from
Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman
behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com
Carving a Pigeon.
Photograph by Food-micro through Dreamstime.
Pigeon or Pigeon Biset
The common pigeon.
This is the pigeon seen on most French menus.
The pigeons on French menus are all
farm-raised, except during the 30-day hunting- season when the pigeon ramier,
wild wood pigeons, maybe hunted and then they may be on some menus. Farm-raised pigeons have meat that is darker,
tenderer, and tastier than chicken.
Pigeons were on nearly all restaurant menus in the UK and North America
throughout the 19th century, and then in the early 20th century, they lost
popularity among mainstream chefs. Nevertheless, younger chefs have become
interested in pigeons again, and so pigeons are on more UK and North American
menus. Farm-raised pigeons have always remained a favorite on French menus and
never lost their popularity. Farming pigeons for food began with the ancient
Egyptians and were brought to France by the Romans and the Greeks. Worry not, no pigeon on the menu will come from the village clock tower or town square, they are all farm-raised.
A suprême de pigeon or
a baronnet de pigeon,
On your menu, in France, a serving of
pigeon is usually a suprême de pigeon, half the breast and a wing, or a
baronnet de pigeon, half the breast and a leg. Even large pigeons do not have a
great deal of fat, so a roasted pigeon will be barded, wrapped in fat, so that
it does not dry out in the oven.
The size of a pigeon
serving
From my experience, in France, its best
to always ask about the size of the pigeon portions offered; pigeon portions
vary considerably. I have had a serving
of pigeon that was minute, and that was provided as the main course; other
servings were larger but were on the menu as the starter, the French entrée.
Check the weight with the server; a whole cooked adult pigeon may weigh 400
grams (14 ounces); though there are larger ones. Without the bones, your half portion, with
the bones, will be 200 grams (7 ounces), and that may offer 125 grams (4.4
ounces) of meat. With the garnishes that will be adequate for a single diner,
if it is less, you may still be hungry at the end of your meal. Farmed pigeon
with its darker meat, and, slightly stronger taste than chicken, will partner
well with light red wines as well as white wines.
For pigeonneau, squabs, young pigeons, see the second part of this post.
The name of the farm or the area where
the pigeon was raised will often be on the menu, especially in areas where
there are many pigeon farms. Where the pigeon comes from and who raised it is
important to the cognoscenti, and that will undoubtedly affect the price. In
any case, worry not, none of the pigeons on the menu will have come from the
village or town square, or bell tower, that afternoon!
Pigeon choices on French menus:
Le Pigeon de Vendée Rôti aux Châtaignes et Betteraves
Chioggia - A farmed pigeon raised in the département of Vendée, in the
region of the Pays-de-la-Loire, roasted with chestnuts and Chioggia beetroots. Chioggia beetroots
are unique; they have alternating red and white rings when cut.
Chioggia is the famous agricultural land that across from the
Venetian lagoon in Italy; Chioggia is renowned for its many unique vegetables,
including the Chioggia beetroot, and the Radicchio Rosso di Chioggia, the Red Chicory or Chioggia
Chicory, the best-known member of the radicchio family. All these vegetables
are now also grown in France.
The department of Vendée is in the Pays de Loire and has many small
farms that specialize in unique and high-quality food products, including
pigeons. Apart from its many fabulous food products, Vendée also has 200 km
(165 miles) of glorious sandy beaches on France's Atlantic coast.
There are Plenty of Sandy Beaches in Vendee.
Photograph courtesy of Gordon McKinlay.
www.flickr.com/photos/gordon_mckinlay/4753745637/
Baronnet
de Pigeon Farci aux Cèpes – Half
the breast and a leg of the pigeon stuffed with French Porcini mushrooms.
Pigeonneau
Fermier de Mr Chabert, Rôti, Jus de Carcasses aux Épices de Cacao, Le Suprême
Rosé et la Cuisse Désossée, Fine Purée de Haricots
Tarbais - Half the breast and a wing from a pigeon raised on
the farm of Mr Chabert, served in a gravy made from the bones of the pigeon
flavored with cocoa beans. The breast is served slightly rosé, pink,
and the wing is deboned. Pigeon breast, like duck breast, in France, is usually
lightly cooked, rosé, pink, so if you want your pigeon cooked
differently, advise your server; unlike
steaks, you will rarely be asked how you want your pigeon cooked. The
garnish is a fine puree made from the label rouge, red label graded, Haricot Tarbais beans, grown
around the town of Tarbes in the département of Hautes-Pyrénées.
