Showing posts with label behind the french menu. Show all posts
Showing posts with label behind the french menu. Show all posts

The Picodon AOP Goat’s Milk Cheese. One of the First Goat's Cheese to be Awarded an AOC.

from
Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman
behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com


Welcome to the world of Picodon

The Picodon AOP cheese, (also called the Picodon de la Drôme AOP or Picodon d'Ardèche AOP), is 29%, lightly spicy to spicy goats' milk; pasteurized and unpasteurized versions are available. The cheese’s spiciness depends on the cheese's maturity.

The ages of Picodon AOP

The youngest cheese, the Picodon Jeune, has a white or a bluish edible rind and is aged from 8-12 days; it is likely to be in your salad or mixed with olive oil and herbs as a spread.  Then, from twelve days to one month, the next stage, the Picodon Mi-affine, will be cooked in pastries, prepared as a cream of Picodon sauce or part of another recipe.  More mature Picodon AOP cheeses will have been aged for at least 30 days (Picodon Affine) and come with an ivory or darker rind; they will be on the cheese platter. The mature Picodons come with tastes and spiciness that depend on the way the cheese was aged. The Picodon Affiné Lave passes through alternating periods of aging and washing with clear water and is called the Affiné Méthode Dieulefit, or washed in wine, the Affiné Lavé. These mature cheeses are considered a step up from the younger Picodons and they have a bite that can surprise the uninitiated, though they are not the strongest of France's goat's cheeses.

Picodon AOP
www.flickr.com/photos/vialbost/14619321321/

Picodon AOP was one of the first goats' cheese to receive a French AOC (now an AOP) and that was in 1983. The cheese's origins, however, date back to the 14th or 15th century.

The cheese is produced in small discs that weigh from 45-60 grams (1.59-2.11 oz) with some slightly heavier. The best Picodon AOP cheeses are made with unpasteurized milk on the farms where the goats are raised with a number of larger dairies producing cheeses made with pasteurized milk. Nearly all the Picodon AOP cheese comes from the departments of Drôme and Ardèche in the administrative region of the Auvergne-Rhone-Alps. 

The meaning of Picodon.

The citizens of Ardèche and Drôme, and others in the region of the Auvergne-Rhône–Alps, will not be surprised that Picodon AOP is a spicy cheese. Nearly all the long-time residents of the region speak or understand some of the old Occitan language and Picodon just means spicy in Occitan.  

(Occitan is the language that, over 200 years ago, lost out to modern French as the language that would unite the French nation. Nevertheless, Occitan or one of its dialects, like Provencal or Niçoise, is still spoken in many homes in many parts of France; that is apart from perfect French). 




Members of the AOP production team.
  
For at least seven months of the year, the goats are free-range. They will be eating grass and wild herbs, hawthorn leaves, acorns, and chestnuts. In the winter, they are fed grasses collected from the same area during the summer, and as may be expected, the winter hay and dried grasses produce a cheese with a slightly different taste.
  
In a restaurant, when you have chosen your three or four kinds of cheese from the cheese trolley or have ordered a pre-selected cheese plate that includes Picodon AOP, do remember that its flavor can overpower milder cheeses so enjoy the Picodon after the others.
  
Picodon at different ages
  
Picodon AOP on your menu:
  
Velouté de Potimarron aux Éclats de Châtaigne et Crème de Picodon – A velvety soup made with pumpkin and flavored with slices of chestnuts and a cream of Picodon cheese sauce.

Velouté de Chou au Picodon
A velvety cabbage soup with Picodon

La Salade Picodon: Picodon Chaud Dans sa Feuille de Brick, Lardons, Salade Verte.  A Picodon AOP salad made with hot Picodon cheese served inside Feuille de Brick. Feuille de Brick (often just called Brik) is a flaky thin durum wheat semolina-based pastry of Tunisian origin. Here the pastry stuffed with Picodon cheese is accompanied by bacon pieces and a green salad.
   
Carpaccio de Boeuf Mariné et Son Croustillant de Picodon – A beef Carpaccio made with marinated beef and accompanied by a crisply grilled (or fried) Picodon cheese.
  
Tiramisu with strawberries and Picodon
For the Recipe click here.:
 
Salade au Magret de Canard Fumé et Flan du Terroir au Picodon. - A salad of smoked duck breast served with a traditional tart made with Picodon cheese. (French flans are usually tarts made using pâte brisée, a crusty pastry).
       
