Green sauce

Green sauceorgreensauceis a family of cold, uncookedsaucesbased on chopped herbs, including theSpanishandItaliansalsa verde, theFrenchsauce verte, theGermangrüne SoßeorFrankfurter grie Soß(Frankfurt dialect), theBritishmint sauceand greensauce, and theArgentinianchimichurri.
The Mexicansalsa verde, though also called a "green sauce", is instead based ontomatillosand is commonly cooked; theNew Mexicoversion uses agreen chilebase.
Green sauce has a long history in many parts of Europe. It was certainly present in the Middle Ages, and may date to the Classical period.
Green sauce made with parsley and often sage was one of the most common sauces of medieval cookery. In a 14th-century recipe, green sauce served with a dish of cheese and whole egg yolks boiled in watered down wine with herbs and spices was recommended for "lords, for settling their temperament and whetting their appetite".
The basic recipe is probably from theNear Eastand, as such, is probably at least 2,000 years old. Romanlegionariesbrought it to Italy, from where it was exported to France and Germany.Evidence suggests that it was introduced inFrankfurtby the Italian trading families Bolongaro and Crevenna around 1700.
A possible origin of the German variant areFrench Protestant immigrantsemigrating toKurhessenin the 18th century. The German variant uses a different mix of herbs, sinceMediterraneanherbs were not available in Germany at the time.
TheApicius(5th century CE) mentions aIus viride in avibus('Green sauce for fowl') consisting of pepper, caraway, spikenard, cumin, bay leaves, a variety of green herbs, dates, honey, vinegar, wine, broth, and oil.
In Spain,salsa verdeusually refers to a fish sauce. The sauce is prepared using a base made of garlic and onionsofrito. A flour-coated piece of fish (typicallyhake,clams) is added to it. Once the flour coating has cooked, white wine and fish fumet is added, letting the fish be boiled. As the fish is cooked through, the sauce thickens. In the final steps, parsley is added, giving the sauce its characteristic green colour.Merluza en salsa verde(hake in green sauce) is perhaps the most typical dish prepared in this way. Depending on the fish and on the region, other green herbs may be employed as well, includingspinach, freshsavory,watercress, ortarragon.
The Italiansalsa verdeis a cold rustic sauce, and includesparsley, vinegar,capers, garlic, onion,anchovies,olive oil, and possiblymustard. The ingredients are coarsely chopped, formerly by hand, now often in afood processor. In some regions, cubed bread is soaked in vinegar and blended with the other ingredients, which creates an emulsion somewhat similar to avinaigrette. In other regions, there is no bread.
Salsa verdeis used as a condiment or dipping sauce for meats, fish, poultry, or vegetables.Salsa verde, known inPiedmontandLombardyasbagnetto verde, is served withbollito mistoin a "classic meat dish", served in many city and country restaurants.The saltedlake sardinesfrom theLake Como, calledmisoltini, are warmed or grilled and served withsalsa verde.It is also served with other grilled or stewed fish. Asalsa verdewith garlic, calledagliata, is a traditional specialty of theSienaregion on the feast day ofSaint John.
Gremolatais a green sauce inMilanese cuisinebased on parsley, lemon peel, and garlic, and is the usual accompaniment forossobuco.
The Frenchpersilladeis a simple sauce, based on chopped parsley and garlic, and possibly shallots, olive oil, vinegar and/or breadcrumbs. Another recipe, namedsauce verte au pain, was already known in theRenaissance, and was originally abread saucevery similar to the Italian; today thesauce verteis usuallymayonnaiseflavoured withtarragon, and sometimesparsley,sageand remon juice or vinegar.
Grüne Soßeis a specialty of the German state ofHesse. Centres of popularity are the cities ofFrankfurt am Main(where it is sometimes calledGrie Soß)andKassel, which lay claim to its origins. The Frankfurt-style is made exclusively from seven fresh herbs, namelyparsley,chives,chervil,borage,sorrel,garden cress, andsalad burnettogether with sour cream, oil, vinegar, mustard, salt and added hard boiled eggs. Variants of other local areas, often varying by season, includedill,shallots,lovage,lemon balm, and evenspinach. In more frugal times,daisyleaves, broadplantainleaves, anddandelionleaves have been used.
The hard-boiled eggs are sieved or pureed before being mixed withsour creamto form the creamy base of the sauce. The fresh chopped herbs are then added. Some variations usebuttermilk,quark, oryogurtinstead of sour cream. In the city of Kassel, a combination of sour cream andschmandis used.
The sauce is served cold with peeled boiled potatoes or just with rye bread, as an accompaniment to either hard-boiled eggs or roast beef brisket. It may also be served with cooked fish or roast beef, or as a side dish to barbecue. A localschnitzelspecialty, called Frankfurter Schnitzel, is always served with green sauce, along with applecider(Apfelwein) as a traditional accompanying drink. Green sauce was supposedlyGoethe's favourite condiment; a legend that his mother invented it is likely apocryphal.
The local importance of the dish is shown by the abundance of green sauce at local markets and by the Green Sauce Monument installed in Frankfurt-Oberrad in 2007. The latter consists of seven small greenhouses with the main herbal ingredients and was part of the Luminale, a local art and light event. Theprotected geographical indication(PGI) was awarded to the fresh herb composition by theEuropean Unionon 9 March 2016;publication of the detailed application with the product specification dated October 2015.
In many Hessian families, Green Sauce is part of the traditional meal eaten onMaundy Thursday, relating to its German name Gründonnerstag (lit.'Green Thursday').
British greensauce is made of herbs, especiallysorrel, mixed with vinegar and sugar. It is eaten with meat. It is first documented in the 12th century in the writings ofAlexander Neckham. His recipe includessage,parsley,dittany,thyme, garlic, salt, pepper, and a spice which is little-known nowadays,costus. Sorrel was so heavily used in greensauce that sorrel itself was sometimes called "greensauce".
Chimichurri is a green sauce used in Argentina and other parts of Latin America, usually served on grilled meat.