![Avocado gratin](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/69/Avocado_gratin.jpg)
Gratin () is a culinary technique in which an ingredient is topped with a
browned crust, often using
breadcrumbs
Bread crumbs or breadcrumbs (regional variants including breading and crispies) consist of crumbled bread of various dryness, sometimes with seasonings added, used for breading or crumbing foods, topping casseroles, stuffing poultry, thickeni ...
,
grated cheese
Grated cheese is cheese that has been grated. Typically, aged hard cheeses are used. Cheese can be grated by hand using a hand grater, and can be bought already grated. Commercial grated cheeses are often blends of cheeses.
Shredded cheese i ...
, egg or butter.
[Courtine, Robert J. (ed.) (2003) ''The Concise Larousse Gastronomique'' London: Hamlyn ] The term may be applied to any dish made using this method. Gratin is usually prepared in a shallow dish of some kind. A gratin is baked or cooked under an
overhead grill or broiler to form a golden crust on top and is often served in its baking dish.
A ''gratin dish'' is a shallow oven-proof container used to prepare gratins and similar dishes.
Terminology
The
etymology
Etymology ()The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p. 633 "Etymology /ˌɛtɪˈmɒlədʒi/ the study of the class in words and the way their meanings have changed throughout time". is the study of the history of the Phonological chan ...
of gratin is from the
French language words ''gratter'', meaning "to scrape" or "to grate" (for example, "scrapings" of bread or cheese), and ''gratiné'', from the transitive verb form of the word for crust or skin. The technique predates the current name, which did not appear in English until 1846 (''
OED
The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' (''OED'') is the first and foundational historical dictionary of the English language, published by Oxford University Press (OUP). It traces the historical development of the English language, providing a co ...
'', ''s.v.'' "gratin").
In addition to the well-known potato dishes such as ''
gratin dauphinois
Gratin dauphinois is a French dish of sliced potatoes baked in milk or cream, using the gratin technique, from the Dauphiné region in south-eastern France. There are many variants of the name of the dish, including pommes de terre dauphinoise ...
'', ''gratin'' may be applied to many other bases of meat, fish, vegetables, or pasta.
Preparations
Many gratinéed dishes are topped with
béchamel,
mornay or other sauces.
Potato-based
Potatoes gratiné
![Gratin-Dauphinois](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0b/Gratin-Dauphinois.jpg)
''Potatoes gratiné'' is one of the most common gratins and is known by various names, including "gratin potatoes" and "Gratin de pommes de terre." Slices of boiled potato are put in a buttered fireproof dish, sprinkled with cheese, and browned in the oven or under the grill (broiler). They may also be baked under a steamed crust of potatoes.
[Elvia Firuski; Maurice Firuski (eds.) (1952) ''The Best of Boulestin''. London: William Heinemann. p. 249.] In North America, the dish is referred to variously as ''funeral potatoes,'' ''potatoes au gratin,'' ''scalloped potatoes,'' or ''au gratin potatoes.'' In French-speaking Canada, the dish is referred to as ''patates au gratin.'' Australians and New Zealanders refer to it as ''scalloped potatoes'' or ''potato bake.'' In North America, traditionally ''au gratin potatoes'' include cheese, and ''scalloped potatoes'' do not, but this classic differentiation has been lost to time.
Pommes de terre gratinées
To make ''pommes de terre gratinées'', or "potatoes with cheese," according to the recipe of
Marcel Boulestin, large floury potatoes are baked in the oven, then halved and the flesh scooped from the skins. The flesh is mashed with butter, cream, grated cheese, and seasoning(s). The mix is then scooped back into the skins, arranged in a baking dish, sprinkled with grated cheese, and browned in the oven or under the grill. This preparation is also called twice-baked potatoes.
[
]
Gratin dauphinois
''Gratin dauphinois'' is a speciality of the Dauphiné
The Dauphiné (, ) is a former province in Southeastern France, whose area roughly corresponded to that of the present departments of Isère, Drôme and Hautes-Alpes. The Dauphiné was originally the Dauphiné of Viennois.
In the 12th centu ...
region of France. The dish is typically made with thinly sliced and layered potatoes, and cream, cooked in a buttered dish rubbed with garlic. Some recipes add cheese and eggs.[Elizabeth David (1964 ]960
Year 960 ( CMLX) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
By place
Byzantine Empire
* Summer – Siege of Chandax: A Byzantine fleet with an expeditionary force (co ...
''French Provincial Cooking''. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books. pp. 251–2. It is called potatoes au gratin in American English.
Gratin savoyard
Gratin savoyard is a similar dish found in the adjacent Savoie
Savoie (; Arpitan: ''Savouè'' or ''Savouè-d'Avâl''; English: ''Savoy'' ) is a department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, Southeastern France. Located in the French Alps, its prefecture is Chambéry. In 2019, Savoie had a population ...
