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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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
A Bazas bull.

Bazardaize Beef.

Restaurants looking to attract customers that appreciate quality, depth of flavor, and texture may put the Boeuf de Bazas (also called Boeuf Bazadais) on the menu. The cattle go to market when no younger than 36 months—an optimal age for natural marbling.

The breed carries the prestigious and publicly accepted Label Rouge, red label, and IGP (Indication Géographique Protégée) certifications so whether prepared as a steak, stew, or roast you’ll taste the difference.

Label Rouge
The Red Label

The breed developed over 800 years ago from Aquitaine and Spanish cattle and are easily recognizable. In the Middle Ages they were primarily raised for milk and draft work as the only cattle raised for beef belonged to the aristocracy. However, the tractor ended the need for draft oxen and by 1970 only around 700 certified Bazadais cattle remained; the breed was on the verge of extinction. Then, local farmers joined together and the Bazadaise breed made a comeback and was commercially reintroduced some thirty years ago. Today they are prized for their exceptional meat and high-quality milk.

Their name comes from the town of Bazas, located just 45 km (28 miles) from historic town of Bazas just 54km, (28 miles) from Bordeaux, France. A town festival is held every year in February named the Fête des Boeufs Gras ( the Festival of the Fat Oxen), it celebrated the fattened Bazadaise stock and their meat. If you are close to Bordeaux and want to enjoy a local celebration and local menus contact the Tourist Information Office in Bazas for the dates. The same office will provide information on the Landes de Gascogne Regional Natural Park.

The Fête des Boeufs Gras de Bazas
The Festival of the Fat Oxen.
Photograph courtesy of the Bazas city hall.

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.

Poivre Verte: Green pepper is the pepper of choice for many French chefs when preparing 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, and less pungent than black peppercorns. With green peppercorns the chef can control the heat.

Moutarde à l'Ancienne: A mustard made in the traditional manner. Here the chef will be making his or her own mustard. The mustard seeds will be soaked in water for a few days, then lightly crushed to retain a grainy texture, flavored vinegar and another herb may be added. France boasts many different mustards with Dijon being the most well-known, however, there are indeed many others.

A chef who makes his own mustard told me that good mustard depends on the freshness of the grinding and he mixes white and black mustard grains and adding fruit vinegar, sugar, and a little salt. After his creation has developed its flavor in the refrigerator for a day or two the final the taste is acquired by adjusting the ingredients and occasionally a small amount of adding Worcestershire sauce. The final taste will depend on the dish that the mustard will be served with. Since this chef doesn’t sell his tasty mustard outside his restaurant, its pale brown color is of no commercial importance. The mustard is made fresh three times a week and no preservatives are used, and anything more than three days old 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 may be something very memorable.

Steak au Poivre Vert
Steak with a green pepper sauce, asparagus and French fries.

Bœuf de Bazas en Pot-au-Feu, Brochette de Légumes, Bouillon à l'Huile de Truffe - A Bazadaise beef stew. Here the traditional Pot-au-Feu 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.

Huile de Truffe : 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. Chefs have made truffle oil for at least two hundred years by simply soaking truffle shavings in olive oil. The final product is a strongly flavored oil that will add some of the flavors of truffles, and may be stored year-round. When you buy commercially prepared truffle oil, it is unlikely that the amount of truffles used is anywhere near the amount of truffle a chef would use in his or her homemade product. If you are buying for your home, look carefully at the label, and do not buy products that note they are made with truffle flavor; that is not the real thing and from my experience they don't taste like the real thing. .

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 (ox-tail) are traditional bistro dishes; this menu listing shows the traditional ingredients prepares as a salad. The meat will have been slowly cooked for hours until it is really tender The word effilochée which is part of the listing means ripped apart, however, here the word 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 its flavor.

Pavé de Bœuf de Bazas au Pinot Noir d'Alsace – A thick slice of Bazas beef served with a sauce prepared with the light red Pinot Noir wine from the Alsace in northeastern France.

When a menu offers a Pavé de Bœuf that’s a French rump steak Pavé de Bœuf: Rump steak, also called a P avé de Rumsteck ), usually the USA sirloin or UK rump steak. French rump steaks are very well prepared, certainly much better than similar steaks in the USA or the UK. French chefs cannot order beef by grades like US prime, choice or select, etc. The chef or the 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 very 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 full-bodied red wine to accompany this dish choose a wine 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.

