Aspic

For the space research organization, see ASPIC.

An aspic with chicken and eggs.

Fish in aspic. Vegetables and fish stocks need gelatin to create a mold

Aspic is a dish in which ingredients are set into a gelatin made from a meat stock or consommé. Non-savory dishes, often made with commercial gelatin mixes without stock or consommé, are usually called jello salads in the United States or gelatin salads elsewhere.

When cooled, stock that is made from meat congeals because of the natural gelatin found in the meat. The stock can be clarified with egg whites, and then filled and flavored just before the aspic sets. Almost any type of food can be set into aspics. Most common are meat pieces, fruits, or vegetables. Aspics are usually served on cold plates so that the gel will not melt before being eaten. A meat jelly that includes cream is called a chaud-froid.

Almost any meat, poultry, or fish can be used to make gelatin. The aspic may need additional gelatin in order to set properly. Veal stock provides a great deal of gelatin; in making stock, veal is often included with other meat for that reason. Fish consommés usually have too little natural gelatin, so the fish stock may be double-cooked or supplemented. Since fish gelatin melts at a lower temperature than gelatins of other meats, fish aspic is more delicate and melts more readily in the mouth.

Vegetables and fish stocks need gelatin to maintain a molded shape.

History

Historically, meat aspics were made before fruit- and vegetable-flavored aspics or 'jellies' (UK) and 'gelatins' (North America). By the Middle Ages at the latest, cooks had discovered that a thickened meat broth could be made into a jelly. A detailed recipe for aspic is found in Le Viandier, written in or around 1375.

In the early 19th century, Marie-Antoine Carême created chaud froid in France. Chaud froid means "hot cold" in French, referring to foods that were prepared hot and served cold. Aspic was used as a chaud froid sauce in many cold fish and poultry meals. The sauce added moisture and flavor to the food. Carême invented various types of aspic and ways of preparing it. Aspic, when used to hold meats, prevents them from becoming spoiled. The gelatin keeps out air and bacteria, keeping the cooked meat fresh.

Aspic came into prominence in America in the early 20th century. By the 1950s, meat aspic was a popular dinner staple throughout the United States as were other gelatin-based dishes such as tomato aspic. Cooks used to show off aesthetic skills by creating inventive aspics.

Uses

A speciality of northern Thailand, kaeng kradang is a Thai curry aspic

Aspic can also be referred as aspic gelée or aspic jelly. Aspic jelly may be colorless (white aspic) or contain various shades of amber. Aspic can be used to protect food from the air, to give food more flavor, or as a decoration.

There are three types of aspic: delicate, sliceable, and inedible. The delicate aspic is soft. The sliceable aspic must be made in a terrine or in an aspic mold. It is firmer than the delicate aspic. The inedible aspic is never for consumption. It is usually for decoration. Aspic is often used to glaze food pieces in food competitions to make the food glisten and make it more appealing to the eye. Foods dipped in aspic have a lacquered finish for a fancy presentation. Aspic can be cut into various shapes and be used as a garnish for deli meats or pâtés.

Pork jelly

Pork jelly

Type	Aspic
Course	Hors d'oeuvre
Main ingredients	Low-grade cuts of pig meat (trotters)
Media: Pork jelly

Pork jelly is an aspic made from low-grade cuts of pig meat, such as trotters, containing a significant proportion of connective tissue. Pork jelly is a popular appetizer and, nowadays, is sometimes prepared in a more modern version using lean meat, with or without pig leftovers which are substituted with store-bought gelatin. It is very popular in Croatia (especially in the northwest where it's called "hladetina" or "hladnetina"), Serbia (where it is called "пихтије/pihtije"), Poland (where it is called galareta), in Romania and Moldova (piftie, răcitură), in Estonia (sült), in Latvia (aukstā gaļa), in Lithuania ("šaltiena"), in Slovakia (huspenina, studeno), in Hungary (kocsonya; can also refer to aspic of other meats), in Greece (where it is called pichti), in Ukraine originally хішкаi(hishkay) or studinats but since 1930's the russian word was forced to be used except in the worldwide diaspora community. In Russia, Belarus, Ukraine (kholodets, kholodne) during Christmas or Easter, in Russia ''kholodets'' is a traditional winter and especially New Years dish which is eaten with mustard, in Vietnam ("thịt nấu đông") during Lunar New Year. The meat in pork pies is preserved using pork jelly.