Suprême de Poulet De l’Ardèche Sauce Crème de Picodon, Crique Ardéchoise.  Breast of Ardèche chicken served with a Picodon cream sauce and accompanied by a Crique Ardéchoise, which is a traditional Ardèche potato pie.    A crique in your French-English dictionary may indicate a creek or even a fiord; however, the word crique here comes from the Occitan language and not modern French.
      
A Crique Ardéchoise, a traditional Ardeche potato pie.

Picodon, Picodon, and more Picodon
   
If you are traveling around this area, you will see other cheeses with the word Picodon on the label, though without the AOP. These different Picodon cheeses are traditional variations of the more well-known Picodon AOP and were created around the same time as the Picodon AOP, probably in the 14th or 15th century; however, they have slightly different textures and flavors. Many of these other Picodon cheeses are excellent, but only available locally as they do not produce enough for commercial distribution outside a very limited area. On the plus side, they will cost you less than their more famous cousin.
  
Cheese on sale at the covered market in Libourne, France.
www.flickr.com/photos/londonexpat/49535292068/
   
When buying a Picodon AOC cheese, or one of its close cousins, try and do so in fromagerie, a cheese shop. A fromagerie has trained, knowledgeable staff and will be able to explain the differences among the various Picodons and vacuum pack your purchases if you are buying some cheese to take home. For the link to buying cheese in France and taking it home, click here.   
Warm goat’s cheese salad.



The Picodon Fete
    
If you visit the Auvergne- Rhône-Alpes, remember that the third Saturday and Sunday in July brings you the Fête de Picodon. (Check as dates can change). The fete is held in the village of Saoû, in the department of Drôme. The village of Saoû, with less than 600 inhabitants, is the Picodon AOP producers' promotional center.  Here you may enjoy Picodon AOP cheese tastings together with local wines. The fete also has attractions planned for children that include parades with clowns wandering around. On Saturday, there is a human circus that everyone can enjoy, and Saturday night brings several free concerts. Of course, you will have to pay for all the snacks, plates of French Fries, cheeses, and wines that you consume. On Sunday, there is a huge luncheon that you may join in, for a very reasonable price; however, you must order a place in advance, and you may do so via the internet. Usually, the Sunday includes a large market selling nearly everything under the sun: antiques, would-be antiques, modern artworks, fruits, wines, other cheeses, and more. Within 30 km (19 miles) of Saoû, there are plenty of B and B's and hotels up to 3 and 4 stars but book ahead.

 The village of Saoû
www.flickr.com/photos/97319257@N07/9023292346/

For the French-language website of the "La Fête du Picodon" click or copy/paste the link below.  The website is easily understood in English with the Google or Bing translation apps.


The Confrérie de Picodon

The Confrérie de Picodon is the brotherhood and sisterhood of the Knights of the Picodon Cheese. These brave knights dress up in would-be ancient costumes, and as interested parties work to promote the Picodon AOP cheese. They will be in costume during the fete, and at other times when they will be checking that you are only sold the genuine article.   
  
The Confrérie de Picodon
   

Apart from promoting the Picodon AOP cheese, the village of Saoû along with other communities close by has activities throughout the year, from rock climbing to music festivals. Apart from these activities, there are many different cheeses and wines from the Ardèche and the Drôme. On sale during the fete and on each village’s market day will be honey (especially the chestnuts and chestnut honey from the Ardèche), poultry, lamb, snails, lavender, Ardèche Safran, the herb, olives,  olive oil and much more. The Romans settled in this region 2,000 years ago, and they brought many of the fruit trees, including almondsapricotspeaches, and cherries, among others. In the valleys of the Ardèche, those trees have created orchards that produce fruit that is sold all over France. Call your local French Government Tourist Office for the dates of all the happenings in the village of Saoû and the departments of Drôme and Ardèche.


Music at the fete
                 The English Language website of the Rhone-Alps:

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

Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman 
behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com
Copyright 2010, 2016. 2020, 2023



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Kiwi or Kiwi de Sibérie - The Kiwi Fruit or Siberian Gooseberry. The Kiwi Fruit in French Cuisine

from
Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman
behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com 
















The Kiwi Fruit
www.flickr.com/photos/addicted-to-ornaments/37339520801/

   

The Kiwi Fruit in France.
  

