from
Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman
behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com
Apricots are a cherished part of French
cuisine and have been grown in France for thousands of years, though their
origin is South-Eastern Asia. Apricots were brought to France by the Romans who
for six hundred years made France their home. Wherever they went, apart from cluttering
up the landscape with boring stadiums, aqueducts, roads, temples and mosaic
floors they brought trees including apricots, walnuts, peaches, and cherries. Since then France has made the apricot
its own and if you are visiting France in the apricot season, June through
August, look out for the dishes made with fresh apricots.
Apricot blossoms
www.flickr.com/photos/132623830@N04/33536503353/
Where apricots grow
in France
France’s apricot growing regions include
Occitanie, Provence, and the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes; then in season fresh apricots
will appear on all local menus all well as all over France. In the regions where apricots are grown few
restaurants will have less than two or three dishes that include fresh apricots.
(Occitanie and the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
are two of new super regions created on
1-1-2016 when France reduced the number of mainland administrative regions from
22 to 13 and at the same time changed some names. For the link with more
information about these changes click here).
Dining on Apricots
During one French apricot season, I was
traveling a long way away from France; in Japan. To make me realize the error
of my ways a friend brought me a copy of a superb apricot-centric menu that he
and others had enjoyed in the south of France.
I love Japanese cuisine;
nevertheless, after seeing this menu I
knew that that year I had lost out. In this menu, from the Languedoc-Roussillon
part of Occitanie, the chef had really honored the French take on apricots.
A menu designed around the Apricots of
Languedoc-Roussillon.
To begin:
Vin de Pêche et Abricot – A cold peach and apricot scented wine; the apéritif.
An aperitif of cold
peach and apricot wine.
www.flickr.com/photos/twohungrydudes/5622325575/
The hors d'œuvré:
Bouchées de Brie
aux Abricots – Mouth
sized bites of apricot stuffed with brie cheese; the hors d'œuvrés.
The entrée:
The French first course.
Salade de Magrets
Fumés, Abricots et Légumes d'Été –A salad of smoked ducks’ breast, apricots, and spring vegetables
Interval:
Jus d'Abricots Frais – A small glass of fresh apricot juice; a change from a sorbet:
Le Plat Principal
The main course
Médaillons
de Veau aux Abricots – Round, or oval,
cuts of veal. Prepared and served with the apricots in which the veal was
cooked.
Apricots and veal
Salade
In France, a small green salad will often
be served after the main course.
Salade – A small mixed green salad.
Sorbet
Dessert:
Fine Tarte Sablée aux Abricots et Amandes,
Sorbet Framboise – An
apricot and almond
tart made with a disk of shortcake pastry and served with a raspberry
sorbet.
Apricot tart.
www.flickr.com/photos/moneyticketspassport/7844193844/
Fromage - The cheese course:
Un Plateaux de Fromages du Terroir avec Abricots Secs – A plate of local cheeses served with
dried apricots.
Fruit
The fruit course:
Plateau de Fruits Frais, Abricots, Pêches,
Raisins Blanc – A fresh
fruit plate including apricots,
peaches and white
grapes.
Café
Coffee or herb tea:
Coffee ou Tisane de Arômes d'Abricot et de Pêche –Coffee or herb tea; the herb tea offered
is an apricot and peach tisane. A tisane is an infusion, often translated as a
fruit tea.
Petit Fours
Petit Fours aux Abricots – Those little pastries often served with your
coffee; here they all were made with apricots.
Apricot petit fours
Le dôme à l'abricot
de Jonathan Blot
Le dôme à l'abricot
de Jonathan Blot
Digestif
The after-dinner drink.
Liqueur d'Abricot –An eau-de-vie
d’abricot, an apricot brandy
A Lejay-Lagoute Apricot Eau-de-Vie.
According to my friend, who, together
with all his fellow diners enjoyed and survived this meal; it was served over a
period of three hours. The only wine they drank during this dinner was a dry
Cremant de Limoux AOC/AOP, a sparkling white cremant
from the region of Languedoc-Roussillon, (now part of Occitanie). A meal like this is part of
France’s
Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Cremant de Limoux
Cuvee Royale Cremant de Limoux.
Outside of the French apricot season
Fresh apricots are still available nearly
all year round as out of season apricots come from the USA and Turkey. For
France importing apricots from the USA is practically an obligation as many of
the original cuttings planted in the USA came from France.
Apricots in the
market
www.flickr.com/photos/daffyduke/178277737/
French chefs choose to wait for the
French apricots season before including them in their menus. They consider,
with a degree of certainty that French apricots are better than any other. Then, with
a once in a lifetime menu like the one above who could forget the French
apricots season? Apart from fresh apricots, dried apricots, and, of course,
French apricot eau-de- vies, there are many locally made apricot brandies, and of course,
French apricot conserves, jams, will be on many breakfast menus all year
round.
Angelic Apricot Conserve
Dried Apricots.
Abricot Sec – Dried apricots. The Armenians
passed the art of drying apricots to the Greeks and Romans; that was long
before refrigeration and the Romans or possibly the Greeks brought that art to
France. I was told that drying apricots removes some of their vitamins.
However, dried apricots are still an important addition to the French kitchen.
Dried apricots.
--------------------------------------------
Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman
behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com
Copyright 2010,
2014, 2017, 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" 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?
Amande or Almondine – The almond, the nut. The Almond in French cuisine.
Amande or Almondine – The almond, the nut. The Almond in French cuisine.
Magret de Canard or Lou Magret, Duck
Breast Dishes and Recipes on French Menus.
Médaillon – A Medallion. A Médaillon de Bœuf, Médaillons de Veau, Médaillon de Lotte, Médaillons de Canard and More. Médaillons in French cuisine and Médaillons on French Menus.
Médaillon – A Medallion. A Médaillon de Bœuf, Médaillons de Veau, Médaillon de Lotte, Médaillons de Canard and More. Médaillons in French cuisine and Médaillons on French Menus.