(Savoy) department. It consists of alternating layers of sliced potatoes, Beaufort cheese, and pieces of butter, with bouillon
Bouillon can refer to:
Food
* Bouillon (broth), a simple broth
** Court-bouillon, a quick broth
* Bouillon (soup), a Haitian soup
* Bouillon (restaurant), a traditional type of French restaurant
**Bouillon Chartier, a bouillon restaurant foun ...
as the liquid. Cream is not used.
Other preparations
Pasta
The Neapolitan dish pasta al gratin (also referred to as pasta au gratin in American English) may be made with various kinds of pasta
Pasta (, ; ) is a type of food typically made from an unleavened dough of wheat flour mixed with water or eggs, and formed into sheets or other shapes, then cooked by boiling or baking. Rice flour, or legumes such as beans or lentils, ar ...
, including penne
Penne () is an Extrusion, extruded type of pasta with cylinder (geometry), cylinder-shaped pieces, their ends cut at an angle. ''Penne'' is the plural form of the Italian ''penna'' (meaning ''feather'' but ''pen'' as well), deriving from Latin ' ...
, rigatoni
Rigatoni () are a form of tube-shaped pasta of varying lengths and diameters originating in Italy. They are larger than penne and ziti, and sometimes slightly curved. If so, they are not as curved as elbow macaroni. Rigatoni characteristically ...
, fusilli
Fusilli () are a variety of pasta that are formed into corkscrew or helical shapes. The word ''fusilli'' presumably comes from ''fuso'' ("spindle"), as traditionally it is "spun" by pressing and rolling a small rod over the thin strips of pasta to ...
/ spirelli, macaroni, or tagliatelle
Tagliatelle (; from the Italian ''tagliare'', meaning "to cut") are a traditional type of pasta from the Emilia-Romagna and Marche regions of Italy. Individual pieces of ''tagliatelle'' are long, flat ribbons that are similar in shape to fettucci ...
. The pasta is cooked al dente, then covered with béchamel sauce
Bechamel sauce ( ) is a sauce traditionally made from a white roux (butter and flour in a 1:1 mixture by weight) and milk. Bechamel may also be referred to as besciamella (Italy), besamel (Greece), or white sauce (U.S.). French, Italian and Gree ...
, cheese (typically a mixture including scamorza
Scamorza () is a Southern Italian cow's milk cheese. It can also be made from other milks, but that is less common. It is a stretched-curd cheese, in which the fresh curd matures in its own whey for several hours to allow acidity to develop th ...
, mozzarella
Mozzarella (, ; nap, muzzarella ) is a southern Italian cheese traditionally made from Italian buffalo's milk by the pasta filata method.
Fresh mozzarella is generally white but when seasoned it turns to a light yellow depending on the anim ...
or parmesan
Parmesan ( it, Parmigiano Reggiano; ) is an Italian hard, granular cheese produced from cows’ milk and aged at least 12 months.
It is named after two of the areas which produce it, the provinces of Parma and Reggio Emilia (''Parmigiano'' ...
) and breadcrumbs, then baked.
Seafood
''Sole au gratin'' is a sole gratin, often covered with mushrooms. Many fish-based gratins use a white gratin sauce and cheese and brown quickly. ''Cozze gratinate'' is a mussels-based recipe found in Italy.
''Janssons frestelse
Jansson's temptation (Swedish: Janssons frestelse ()) is a traditional Swedish casserole made of potatoes, onions, pickled sprats, bread crumbs and cream. It is commonly included in a Swedish '' julbord'' (Christmas ''smörgåsbord''), and the ...
'' ("Jansson's Temptation") is a Swedish
Swedish or ' may refer to:
Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically:
* Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland
** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...
gratin of potatoes, onions, and preserved fish, somewhat similar to a French dish of potatoes with anchovies.
Vegetable
''Gratin Languedocien'' is made with eggplant and tomato
The tomato is the edible berry of the plant ''Solanum lycopersicum'', commonly known as the tomato plant. The species originated in western South America, Mexico, and Central America. The Mexican Nahuatl word gave rise to the Spanish word ...
, covered in breadcrumbs and oil, then browned. This dish is similar to the Italian dish known as '' melanzane alla parmigiana''. Other vegetables commonly used in gratin dishes include cauliflower, spinach, and butternut squash
Butternut squash ('' Cucurbita moschata''), known in Australia and New Zealand as butternut pumpkin or gramma, is a type of winter squash that grows on a vine. It has a sweet, nutty taste similar to that of a pumpkin. It has tan-yellow skin an ...
.
See also
* List of casserole dishes
This is a list of notable casserole dishes. A casserole, probably from the archaic French word ''casse'' meaning a small saucepan, is a large, deep dish used both in the oven and as a serving vessel. The word is also used for the food cooked and s ...
References
{{Subject bar, portal1=Food, portal2=France, commons=yes, commons-search=Gratin, wikt=yes
Casserole dishes
French cuisine
Cuisine of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Potato dishes
Baked foods