Behind the French Menu

Anis, Anis Vert - Anise or Aniseed. Anis on French Menus and in Pastis

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Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman

behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com

Anise

Biodiversity Heritage Library

www.flickr.com/photos/biodivlibrary/29056761323/

Anise is also called aniseed, green anise,

and Roman aniseed.

Aniseed is the seed-like fruit of anise.

Anise is the spice behind so many foods that have a licorice (liquorice in British English) taste. You may be buying licorice sweets (candies), but in 98% of the cases, it is anise that is providing the taste.

The scent and taste of licorice are loved in France but the taste of the spice called réglisse, the real licorice, is considered to be too intense for most recipes. Anise heads the list of licorice tasting herbs that chefs work with. Along with Anise, recipes will use aneth, dill; fenouil, fennel; and anis étoile or badiane, star anise, and with so many choices chefs may choose the exact level of the licorice taste they desire. Anise and the others are different plants, but they are all sweet and aromatic.

Anise is the spice behind nearly all licorice accented drinks

Licorice accented drinks in France includes Absinthe, Anisette, Casanis, Pastis, Pastis 51, Pernod, Ricard, and many many more. Outside France anise, flavored drinks include the Greek Ouzo, Italian Sambuca, as well as Lebanese and Israeli Arak. All these liquors are clear, but with the addition of water becomes cloudy, some with a light green shade. (The green color gave the original Absinthe, before it was banned, its nickname La Fée Verte, the Green Fairy).

Pastis Janot from Provence.

Photograph courtesy of Dominic Lockyer

www.flickr.com/photos/farehamwine/24145410493/

Anise is very important in French homeopathic medicine and also flavors and scents soaps, toothpaste, and mouthwashes.

Anise on French Menus:

Brochette de Queues de Gambas et Saints Jacques Flambées a l'Anis – A skewer of jumbo shrimp (tails) and king scallop meat flambéed in anise.

Feuilleté d'Escargots Flambé a l'Anis – Snails in a puff pastry covering flambéed in anise.

Huîtres (6 Pièces) En Escabèche Avec Oignons Caramélisés Et Anis - Oysters (6 pieces) prepared as an escabeche with caramelized onions and flavored with anise.

Banshee Balls (contains anise).

Photograph courtesy of ministryofstories

www.flickr.com/photos/ministryofstories/6151945303/

Médaillon de Queue de Lotte Grillée, Crème d’Anis Vert, Garnitures – A round cut of grilled monkfish tail served with a cream of anise sauce and vegetables.

Pot-au-Feu de Bœuf Avec des Carottes, des Pommes De Terre, Anis, Ail, Gingembre et Sauce Soja –A beef stew prepared with carrots, potatoes, anise, garlic, ginger and soy sauce. A Pot-au-feu also called a Pot Bouilli is at its simplest a traditional beef stew. A traditional pot-au-feu is usually accompanied by fresh country bread, mustard, cornichons and those tasty, small, French pickled white onions. It pays to ask the waiter how the stew is served as the traditional accompaniments may make this dish a meal on its own.

The anise flower

Photograph courtesy of caligula1995

flickr.com/photos/pussreboots/15211786099/

Anise has Mediterranean origins probably in Crete or Egypt; it would have certainly been brought to France by either the Greeks or the Romans who occupied France as they both had many recipes that include anise. If anise arrived earlier, then it would have come with those seaborne Mediterranean wholesalers the Phoenicians. The Phoenicians would have brought it from Egypt where Anise was in use over 3,000 years ago.

There have been many changes in the French kitchen as tastes have changed and French chefs have brought anis étoile, star anise, from China into French recipes and the Chinese now add anise to their Five Spice Powder when they want a mellow accent.

Anis de Flavigny

Anis de Flavigny is a traditional French sweet, candy, called the Anis de Flavigny. It comes from Flavigny-sur-Ozerain in Burgundy in the region of Bourgogne - Franche Comte. Today these traditional sweets are made in other flavors, but they are still called anis.

These French candy, sweet, producers have an English language website:

www.anis-flavigny.com/index2.html#.WbKX1MgjHIU

(Catalan - anís, batafaluga or matafaluga), (Dutch - anijsplant), (German - anise), (Italian - anice anche, anice verde), (Spanish - anís, anís verde).

