pâté

Pâté ( , , ) is a forcemeat. Originally, the dish was cooked in a pastry case; in more recent times it is more usually cooked without pastry in a terrine. Various ingredients are used, which may include meat from pork, poultry, fish or beef; fat; vegetables; herbs; spices; wine; and brandy.

History and etymology

Both the '' Dictionnaire de l'Académie française'' and the ''Oxford English Dictionary'' (OED) date the term back to the 12th century. The former gives the original meaning as a "culinary preparation consisting of minced meat or fish surrounded by dough and baked in the oven"; the OED's definition is "a pie or pastry usually filled with finely minced meat, fish, vegetables, etc." The French words (pastry) and are both derived from the Latin meaning paste or dough (as is the English "pastry"). By the 19th century the pastry case was often dispensed with. According to '' Larousse Gastronomique'', when there is a pastry case the dish is and when there is not, and the mixture is cooked in a dish (called a ), it is , often abbreviated to or , terms used interchangeably in both French and English usage.Beullac, p. 922 A patty is a similar dish, and its name comes from a 19th-century English corruption of the French word pâté.

Pâté was known to the Romans, who generally made it with pork, although other main ingredients might include marinated and spiced birds' tongues. In the Middle Ages, there were numerous recipes for (meats – pork, poultry, game or fish – cooked in pastry).

Tinned pâté, being shelf-stable, has sometimes been included in military rations, for, among others, the French Armed Forces, whose rations have included tinned pâté for more than 100 years.

Varieties

There are numerous varieties of French pâtés or terrines, including:

Parfait

Chicken liver is a subtype of pâté. Instead of first cooking the livers in butter, for a they are initially pureéd when raw and then passed through a sieve or put in a blender before being mixed with, typically, eggs, fortified wine, shallots, thyme, garlic and cognac and cooked in a until set. This allows for a smoother texture.

Other countries

In Central and Eastern Europe, pâté from liver is very popular and it is commonly known as ''pashtet'' (, "pâté", ). Liver from other animals (such as cow) can also be used. The liver is first cooked (boiled or fried) and mixed with butter or fat and seasonings such as fresh or fried onions, carrots, spices, and herbs. It can be further cooked (usually baked), but most often used without any other preparation. In Russia, the pâté is served on a plate or in a bowl, and is typically moulded into the shapes of animals, such as hedgehogs.

In Ashkenazi Jewish cuisine, a similar recipe is known as chopped liver, with schmaltz used instead of butter and hard-boiled eggs frequently 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 Vietnamese cuisine, pâté is commonly used on '' baguette''-type sandwiches.

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''

See also

* Cretons
* Fatback
* Galantine
* Gefilte fish
* Head cheese
* Offal
* Rillettes
* Foie gras
* Liver paté
* Liver spread
* List of spreads
* Livermush

References

Sources

*
*
*
*
*
*

External links

*

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