from
Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman
behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com
The Chasselas de Moissac Grape
www.flickr.com/photos/tourisme82/5758232955/
The Chasselas de Moissac grape is unique; the sniff
of a single grape prepares you for something genuinely exceptional. Then as you
bite into a grape comes a golden juice followed by the taste that must be close
to the nectar of the gods. The sensations taken all together make you realize
that you are tasting a grape, unlike any other.
The Chasselas de Moissac grapes are virtually
hand-nurtured and only available in a short season which runs from late August
through the first week of November. The farmers who grow these grapes also sell
the fresh grape juice though a bottle costs more than many local wines. If you
dine in the area, you may enjoy a cocktail made with their grape juice and
brandy; it is well recommended. At the end of a meal when Chasselas de Moissac
grapes are on the menu, you do not really need any additions. I attended a
dinner when a single cheese, a perfect Roquefort, was
followed by the grapes, that was a match made in heaven.
Grapes
in Mossaic
www.flickr.com/photos/tourisme82/5758770406/
Chasselas de Moissac Grapes on
French menus:
Aiguillette de Canard Caramélisée au Vinaigre Balsamique et Chasselas de Moissac,
Salade d'Herbes – Slices of duck breast caramelized
with Balsamique
vinegar and the jelly from Chasselas de Mossaic grapes
accompanied by a herb salad.
Filet Mignon de Porc au
Chasselas de Moissac – Pork tenderloin, the fillet prepared with Chasselas de
Moissac grapes.
A pie with two types of grapes,
the Chasselas de Moissac on the
outside.
Foie Gras Poêlé
au Chasselas de Moissac – Fried fattened duck’s liver served
with a jelly made from the Chasselas de Moissac grapes.
Saint-Pierre aux Chasselas de Moissac – John
Dory, the fish,
prepared with Chasselas de Moissac grapes.
Filet de Poulet aux Raisins Chasselas de Moissac – Chicken breast prepared in the
juices of the Chasselas grapes.
Domaine Laffitte
Moissac is a small town, (population 13,000) around
which these grapes are grown is part of the department of Tarn-et-Garonne where
the River Garonne and Tarn meet. Until 1-1-2016 this department was part of the
region of the Midi-Pyrénées then it joined with the region of Languedoc-Roussillon
to become the new super-region
of Occitanie.
Moissac was an important stop along the Canal des Deux
Mers which linked the Mediterranean at Sete and the Atlantic at Bordeaux. Now
that the canal is no longer used for commerce you may rent self-drive
sleep-aboard boats for 2 to 10 people and travel to Bordeaux or Sete and then
on to Beaucaire. In the days before
roads and trains, the Canal des Deux Mers allowed people and produce to travel
in one week from the Mediterranean to Paris saving a one month trip around
Spain and occasional battles with the Barberry pirates.
Fruits
from around Moissac
Visiting Moissac
Moissac is a veritable
Garden of Eden producing magnificent melons, plums, kiwi fruits, strawberries,
and other fruits and vegetables and herbs. The artist Claude Monet needed water
lilies for his famous garden in Giverny in Normandie, so he chose the best, and
his water lilies were imported from Moissac.
Claude
Monet's Water Garden at Giverny
with
the Nymphéa water lilies from Moissac
www.flickr.com/photos/familyclan/14789812482/
Nymphéas Bleus by Claude Monet
To celebrate all the wonders grown around the town at
one time visit on the third Saturday and Sunday in September. Then the town has
its Fête de Fruits et Légumes de Moissac; the feast of the fruits and
vegetables of Moissac. The Chasselas de Moissac grapes are of course starring.
The town has regular market days on Saturday and Sunday.
In addition to the beautiful grapes and fruits, there
are many visitors to Moissac who come to see the parts of France’s medieval
history. Moissac is famous around the world for its medieval Saint-Pierre Abbey
and cloisters which are a UNESCO World Heritage site. Here pilgrims passed
through France, on foot, to the pilgrimage center of Santiago de Compostella in
Spain.
Around the town
If you have an interest in automobile history, take a
short side trip 13 km, (8 miles) away to the nearby birthplace of Antoine
Laumet de Lamothe-Cadillac (1658-1730). There, in the village of Saint-Nicolas
de la Grave, 8 km, 5 miles, away is a small museum dedicated by the City of
Detroit, Michigan, USA, to the memory of Antoine Laumet de Lamothe-Cadillac.
Lamothe-Cadillac founded Detroit, Michigan, and gave his name to the King of
American cars the Cadillac.
The cloisters of the Saint-Pierre
Abbey Mossaic.
Other Chasselas grapes and wines
The Chasselas family of grapevines, like other
grapes, produces different tastes and different qualities. Close to
Fontainebleau, south of Paris, are grown the Chasselas Dorée de Fontainebleau
table grapes, they may not be the equal of their relatives in Occitanie, but
they certainly are tasty. Then in Burgundy and the Alsace are wines made with
varieties of Chasselas grapes. From Burgundy, now part of the super-region of
Bourgogne-Franche-Comté comes the Pouilly-sur-Loire AOC white wine. From the
Alsace, now part of the super-region of the Grand Est comes the Chasselas or Gutadel crisp, dry
wine. Not to be left out are the excellent Swiss Fendant wines
which also come from a variety of the Chasselas grapes,
------------------------------------------
Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman
behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com
Copyright 2010,
2013, 2016, 2019
--------------------------------
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
search engine. 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
Foie Gras in French Cuisine. Foie Gras is Fattened
Goose or Duck Liver Foie. Foie Gras on French Menus.
Roquefort
Cheese - Roquefort Fromage AOP. The Roquefort Sheep's Cheese is The King of
French Cheeses.