Connected Posts:

Absinthe; the Original, Notorious Version and Absinthe Today; a Very Different Liquor – Behind the French Menu.

Ail - Garlic. Garlic in French Cuisine.

Aneth – Dill. The spice with a very light aniseed flavor and a favorite in the French kitchen.

Anis Étoile or Badiane - Star Anise the Spice. Star Anise on French Menus.

Carottes - Carrots in French Cuisine.

Coquilles Saint-Jacques and the Vanneaux or Pétoncle. The King Scallop and the Queen Scallop on French Menus. The Coquilles Saint Jacques, and the Vanneaux or Pétoncle in French Cuisine.

Crevettes - Shrimps and Prawns on French Menus. Shrimps and Prawns are Some of the Many Tasty Crustaceans seen in French Cuisine.

Escargots - Snails. Snails on French Menus. How to Order Snails in France.

Fenouil - Fennel, the Herb, and the Vegetable. Fennel on French Menus.

Gingembre – Ginger, the Spice. Ginger is very important in French Cuisine, and Gingerbread is Very Popular.

Huitres. Oysters in France 1. Ordering, Eating, and Enjoying Oysters. Huitres on French Menus.

Lotte or Baudroie - Monkfish or Anglerfish. Monkfish 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.

Behind the French Menu’s links include hundreds of words, names, and phrases that are seen on French menus. There are nearly 400 articles that include over 2,000 French dishes with English translations and explanations. Just add the word, words or phrase that you are searching for to the words "Behind the French Menu" and search with Google or Bing.

Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman

behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com

Daurade Rose or Pagre à Points Bleus - Bluespotted Seabream, the fish, on French Menus.

from
Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman

behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com

Bluespotted Seabream

Photograph courtesy of Tasty Fish.

The Bluespotted Seabream, Red Seabream or the Golden Porgy in the USA. This is a tasty fish with delicate, white, flaky meat. Large fish are usually baked as chefs prefer to cook this fish whole as it keeps in all the flavor and will be served as filets. Smaller fish will be on the menu fried, grilled or steamed. The fish is caught all around the Mediterranean and in the Atlantic near Portugal and the African coast.

The Bluespotted Seabream on French menus:

Daurade Rose Grillée aux Fenouil et Girolles – Grilled filet of bluespotted seabream served with fennel and wild chanterelle mushrooms.

Orange and fennel seabream.

Photograph courtesy of GoodtoKnow

Daurade Rose Rôtie aux Épices et Ragoût de Févettes – The bluespotted seabream roasted with spices and served with a stew of fava beans.

Filet de Daurade Rose Rôtie sur Peau, Beurre de Citron Vert – Filet of bluespotted seabream roasted in its skin and flavored with a lime butter.

Les Nems Crevettes et Daurade Rose, Sauce Chili Douce et Menthe Fraîche – Egg rolls of shrimps and bluespotted seabream served with a sweet chili sauce accented with fresh mint.

Pagre Point Bleu, Grillé sur Peau Roquette Tombée et Radis Noir Pulpe de Citron – Bluespotted seabream grilled in its skin and served with cooked rocket and black radish flavored with lemon pulp. (Tombée means fallen in French, but when used for vegetables and fruits it means they have been cooked and significantly reduced in size. Black radishes are from the same family as red radishes but with an outside black skin that has a sharp bite. Fresh they will usually be served skinned. Here they will have been cooked like turnips together with the rocket).

Bluespotted seabream prepared with lemon and rosemary.

Photograph courtesy of HelloCotton.

Tartare de Daurade Rose, Citron Vert et Gingembre - A fish Tartar made with the Bluespotted Seabream and flavored with lime and ginger.

The Daurade Rose is not to confused with the Dorade Royale, the Gilthead Sea Bream, that may also be on some menus with the name Daurade. The Bluespotted Seabream, the Daurade Rose is caught at sea while its cousin the Gilthead Seabream is mostly a farmed fish.

