Crespéou

Savory Provençal cake
  •   Media: Crespéou

A crespéou (French: [kʁɛs.pe.u]) is a savory Provençal cake made up of omelettes with herbs and vegetables stacked in layers. The dish can be eaten cold, sometimes accompanied with a tomato coulis. The recipe, which appears to be native of Avignon and Haut-Vaucluse (Piolenc and Orange), has become popular throughout the county of Venaissin, the region of Provence, and the countryside around Nice.[1]

Origin

Its name comes from crespèu, the Occitan form of the French word crêpe.[2] Similarly to a fougasse, an Occitan crespèu has many variations. This dish is also known as trouchia or omelette à la moissonneuse. The latter name suggests that it originated as a dish traditionally prepared for field work and specifically for the harvest season.[1]

Flavors and colors

Cutting a crespéou in a restaurant in Avignon

The dish is usually baked and inverted. It comprises a minimum of three or four layers of different colored omelettes, often given by red tomatoes, orange carrots, green spinach or chard, and black olives. Peppers, with their variety of colors also allows for multicolored crespéou. Some preparations use sausage or sliced fish for a beige layer. In Nice, there is always an omelette made from chard ribs.[1] Other vegetables can be used, such as zucchini, eggplant, onion, or basil.[3]

Matching food and wine

Traditionally a crespéou does not have to be accompanied by a wine. However, given the dish's extremely identified flavors, it can pair with a rosé wine certified to originate (AOC) from Côtes du Roussillon or Coteaux d'Aix-en-Provence.

Gallery

  • Various crespéou

See also

  • iconFood portal
  • flagFrance portal
  • Frittata

References

  1. ^ a b c Jacques Marseille (sous la direction de), Dictionnaire de la Provence et de la Côte d'Azur, Éd. Larousse, Paris, 2002. ISBN 2035751055, p. 246.
  2. ^ http://sites.univ-provence.fr/tresoc/libre/integral/libr0378.pdf[permanent dead link]
  3. ^ "Lou crespeou, le gâteau d'omelettes provençal - SAVEUR PASSION". saveurpassion.over-blog.com. Retrieved 2015-10-18.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Crespeou.
  • "Crespéou, an edible ticket to Provence - LA Times". latimes.com. Retrieved 2015-10-18.
  • Millo, F.; Todorovska, V. (2014). Provence Food and Wine: The Art of Living. Surrey Books. p. 70. ISBN 9781572847354. Retrieved 2015-10-18.
  • Davis, H. (2014). French Comfort Food. Gibbs Smith. ISBN 9781423636991. Retrieved 2015-10-18.
  • Dahl, S. (2012). Very Fond of Food: A Year in Recipes. Ten Speed Press. p. 142. ISBN 9781607741787. Retrieved 2015-10-18.
  • Auzias, D.; Labourdette, J.P. (2014). Provence 2014 Petit Futé (avec cartes, photos + avis des lecteurs). Petit Futé. p. 42. ISBN 9782746981201. Retrieved 2015-10-18.