I had always assumed that the Kiwi fruit was native to New Zealand until I started seeing them in French markets and restaurants under the name Kiwi de Sibérie and then I began asking questions.  Those were the early days for the Kiwi Fruit, and now France is the third-largest producer of Kiwi Fruit in Europe and the sixth-largest in the world. When visiting France, you'll be enjoying French Kiwi fruit from November through April, and after that, it will be mostly replaced by New Zealand and Chinese imports.
  

How the Kiwi Fruit got its name


From 1914 New Zealand soldiers were fighting in WWI in Europe with their unique Kiwi bird on many of the soldiers' flashes. Following on, the soldiers began to be called Kiwis, a name that was transferred to and accepted by all New Zealanders. The Kiwi is a flightless bird and the country's national bird. The Kiwi had received its name from the Maori people who had settled in New Zealand in the 1300s.  (More about Kiwi birds at the end of this post).
  

Beware Kiwis Wandering Sign
The Kiwi is a protected bird in New Zealand.
If you hit one you're in big trouble.
  


New Zealand farmers began growing the fruits in the early 20th century, which originated close to China's Siberian borders and had been brought to New Zealand by returning missionaries. Then they were called the Chinese Gooseberry. After WWI, with the people of New Zealand labeled Kiwis, the Siberian Gooseberry became the Kiwi Fruit. (A little more about real gooseberries at the end of this article).
  
Now to the fruit
  

Inside its rough-looking exterior, the fruit has a uniquely flavored, sweet to tart (depending on when they are picked), soft, green, or golden-green flesh inside along with rows of minuscule, black, edible seeds. A slice of the fruit on your tongue can continue to send out flavor pops whenever you tongue applies pressure for up to a minute. That being said, most of us want to eat the next slice, so much of the real enjoyment of texture and taste is missed.
  
Kiwi fruit in a market in France.
   

What about the Kiwi fruit’s skin?

The surrounding skin is initially off-putting, with most varieties having a seemingly dirty green skin covered with what looks like brown hair. That skin is edible but sour, and so most of us are happy to leave it. Still, on your travels, you may also encounter hairless Kiwi fruits that can be enjoyed smooth skin and all.
  

The source of French Kiwi fruits.
  

While New Zealand was the first country to put this fruit on the map, it's the Chinese who are again the world's largest producers. Back in France, a large proportion of Kiwi fruits are produced at home, with a center in the departments of Lot and Lot-et-Garonne in the new super region of Occitanie.   
  

Kiwi fruits on French menus:
  

Coupe Kiwi Sauce Menthe-Chocolat -   A bowl (usually two scoops) of Kiwi fruit ice cream dessert served with a chocolate-mint sauce.
  

Crème Brûlée à la Kiwi - Crème Brulee flavored with Kiwi fruit.
   
Vanilla Tofu Creme Crepe with Kiwi
www.flickr.com/photos/veganfeast/3535354588/
  

Filet Mignon de Veau en Brioche Sauce Kiwi A veal filet mignon cooked En Croûte inside a brioche bread and served with a Kiwi flavored sauce. The fillet mignon referred to in North America comes from the thickest end of the fillet, In France the filet mignon (and they gave the cut its name(with one l), comes from the thinner end of the fillet, the short loin. N.B. The French Filet Mignon is usually a cut of pork or veal, very rarely beef; read the menu carefully.  
  

Sablé aux Fruits Rouges et sa Sauce Kiwi – A shortcake pastry pie served with red fruits, which depending on the season will include strawberries, red currants, plums, and raspberries and other red fruits served with a Kiwi flavored sauce.
  

Seared tuna with a kiwi/jalapeno sauce.
www.flickr.com/photos/nikchick/304300952/
  
  

Tartare de Daurade au Kiwi  - Blue Spotted Sea Bream, the fish. A  fish Tatar is made with small cubes of the raw fish, spiced, and here it flavored with Kiwi fruit.  There are a number of fish with Daurade or Dorade in their names; all are very tasty. For this menu listing, I have chosen the Daurade Rose or Pagre à Points Bleus – the Bluespotted Seabream as the most likely candidate.

