The (plural, ) is a traditional French dish, dating back to the sixteenth century. Slices of veal are studded with bacon and slowly braised. Each slice is served whole, and the result is intended to be so tender than it can be cut with a spoon. In the past other meats have been used, but veal is now usual.
History and etymology The dates the term back to the sixteenth century, and says that it derives from , to make a fricassee."", . Retrieved 20 April 2026 Earlier editions mention beef or rabbit as possible meats, but the current edition mentions only veal. Alexandre Dumas makes reference to in his (1873), presenting "Old-fashioned – an old recipe that is better than the current way of doing things".Dumas, p. 571 Both Dickens and Thackeray were familiar with the dish,Johnson, p. 49; and Norton Ray, p. 293 as were Abraham Lincoln and Benjamin Disraeli.Sandburg, p. 120; and Pearson, p. 10 The dish was taken up in Austria,Hess, p. 130 the Netherlands,Born, p. 55 Poland,Ochorowicz-Monatowa, p. 120 and Switzerland,Donselaar, p. 69 Eliza Acton gave a recipe for it in her Modern Cookery for Private Families (1845).Acton, p. 210
The first recorded mention of the word in English was in 1706, and it was still well enough known in Britain for H. W. Fowler to have an entry for it in his Modern English Usage (1926),Fowler, p. 204 although it was dropped when Sir Ernest Gowers revised the book in 1965.Fowler and Gowers, p. 214 Auguste Escoffier gave a recipe for in his (1903) and Madame Saint-Ange (1927) published a considerably fuller one.Escoffier, pp. 663–664Saint-Ange, pp. 435–437
Contents are slices of veal taken from the – broadly the same as the silverside in English butchery or the bottom round in American – cut in the direction of the grain of the meat. Their thickness, according to Escoffier, must not exceed 4 centimetres (1.5 inches). The surface of the meat is beaten to break up the fibres and a larding needle is then used to stud the veal with fatty bacon lardons. The meat is lightly sealed – not browned – in a frying pan with butter. It is then gently braised on the hob in white wine or veal stock or both, together with onions and carrots. When the liquids have reduced to a syrupy consistency the cooking continues in the oven.
The dish was traditionally so tender that it was cut with a spoon rather than a knife. It was at one time usually accompanied by sorrel (), but according to Madame Saint-Ange the herb was believed to cause gout. In her 1927 book she wrote that was:
Dumas took the view that most cooks used too much stock, so that the meat lacked flavour. The gourmet and food writer Curnonsky recommended using cognac instead of white wine.Curnonsky, p. 48
Variants Although it has the same name, the of the Auvergne is quite different from the customary , being a sort of pork pâté.Root, p. 267 The name has also been used for dishes of sturgeon and sweetbreads.Pratz, pp. 88 and 134
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