Bluespotted seabream in the languages of France’s neighbors:

(Catalan - pagre reial),(Dutch - goud brasem), (German – blaufleckenbrasse), (Italian – pagro reale maschiom), (Spanish – hurta, zapata).

Connected Posts:

Beurre - Butter in French. Butter in French Cuisine.

Citron – The lemon; the fruit behind many of France’s culinary successes. Also the Citron Vert - Lime, the Cedrat – the Citron, the Combava – the kaffir lime and the Chadec - the Pomelo.

Chanterelle or Chantarelle Girolle - The Chantarelle Mushroom on French Menus. Three of the Four Chanterelle Girolle Mushrooms in French Cuisine. The Mushrooms of France IV.

Crevettes - Shrimps and Prawns on French Menus. Shrimps and Prawns are Some of the Many Tasty Crustaceans seen in French Cuisine.

Fenouil - Fennel, the Herb, and the Vegetable. Fennel on French Menus.

Gingembre – Ginger, the Spice. Ginger is very important in French Cuisine, and Gingerbread is Very Popular.

Romarin - Rosemary, the Herb in French cuisine.

Tartare - Tartar on French Menus. Steak Tartar, Fish Tartar and Vegetable Tartar.

Turnips, (Navets) Parsnips (Panais) and Swedes (Chou-Navets or Rutabaga). Traditional Root Vegetables in Modern French Cuisine.

Behind the French Menu’s links include hundreds of words, names, and phrases that are seen on French menus. There are nearly 400 articles that include over 2,000 French dishes with English translations and explanations. Add the word, words or phrase that you are searching for to the words "Behind the French Menu" and search with Google or Bing.

Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman

behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com

Shiitake or Lentin du Chêne –The Shiitake Mushroom in French Cuisine. The Mushrooms of France VIII.

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Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman

behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com

Shiitake mushrooms.

Photograph courtesy of Artizone

The shiitake mushroom was well-known from Japanese and Chinese cuisine, but it was only some thirty years ago that French chefs seriously began experimenting with the Shiitake mushroom and including it in French cuisine.

Fresh shiitake in the market.

Photograph courtesy of Moxie G

www.flickr.com/photos/moxieg/3010147956/

The "Champignon" shiitake was, at the outset, only seen in France as a dried import but as the first French farmed shiitake mushrooms entered the French market, it became widely identified with its umami taste that was a new concept in French cuisine. That along with its meaty texture made it a success. (The umami taste is an earthy, savory flavor that highlights other tastes. It is the fifth taste identified by our taste bud receptors and is added to our other tastes sweet, sour, bitter and salty).

Shiitake mushrooms on French Menus:

Côtelettes d'Agneau En Croûte de Fines Herbes, Ragoût de Shiitake et Asperge – Lamb chops prepared in an en croute covering made of France’s most important herb group, the Fine Herbs and served with a stew of shiitake mushrooms and asparagus.

Filet de Bœuf, Purée de Carottes Cumin et Gingembre, Duxelles de Shiitake- A beef fillet, a cut from the tenderloin, served with a carrot puree flavored with cumin and ginger and accompanied by a shiitake duxelles. (Duxelles are finely chopped mushrooms, shallots, and herbs cooked in butter, one of the oldest French culinary creations).

Cultivating shiitake.

Photograph courtesy of Edsel Little

www.flickr.com/photos/edsel_/9868990656/

Fricassée de Ris de Veau aux Lentins de Chêne sur Lit d'Epinards- A stew of veal sweetbreads prepared with shiitake mushrooms and served on a bed of spinach.

Pinces de Crabe et Champignons Shiitake – Crab claws served with Shiitake mushrooms. The crab claws may come France’s favorite crab, the crabe tourteau, the edible brown crab, or more probably imported frozen pincers from the crabe de neige, the snow crab.

Baby bok choy cabbage, chicken, and shiitake mushrooms.

Photograph courtesy of jeffreyw

www.flickr.com/photos/jeffreyww/5187807319/

Risotto Carnaroli aux Mousseron et aux Shiitake – A risotto of the wild St. George's mushroom and the shiitake mushrooms using carnaroli rice. Carnaroli rice is grown over the French border in the Italian region of Piedmont; which is the same region that produces the Arborio and Baldo rice. Carniola is considered, by the cognoscenti, and that includes all French chefs, to be even better for risottos than the other two varieties of rice.