The
haricot Tarbais beans were, originally, like all beans, a South American
import. If you are close to Tarbes during the picking season, from Mid-August
to October, you may try the fresh beans at nearly all the local restaurants.
Otherwise, this bean will be on your menu as a rehydrated dried white bean.
Tarbes and the area around has been selecting and improving on the original
bean since the 18th century and was, in 1997, the first dried bean to be awarded
the Label Rouge, the red label, for its unique and consistent quality.
This
menu listing comes from department of Drôme in the south-eastern region of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes.
Here there are many well-known pigeon farms, and this restaurant considers the
farm of Mr. Jean Louis Chabert as among the very best; the local clientele
recognizes the farm, and so Mr. Chabert's name is on this local menu.
Suprême
de Pigeon de Champigné Rôti au Sautoir - The
breast and wing of a pigeon from a farm in the commune of Champigné. The
community of Champigné is in the département of Maine et Loire in
the region of the Pays de la Loire. The menu notes the breast is
roasted/braised in a sautoir, a high-walled frying pan; the French restaurant
tradition allows for advising the diner of the equipment used in preparing
different dishes. N.B. The department of Maine et Loire is the historical home
of Anjou and the Angevines,
The common pigeon or rock dove in the languages of
France's neighbors:
(Catalan - colom; colom roquer), (Dutch: rotsduif,
duif ), (German - haustaube),
(Italian piccione selvatico), (Spanish
paloma domestica),
The common pigeon or rock dove in other languages:
( Arabic
- حمام جبلي ), (Chinese - 原鸽, 鸽子, （學名), (Greek -
περιστέρι ), (Hebrew - yona
hasela - יונת הסלע_).
( Japanese - kawarabato
- 鳩0 -カワラバト（河原鳩、学名),(
Korean -비둘기), (Portuguese:
pombo-doméstico, pombo-comun),
(Russian - голубь, cизый голубь
), ( Latin - Columba livia domestica).
(Corrections to translations are welcomed along with
additional languages.).
Pigeonneau, a squab, on French menus.
Pigeonneau - a squab, is a young pigeon that has never flown;
it has a milder, and tenderer meat than an adult pigeon. Squabs are usually served whole as most weigh
less than 250 grams (9 ounces), bones and all; that is, maybe, 125 grams (4.4
ounces) of meat.
Roasted squab
Photograph by Ktphotog through Dreamstime
Pigeonneau
de Saint-André de Messei Rôti au Citron, Anis Étoilée, Petites Endives Confites - A squab from the commune of Saint-André de Messei,
roasted with lemon and flavored with star anise and served with
a confit, a jam, made from small endives. Saint-André de
Messei, where these squabs come from, is another popular pigeon farming
community in the department of Orne in the region of Normandy. The small farms
in this area are frequently visited by chefs, especially from Paris, and their
farming methods are examined and published; many of these farms also allow
tourist visitors. The department of Orne is also famous for the Calvados Pays d'Auge AOC apple brandy produced there.
There
are many different endives, and the one used for the confit here will almost
certainly be the Belgian Endive, also called the White Endive or Chicon.
Pigeonneau
Rôti au Parmesan – A squab roasted and then, before serving, sprinkled
lightly with Parmesan cheese and then browned under the grill.
Pigeon Ramier or Palombe on French Menus.
Pigeon Ramier or Palombe – The
wild wood pigeon or ring-dove, called the palombe in the Basque country. The
wood pigeon will only be on menus in France between 15 October and 15 November
when their hunting is permitted. The wood pigeon will be the subject of a
separate post, and, by the way, Palombe is also the name that Picasso gave to
his daughter.
The wood pigeon in the languages of France's
neighbors:
(Catalan - tudó ), ((Dutch- houtduif),
(German –ringeltaube), (Italian –colombaccio), (Spanish - paloma
torcaz).
The wood pigeon: in other languages.
(Arabic - حمامة الغابة ), (Chinese - 斑尾林鸽[编辑]), (Greek – Φάσσα), (Japanese - モリバ-
moribato), (Portuguese: Pombo-torcaz), (Russian - Bяхирь ) (Latin
-- cColumba palumbus).
Corrections to translations, free of payment, are welcomed along with additional languages.
--------------------------------
Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman
behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com
Copyright 2010, 2013, 2017, 2019
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