Preparation

The preparation of pork jelly includes placing lean pork meat, trotters, rind, ears and snout in a pot of cold water, and letting it cook over a slow fire for three hours. The broth is allowed to cool, while also removing any undesirable fat. Subsequently, white vinegar and the juice of half an orange or lemon can be added to the meat so that it is covered. The entire mixture is then allowed to cool and gel. Bay leaves or chili can be added to the broth for added taste (the Romanian variety is based on garlic and includes no vinegar, orange, lemon, chili, bay leaves, etc.). However, there are many alternate ways of preparing pork jelly, such as the usage of celery, beef and even pig bones. Poultry jellies are made the same way as making pork jelly, but less water is added to compensate for lower natural gelatin content.

Pihtije

Pihtije on lettuce with eggs

Pihtije cubes

Pihtije (Serbian Cyrillic: пихтије), pivtija (Macedonian: пивтија), pača (Bulgarian: пача), piftie or răcitură in Romanian is an aspic-like dish, generally made from low-cost pork meat, such as the head, shank and/or hock made into a semi-consistent gelatinous cake-like form. In some varieties, chicken is used instead of pork. Some recipes also include smoked meat.

Pihtije is commonly just one component of the traditional meal (or an appetizer), although it can be served as a main dish. It is usually accompanied by cold rakija (strong šljivovica or apricot brandy is common, but quince brandy is sometimes used) and turšija (cold pickled vegetables, usually horse-radish, bell peppers, hot peppers, green tomatoes and cabbage/sauerkraut).

The recipe calls for the meat to be cleaned, washed and then boiled for a short time, no longer than 5–10 minutes. Then the water is changed, and vegetables and spices are added (usually pepper, bay leaves, onion, carrots, celery). This is cooked until the meat begins to separate from the bones by itself; then, the bones are removed, the meat stock is filtered and the meat and stock are poured into shallow bowls.

Garlic is added, as well as thin slices of carrots or green peppers, or something similar for decoration. It is left to sit in a cold spot, such as a fridge or outside if the weather is cold enough (this is a traditional winter dish). It congeals into jelly and can be cut into cubes (it is often said that good pihtijas are "cut like glass"). These cubes can be sprinkled with dried ground red paprika ( aleva paprika ), as desired, before serving.

Pihtije is usually cut and served in equal sized cubes.

Pihtije are frequently used in slavas and other celebratory occasions with Serbs.

Romanian and Moldovan piftie

Moldovan chicken răcitură

Romanian and Moldovan piftie (răcitură) is usually made with pork offal, boiled with garlic and bay leaves. Piftie has a different method of preparation. Usually the pig's trotters are boiled to make a soup; the trotters are used because they contain a lot more gelatin than any other part of the pig. The mixture is then cooled to become a jelly. Usually garlic is added. Piftie is traditionally served for Epiphany.

International variants

Asia

Korea

Jokpyeon (족편) is a dish prepared by boiling cow's trotters and/or other cuts with high collagen content, such as cow's head, skin, tail and pig's head in water for a long time, so that the stewing liquid sets to form a jelly-like substance when cooled.

Nepal

Among the Newars of Kathmandu Valley in Nepal, buffalo meat jelly--known as "Ta khaa" --is a major component of the winter festivity gourmet. It is eaten in combination with fish aspic ("Sanyaa Khunna"), which is made from dried fish and buffalo meat stock, soured, and contains a heavy mix of spices and condiments.

Europe, Russia

Eastern Europe

Ukrainian aspic - kholodets' with chopped horseradish (khren)

In Russian, Belarusian and Ukrainian cuisine, a meat aspic dish is called kholodets (Russian: холодец, Belarusian: халадзец, Ukrainian: холодець) derived from the word kholod meaning "cold." In some parts of Russia it is called studen' (студень), derived from another root with a similar meaning. The dish is mostly part of winter holiday festive meals, although modern refrigerators allow to cook it all year round, and it is not surprising to see kholodets on a Russian table in summer. However, kholodets is still considered as a traditional New Year's dish in Russia and is usually eaten with mustard. In Central, Eastern, and Northern Europe, aspic often takes the form of pork jelly, and it is popular around the Christmas and Easter Holidays. A Georgian version is called mujuji (მუჟუჟი). In Poland certain meats, fish and vegetables are set in aspic, creating a dish called "galareta".