Shiitake risotto

Photograph courtesy of Isidre Torras

www.flickr.com/photos/eldinardelanna/15172675264/

Suprême de Volaille Farcis au Shiitake, Jus Corsé – Breast of chicken stuffed with shiitake mushrooms and served with dish’s natural cooking juices.

The Chinese were farming Shiitake mushrooms at least 400 years before the earliest western success that would lead to France cultivating the Champignon de Paris, the button mushroom. The French words chêne means oak and the shiitake was traditionally grown on oak tree logs which give it one of its French names, the Lentin de Chêne.

Kohlrabi salad with roasted shiitakes

Photograph courtesy of Edsel Little

www.flickr.com/photos/edsel_/8677403222/

Shitake mushrooms have the umami taste that enhances the taste of other foods; these, savory, taste buds receptors were pinpointed by the scientist Kikunae Ikeda in Japan in 1907; the Japanese word umami indicates savory and delicious. Ikeda gave this taste its name and also patented the umami seasoning that contains MSG (monosodium L-glutamate) that he identified.

(Catalan – xiitake), (Dutch - shiitake), (German –shiitakepilz), (Italian - fungo giapponese),(Spanish - hongo shii-take).

Connected Posts:

Asperges en La Cuisine Française – Asparagus in French cuisine. The Artists who Painted Asparagus or Lived Near Argenteuil.

Carottes - Carrots in French Cuisine.

Champignons on French Menus. The Champignon de Paris, the Button Mushroom in French Cuisine. The Mushrooms of France I.

Côte, a rib or rib roast, a cutlet or a chop; Côté, a side or a filet; Côtes, (cotes) the hills or the coast in French. All will be on French menus.

Crabe de Neige – The Snow Crab. The snow crab in French cuisine.

Crabes - Crabs. Crabs Among the Crustaceans on Your French Menu. Crustaceans II.

Duxelles on French Menus. Duxelles in French Cuisine.

Échalotes - Shallots. Shallots on French Menus. Shallots are One of the Most Important Herbs in the French Kitchen

En Croûte (En Croute) on French Menus.

Filet Mignon on French Menus and Filet de Bœuf in French Cuisine.

Kale (Borecole) and its Family Members in French Cuisine. Bok Choy, Cauliflower, Chinese Cabbage, Kale or Borecole, Kolrabi and Romanesco Broccoli on French Menus.

Les Fine Herbes; the Most Important Herb Group in French Cuisine. Les Fine Herbes on French Menus.

Gingembre – Ginger, the Spice. Ginger is very important in French Cuisine, and Gingerbread is Very Popular.

Jus – Fruit or Vegetable Juice and/or a cooked dish’s natural juices on French Menus.

Les Fine Herbes; the Most Important Herb Group in French Cuisine. Les Fine Herbes on French Menus.

Mousseron - The St. George's Mushroom. The St. George's Mushroom on French Menus. The Mushrooms of France II.

Ris de Veau (d'Agneau) - Sweetbreads on French Menus. When sweetbreads are on the menu in France do not pass them by.

Behind the French Menu’s links include hundreds of words, names, and phrases that are seen on French menus. There are nearly 400 articles that include over 2,000 French dishes with English translations and explanations. Add the word, words or phrase that you are searching for to the words "Behind the French Menu" and search with Google or Bing.

Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman

behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com

Boutargue or Poutargue – Mediterranean Caviar? Boutargue on French Menus.

from
Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman

behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com

Botargue

Photograph courtesy of J. Barthouil

Boutargue is the salted and dried roe of the gray mullet and a Provençal delicacy which some compare to caviar though apart from both being fish eggs, its taste is very different. Boutargue has a concentrated flavor, and you can taste the brine with a texture that is soft but can just be felt on your teeth. Similarly prepared is Boutargue de Thon which is made with roe from the bluefin tuna.

Poutargue is boutargue in the Provencal dialect.

