Pâté de pommes de terre.JPG

''Pâté'' ( , , ) is a paste, pie or loaf filled with a forcemeat. Common forcemeats include ground meat from pork, poultry, fish or beef; fat, vegetables, herbs, spices and either wine or brandy (often cognac or armagnac). It is often served on or with bread or crackers.

Pâté can be served either hot or cold, but it is considered to develop its best flavors after a few days of chilling.

History

Pâté is believed to have originated in medieval France. The word pâté derives from the Old French word patete, which referred to any sort of paste. It was used to refer to the filling of any sort of pastry. Pâté is believed to have developed as a means of preserving the meat of game that could not be kept fresh. In the 16th century, it became popular with French royalty, and in the 17th century, the first recorded pâtés appeared. The first pâtés were made from a mixture of beef and chicken with various spices. By the 19th century, pâté was a staple in French cuisine.

Variations

In French or Belgian cuisine, ''pâté'' may be baked in a crust as pie or loaf, in which case it is called ''pâté en croûte'', or baked in a terrine (or other mold), in which case it is known as ''pâté en terrine''. Traditionally, a forcemeat mixture cooked and served in a terrine is also called a terrine. The most famous pâté is probably ''pâté de foie gras'', made from the livers of fattened geese.

''Pâté en croûte'' is baked with the insertion of "chimneys" on top: small tubes or funnels that allow steam to escape, thus keeping the pastry crust from turning damp or soggy. Baked ''pâté en croûte'' usually develops an air bubble under the crust top as the meat mixture shrinks during baking; this is traditionally dealt with by infusing semi-liquid aspic in the hollow space before chilling.

In Poland, ''pasztet'' is made from poultry, fish, venison, ham, or pork with eggs, flour, bread crumbs, and a varied range of additions, such as pepper, tomato sauce, mushrooms, spices, vegetables, ginger, nutmeg, cheese, or sugar.

In Russia, the dish is mostly prepared with beef, goose or chicken liver and thus is commonly known as ''pechyonochniy pashtet'' (russian: печёночный паштет, "liver pâté"); however, other meats also can be used. Unlike the Western European method, the liver is first cooked (boiled or fried) and mixed with butter or fat and seasoning such as fresh or fried onion, carrots, spices and herbs. It can be further cooked (usually baked), but most often is used without any other preparation. In Russia, the pâté is served on a plate or in a bowl, and is often molded into the shapes of animals, such as hedgehogs.

A similar recipe is known as chopped liver in Ashkenazi Jewish cuisine, with schmaltz used instead of butter and hard-boiled eggs usually added. Another common type of pâté in Jewish cuisine, also popular in Russia and Ukraine, is ''vorschmack'' or ''gehakte herring'' (chopped herring).В. В. Похлебкин. ''Национальные кухни наших народов''. Москва, изд. Пищевая пром-сть, 1980
Еврейская кухня
( William Pokhlyobkin. ''The Ethnic Cuisines of our Peoples''. Moscow, Food Industry publishing house, 1980; Russian)

In the former Yugoslavia, ''pašteta'' or ''паштета'' (a thinly pureed pâté) is a popular bread spread usually made from liver, chicken, pork, ham, beef, turkey or less commonly tuna or salmon.

In Vietnamese cuisine, pâté is commonly used on '' bánh mì'' '' baguette''-type sandwiches.Pork and Pâté Vietnamese Sandwich (''Banh Mi'')
/ref> Pâté of this type is more commonly made from liver.

File:Terrine de sanglier.JPG, Wild boar terrine
File:Chopped liver.jpg, Chopped liver
File:Форшмак по-одесски.jpg, ''Vorschmack'' (chopped herring)
File:Easter_food_in_Poland,_Polish_Easter_Breakfast_01.jpg, Polish ''pasztet''

Liver sausage

In much of northern and central Europe, there are soft, spreadable sausages made primarily with liver and sometimes confused with pâté.

See also

* Cretons
* Chopped liver
* Fatback
* Galantine
* Gefilte fish
* Head cheese
* Offal
* Rillettes
* Leverpostej
* Liver spread
* List of spreads
* Livermush

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Pate
Appetizers
Belgian cuisine
Charcuterie
Food paste
French cuisine
Garde manger
Liver (food)
Offal
Spreads (food)
Vietnamese cuisine
Ground meat