Kholodets are usually made by boiling the bones and meat for about 5-8 hours to produce a fatty broth, mixed with salt, pepper and other spices. After boiling, the meat is separated from the bones and minced into small pieces, then returned into the broth and cooled down until solidifying into a jelly.

Croatia

The Croatian version of this dish is called hladetina (hladno meaning cold). Variants range from one served in a dish with lot or rather delicate gelatin, to tlačenica more resembling German Sülze, a kind of head cheese.

Slovenia

In Slovenia, aspic is known as žolca, and is traditionally served for Easter. The word comes from the German Sülze, which originally means head cheese (otherwise known as tlačenka in Slovene).

Denmark

In Denmark aspic is called sky and is mainly used as a topping in open sandwiches, it is made from meat juices and gelatin, sometimes with mushrooms in. Sky is almost solely used in the Danish open faced sandwiches, smørrebrød, where is it a topping for cold cuts. It is in particular important in Dyrlægens natmad (The Veterinarian's Midnight Snack), where it is used with leverpostej, sliced salt beef and onions. It is also used on top of rullepølse. Sky, with and without mushrooms, is an easy-to-find product in all supermarkets.

Hungary

In Hungary aspic is called kocsonya. The mere mention of this savory gelatinous dish takes Hungarian food-lovers back to childhood memories of winter meals or Christmas dinners. If your grandmother made this dish for the holidays (or winter Sunday lunches), you either loved it or hated it. There’s pretty much no middle-ground, and there’s no denying the lingering memory of this shimmering meat jelly. Dismissive attitudes towards kocsonya have lots to do with the ingredients used to make it. Traditionally, pork trotters, ears, snouts, and other undesirable pork part which most people wouldn’t dream of eating are slow-cooked together with vegetables and spices, creating a thick broth which is poured into a mold and left to cool into a firm, yet wobbling, aspic jelly. To lighten and diversify the taste, other meat (beef, chicken, and even fish) is also used these days, but pork definitely dominates the home-made versions. Depending on the cook, there may be just enough aspic to hold the solid ingredients together, or the aspic may predominate, with the juicy parts left suspended intermittently. Either way, it’s always served as the main meal or as part of the main meal, presented simply with a sprinkling of sweet paprika and plenty of white bread. .... [from https://tastehungary.com/journal/kocsonya-meat-jelly-aspic/]

See also

• Jell-O
• Tinned ham
• Garde manger
• Galantine
• Head cheese - "brawn"
• Terrine
• Pâté
• P'tcha (Jewish)
• Pig's trotters
• Meat-jelly Festival
• Chaudfroid sauce
• Larks' Tongues in Aspic
• Miskolci_kocsonyafesztivál

References

Bibliography

• Allen, Gary; Ken Albala.The Business of Food: Encyclopedia of the Food and Drink Industries.Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Publishing Group, October 2007. ISBN 0-313-33725-X.
• Gisslen, Wayne.Professional Cooking, 6th edition. Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley and Sons, March 2006. ISBN 978-0-471-66376-8
• Nenes, Michael. American Regional Cuisine, 2nd edition. Hoboken, New Jersey: Art Institute, March 2006. ISBN 978-0-471-68294-3.
• Ruhlman, Michael; Anthony Bourdain. The Elements of Cooking: Translating the Chef's Craft for Every Kitchen. New York, New York: Simon and Schuster, November 2007. ISBN 0-7432-9978-7.
• Smith, Andrew. The Oxford Companion to American Food and Drink. New York, New York: Oxford University Press, March 2007. ISBN 0-19-530796-8.

External links

• Encyclopedia of Food and Culture: Gelatin
• Latvian pork aspic
• Russian Meat Aspic