If you ask the server, and it’s another fish with a similar, you can always Google the French name with words "Behind the French Menu" ( with the parentheses   " & ")  in the search for an informed answer when you know the full French name.
  

Kiwi fruits do not grow on trees
  

Kiwi fruit is grown on perennial vines with small leaves and bright red stems; some vines can reach 12 meters (40 feet) in length. The vines need to be trained and pruned, and then they can live, still providing fruit, for up to 50 or more years.
  

Kiwi fruit on the vine.


     
Kiwi fruits are a big industry
  

For the French farmers, the Kiwi is now a significant local crop, and France is the third-largest producer of Kiwi Fruit in Europe and the sixth in the world. France's production, of which a third is exported, is concentrated in the country's south-west, in the region of Occitanie.  The fruit reaches the market from November through April.

 France has developed its own Kiwi Fruit varieties: the "Oscar® Gold," a yellow Kiwifruit, the early-maturing "SummerKiwi," or the minuscule "Nergi®" baby Kiwi. (However,  the world champion of Kiwi fruits is the Hayward green Kiwifruit, named after the New Zealand nurseryman, who selected it in the 1920s). 
  


Kiwi fruits are a winter fruit par excellence.
  

Just one Kiwi Fruit a day keeps the doctor away with a single fruit providing the recommended daily intake of vitamins C, B1, B2, iron, calcium, and provitamin A.
   
Kiwi fruit flowers
www.flickr.com/photos/ideatrendz/6456935499/
  


More about Kiwi birds
  

The Kiwi birds are wingless and are unlike penguins, which also cannot fly but do have wings. Without wings or the ability to swim, how they arrived in New Zealand remains a mystery.  My suggestion that Kiwi Birds may have arrived on the backs of pterodactyls was turned down.

The Kiwi Bird

   
Kiwis are nocturnal, with deafening, piercing calls in the forest air at dusk and dawn. The Kiwi Bird's feathers look like hair, and to add to its strangeness while the Kiwi bird is only the size of a chicken, it lays the largest egg, comparative to its size, of any bird in the world; even when compared with an ostrich. The little spotted Kiwi female weighing only 1.3 kilograms, lays an egg weighing 300 grams, (10.5 oz) which is practically 25% of its body weight.  Compare that to an average chicken’s egg where a large XL egg weighs 64 grams (2.25 oz). Q.E.D. The Kiwi egg is close to five times that of an extra-large chicken’s egg. During its lifetime a Kiwi bird can lay 100 eggs.

   
  The Kiwi bird before photography
London: Trübner and Co., Bernard Quaritch, R.H. Porter,1876-1878


Kiwi bids are omnivores. Discover more about Kiwi birds and what foods they find with their unusual beak at the Kiwi bird link below:
  



  
Gooseberries

Growing up in the Lake District in northern England we grew in our kitchen garden about ten or 12 gooseberry bushes. The bushes produced, sweet to tart, firm, round, to mostly oval berries. Inside each berry with its edible, slightly hairy skin was a sweet jelly much like a Kiwi fruit's, filled with tiny edible seeds.  Most berries were between 1cm (0.4”) to 2.5 cm (1”)  in diameter and varied in color from green to green with a mauve tinge like the picture below. They grew on stumpy thorny bushes and we feasted on them when they were ripe. When my brother and I were sent out to bring a bowl of the fruit for the kitchen another bowlful ended up our stomachs. There's room for a separate story of fruit scrumping in the vegetable gardens and orchards, ours and others, and not getting caught, but that would need a separate blog as it's not related to France. Now, gooseberries are out of fashion in the UK and while the occasional farmers’ market in the North of England and Scotland may have them they will not be found in the supermarkets.
  


Gooseberries

www.flickr.com/photos/wolfworld/184807954/

 
The Kiwi fruit in the languages of France’s neighbors:


(Catalan -  Kiwi, Kiwi raïm), (Dutch – Kiwi, Kiwibes),(German – kivi, scharfzähnige, strahlengriffel), (Italian - kiwai, Kiwi de Sibérie), (Spanish – Kiwiño, Kiwi), (Latin - actinidia arguta)
   

--------------------------------   

Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman
 

behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com

Copyright 2010, 2019, 2023



 

--------------------------------
   

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 470 posts that include over 4,000 French dishes with English translations and explanations.
  

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