Gougère
 Gruyère cheese gougères | |
| Type | Choux pastry |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | France |
| Main ingredients | Choux pastry, cheese (usually Gruyère, Comté, or Emmental) |
A gougère (French: [ɡuʒɛʁ]), in French cuisine, is a baked savory choux pastry made of choux dough mixed with cheese. There are many variants. The cheese is commonly grated Gruyère, Comté, or Emmentaler,[1][2] but there are many variants using other cheeses or other ingredients.
Gougères are said to come from Burgundy, particularly the town of Tonnerre in the Yonne department.[3]
Gougères can be made as small pastries, 3–4 cm (1.2–1.6 in) in diameter; aperitif gougères, 10–12 cm (3.9–4.7 in); individual gougères; or in a ring. Sometimes they are filled with ingredients such as mushrooms, beef, or ham; in this case the gougère is usually made using a ring or pie tin.
In Burgundy, they are generally served cold when tasting wine in cellars, but are also served warm as an appetizer.
History
[edit]While the term currently refers specifically to savory choux pastries, eighteenth and nineteenth century records suggest that it was once an umbrella term for a number of preparations, some composed of just cheese, eggs, and breadcrumbs.[4] The presentation was usually a flat circle, neither a sphere nor a ring.[5][6]
Earlier forms of gougère were more a stew than a pastry, including herbs, bacon, eggs, cheese, spices, and meat mixed with an animal's blood, and prepared in a sheep's stomach. In medieval France, it was a kind of cheese tart or pie. Later, it was unknown outside what is now Belgium, where it became associated with Palm Sunday.[7] But it was also attested in Auxerre (Burgundy) in the 19th century under the name gouere.[8]
Name
[edit]The word gougère was formerly spelled gouiere, gouyere,[9] goïère, goyère, or gouyère.[4] The modern spelling appears to date from the 18th century.[9]
The ultimate origin of the word is unknown.
See also
[edit]
References
[edit]- ^ Daniel Young, The Bistros, Brasseries, and Wine Bars of Paris, p. 20. ISBN 0-06-059073-4.
- ^ Larousse Gastronomique, 1988 edition, 2001 translation. ISBN 0-609-60971-8.
- ^ Larousse Gastronomique, 1st edition
- ^ a b Pierre Larousse, Grand dictionnaire universel du XIXe siècle, 1872, s.v. gougère, though this may be an error
- ^ Noël Chomel, Dictionnaire Oeconomique: Contenant Divers Moyens D'Augmenter Son Bien, Et De Conserver Sa Santé Google Books
- ^ Prudence Boissière, Dictionnaire analogique de la langue française: répertoire complet des mots par les idées et des idées par les mots, 1862 Google Books
- ^ Frédéric Eugène Godefroy, Dictionnaire de l'ancienne langue française et de tous ses dialectes du ixe au xve siècle, 1885 Google Books
- ^ Jean-Baptiste de La Curne, Dictionnaire historique de l'ancien langage françois, 1879 Google Books
- ^ a b Trésor de la langue française, s.v. gougère