However, the French have never refused great recipes brought from other countries. Four humdred years before another Italian, Catherine de Medici, a Florentine, came to France in the 16th century to marry the French Prince Henry, later King Henry II, and then French menus changed. France exports its creations and imports others.

Carpaccio: Carpaccio - This iconic dish didn't originate with a French chef; the Carpaccio’s creator was an Italian, Giuseppe Cipriani (1900–1980). Giuseppe Cipriani was the owner of Harry’s Bar in Venice, Italy and in the 1950's Cipriani created Carpaccio di Manzo (Italian for Beef Carpaccio) for a regular customer whose doctor had forbidden her to eat cooked meat The dish was named in honor of the famous Venetian Renaissance painter Vittore Carpaccio (c. 1460 - 1526), known for his vibrant red hues. According to the Cipriani tradition, the dish was created for a regular customer of Harry’s Bar whose doctor had forbidden her to eat cooked meat. 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. Four hundred years before Carpaccio another Italian, Catherine de Medici, a Florentine, came to France in the 16th century to marry the French Prince Henry, later King Henry II,

Entrecôte Bazadaise - An entrecôte from the Bazadaise beef, Entrecôte is a rib eye steak in North America and the UK. Though in the UK an Entrecôte can include the forerib and may also be part of a UK sirloin. (UK and USA sirloins are not the same).

The word 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 entrecôte with Sauce Béarnaise on the side.
Photograph courtesy of Malmaison Hotels and Brasseries.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/travel/paris/the-beef-club/ps44842722.cms

Faux Filet de Bœuf de Bazas, Mousseline de Carotte, Blettes au Citron. A US Strip Steak or Delmonico among other name; in the UK this is a sirloin. The steak is accompanied by a very light carrot puree and Swiss chard flavored with lemon. (UK and USA sirloins are different cuts). A Faux fillet (also called a Contre Fillet) is cut just below the entrecôte. A faux-fillet will be grilled, or lightly pan-fried, and never well done. Well done, this cut would be very tough.

Mousseline: 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).

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:

https://www.guide-bordeaux-gironde.com/en/tourism/information/tourist-offices/bazas-35/office-de-tourisme-du-bazadais-4616.html

The Confrérie Bazadaise du Bœuf.

To improve the local menus and keep the competition away there is the Confrérie Bazadaise du Bœuf, the brother and sisterhood of the Bazadaise beef. This Confrérie was formed in 1995 when the Bazas beef began to be a significant commercial enterprise.

Modern French confreries are most voluntary organisations that work with and enjoy promoting a particular food or wine. There are hundreds of confreries 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 Confrérie Bazadaise du Bœuf claim they reintroduced a tradition dating back to when the English ruled Aquitaine. Then Eleanor of Aquitaine, France married Prince Henry of England when he was also Duke of Normandy and Count of Anjo in 1154. Two years later Henry would become King Henry II of England and the ruler of Aquitaine while Eleanor became Queen of England. The English finally lost Aquitaine in 1453 and even if you don’t agree with the dates claimed by the confrerie, their tradition is undoubtedly over 300-years-old.

The confrerie’s fete coincides with Carnival, and the celebrations begin with a parade the day before Mardi Gras (Mardi Gras means Fat Tuesday, in French). During 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 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, check with the French Government Tourist Information Office.

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 other children on stilts. Parades and contests end with the finest Bazadais specimens wrapped with flowers and ribbon on their horns. To win an 800-kilo bull to take home and show the folks buy a lottery ticket when you arrive.

The Bazardais Cattle

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.

Cathedral of St Jean Baptiste de Bazas in Bazas
Photograph courtesy of dizzymissytrolly
www.flickr.com/photos/missydizzytrolly/6162176191/

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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?

Ail - Garlic. Garlic in French Cuisine.

Bio or Biologique. Aliments Biologiques, Produits Biologiques AB - Organic Food in France. Organic Produce, Organic Meat, Organic Milk, Organic Cheeses, Organic Wines and More.

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

Brie: That Wonderful French cheese.

Carpaccio on a French Menu. How to Order a Carpaccio in France.

Carottes - Carrots in French Cuisine.

Catherine de Medici. Italy’s Greatest Gift to French cuisine?

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.