Traditionally boutargue is made in the shape that came when it was taken from the fish, and then it is salted and dried and covered in beeswax; however, now you may see boutargue formed differently and vacuumed packed. As boutargue’s fame has spread among the visitors to France so has the way it is served, and that may add a glass of champagne, just like 24-carat caviar.

Boutargue on French menus:

Asperge Verte Rôtie, Poutargue, et Citron Confit - Roasted green asparagus, boutargue and lemon confit.

Carpaccio d'Artichauts et Poutargue, Sauce Citron – A Carpaccio of artichokes prepared with boutargue and served in a lemon sauce.

Grated boutargue

Photograph courtesy of bottarga com

Pâtes Froides en Salade Poutargue, Persil Plat – Boutargue salad served with cold pasta and flavored with flat parsley. French chefs give lots of thought to the herbs they use, and flat parsley has more oil and consequently more flavor than curly parsley.

Spaghetti Huile d'Olive Extra Verge, Ail et Lamelles de Boutargue de Thon - Spaghetti served with virgin olive oil and flavored with garlic and thin slices of bluetuna boutargue.

Tagliatelle with bluefin tuna boutargue

Photograph courtesy of ProduitstiPiquementItaliens.fr

Salade de Roquette au Crévettes et Boutargue de Mulet – A rocket salad served with shrimps and gray mullet boutargue.

In a charcuterie-traiteur, a French delicatessen, botargue may also be called Caviar Martégal, Caviar de Martigues or Caviar de la Méditerranée. It may be offered vacuum packed, with or without the traditional wax or grated.

The town of Martigues in Provence

The center for boutargue is the beautiful coastal town and fishing port of. Martigues in the department of Bouches-du-Rhône, Provence, Alpes du Sud. Martigues is just 41 km (26 miles) from the port city of Marseilles and equidistant from the eastern border of the Camargue. Martigues has canals that allow it to claim the name of the Venice of Provence and along with its Mediterranean sea setting, it also borders the Étang de Berre lagoon.

Martigues

Photograph courtesy of Elliott Brown

Martigues has an English language website, just click on the British flag:

http://www.martigues-tourisme.com/

All the Mediterranean countries argue about who first made this type of salted and dried roe famous. The greatest influence on French boutargue recipes must go to the Italians, but the Italians owe a debt to the ancient Greeks and probably to the ancient Egyptians

Boutargue in the languages of France’s neighbors:

(Catalan - botarga), (Dutch -bottarga), (German - bottarga), (Italian - bottarga), (Spanish -botarga).

Connected Posts:

Ail - Garlic. Garlic in French Cuisine.

Artichauts, an Artichoke in French. Artichokes on French Menus

Asperges en La Cuisine Française – Asparagus in French cuisine. The Artists who Painted Asparagus or Lived Near Argenteuil.

The Camargue, France. The Land, its People, its Produce and its Cuisine.

Carpaccio on French Menus.

Caviar in France. The Different Caviars on French Menus. Sturgeon, the fish, Esturgeon on French menus.

Champagne the Most Famous Sparkling Wine in the World. Choosing the Champagne that Meets your Sweetness Preferences.

Charcuterie-Traiteurs in France. The Ultimate Full Service Delicatessen?

Confit? All About That Confit on Your French Menu. Confit in French Cuisine.

Citron – The lemon; the fruit behind many of France’s culinary successes. Also the Citron Vert - Lime, the Cedrat – the Citron, the Combava – the kaffir lime and the Chadec - the Pomelo.

Crevettes - Shrimps and Prawns on French Menus. Shrimps and Prawns are Some of the Many Tasty Crustaceans seen in French Cuisine.

French Olive Oils. Enjoying France's Best Olive Oils.

Mulet and Mulet Dore on French Menus. Grey Mullet and Golden Grey Mullet, the Fish.

Persil - Parsley in French Cuisine. Parsley on French menus.

Thon: Tuna, the Fish. Tuna in French Cuisine.

Behind the French Menu’s links include hundreds of words, names, and phrases that are seen on French menus. There are nearly 400 articles that include over 2,000 French dishes with English translations and explanations. Add the word, words or phrase that you are searching for to the words "Behind the French Menu" and search with Google or Bing.