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Not so Glorious French Cuisine
The Not so Glorious French Cuisine
The French are fond of foods most Americans
would freak out on, and they’re not bargains.
Let’s start with the least freakish: rabbit (lapin) –
farm raised and bathed in a Dijon mustard sauce –
like chicken say those who’ve tried it.
Quail and pigeon (caille and pigeon) wont kill
your appetite though it may your budget
if you’re tight. Both are often roasted to
a golden brown and served with fruit like
grapes or figs. A young pigeon by-the-way
is squab and it’s often roasted or wrapped in
a crusty pie dough. – Warning: the price
will be quite high, so be prepared to gasp or faint.
Next is smoked beef tongue (Langue de Boeuf).
Apart from it’s name, it’s delicious and worth
a first try, though squeamish American diners
will grimace.
Then prized and touted is ris de veau, a favorite
of French gourmands but purposely translated
in English as “sweetbreads” – to prevent shock
or vomiting, and far removed from anything
you’d find in a patisserie, but to a French
gastronome it’s nothing less than sautéed
calf’s thymus gland or pancreas.
Another French specialty is pig’s blood sausage
(boudin noir), black as soot, and daringly served
uncamoflaged by any deceptive artistry,
what any normal diner would identify as
freshly discharged pig’s turd. (And by that
description alone you should be rushing to
the nearest restroom with your hand over
your mouth holding back a mouthful of
vomit and praying no stalls are occupied!)
And now for our final entree, la piece de
resistance – at least to hardcore gastronomes:
a whole calf’s head (tête de veau) garnished
with various baby veggies (petites legumes)
but nonetheless ghoulishly nightmarish and
more likely read in a Stephen King novel.
Bon appétit!
Copyright ©
Maurice Rigoler
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