PGI, Protected Geographical Indication. This is a Pan European geographic area of Protection. Outside the registered area, you cannot have authentic Bazadaise beef. The farms that raise the Bazas beef are all within the agreed geographical area and with less than 300 farms raise these cattle, and that allows for easy inspection. Being only 45 km (28 miles) from Bordeaux will make the choice of a good Bordeaux wine to accompany the beef easier than in other areas.

The French language IGP Label

The English language PGI Label.

Cathedral of St Jean Baptiste de Bazas in Bazas

Photograph courtesy of dizzymissytrolly

www.flickr.com/photos/missydizzytrolly/6162176191/

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Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman

behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com

Searching for the meaning of words, names or phrases

French menus?

Just add the word, words, or phrase that you are searching for to the words "Behind the French Menu" 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.

Connected Posts:

AOC and AOP on France's Foods and Wine labels? Why is the AOC becoming an AOP?

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Bordeaux and Bordelaise on the Menu, and Bordeaux AOC/AOP Wines on the Wine-List.

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Champagne the Most Famous Sparkling Wine in the World. Choosing the Champagne that Meets your Sweetness Preferences.

Coeur de Romsteck and Pavé de Rumsteck – Rump Steaks. French Cuts That Make for Some of the Tastiest Steaks.

Confréries – The Brother and Sisterhoods that Promote and Defend the Foods and Wines of France.

Contre– Fillet or Faux Fillet; a UK Sirloin, A USA Strip Steak. Ordering a steak in France II.