Aspic

Aspic(/ˈæspɪk/)ormeat jellyis a savorygelatinmade with ameatstockorbroth, set in a mold to encase other ingredients. These often include pieces of meat, seafood, vegetable, or eggs. Aspic is also sometimes referred to asaspic geléeoraspic jelly. In its simplest form, aspic is essentially a gelatinous version of conventionalsoup.
According to one poetic reference byIbrahim ibn al-Mahdi, who described a version of a dish prepared with Iraqicarp, it was "like ruby on the platter, set in a pearl ... steeped in saffron thus, like garnet it looks, vibrantly red, shimmering on silver".
Historically, meat aspics were made even before fruit- and vegetable-flavoured aspics. By theMiddle Ages, cooks had discovered that a thickened meat broth could be made into a jelly. A detailed recipe for aspic is found inLe Viandier, written in or around 1375.
In the early 19th century, the French chefMarie-Antoine Carêmecreatedchaudfroid. The termchaudfroidmeans "hot cold" in French, referring to foods that were prepared hot and served cold. Aspic was used as a chaudfroid sauce in many cold fish and poultry meals, where it added moisture and flavour to the food.Carême also invented various types of aspic and ways of preparing it.
Aspic came into prominence inAmericain the early 20th century.By the 1950s, meat aspic was a popular dinner staple,as were other gelatin-based dishes such as tomato aspic.Cooks showed off their aesthetic skills by creating inventive aspics.
Aspic jelly may be colorless (white aspic) or contain various shades ofamber. Aspic can be used to protect food from the air, to give food more flavor, or as a decoration.It can also be used to encase meats, preventing them from becoming spoiled. The gelatin keeps outairandbacteria, keeping the cooked meat or other ingredients fresh for longer.There are three types of aspic: delicate, sliceable, and inedible.The delicate aspic is soft. The sliceable aspic must be made in aterrineor in an aspic mold. It is firmer than the delicate aspic. The inedible aspic is never for consumption and 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 orpâtés.
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 fats. 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 ofcelery,beefand even pigbones.Poultryjellies are made the same way as making pork jelly, but less water is added to compensate for lower natural gelatin content.
Almost any type of food can be set into aspics, and almost any type of meat (poultry or fish included) can be used to make gelatin, although in some cases, additional gelatin may be needed for the aspic to set properly. Stock can be clarified withegg whitesand then filled and flavored just before the aspic sets. The most common are pieces of meat, seafood, eggs,fruits, orvegetables.Vealstock (in particular, stock from a boiledcalf's foot) provides a great deal of gelatin, so other types of meat are often included when making stock.
Fish consommés usually have too little natural gelatin, so fish stock may be double-cooked or supplemented. Since fish gelatin melts at a lower temperature than the gelatins of other meats, fish aspic is more delicate and melts more readily in the mouth. Most fish stocks usually do not maintain a molded shape with their natural gelatin alone, so additional gelatin is added.
Vegetables have no natural gelatin.However,pectinserves a similar purpose in culinary applications such as jams and jellies.
Pork jelly is an aspic made from low-grade cuts of pig meat, such astrotters, that contain a significant proportion ofconnective tissue.Pork jelly is a popularappetizerand, nowadays, is sometimes prepared in a more modern version using leanmeat, with or without pig leftovers (which are substituted with store-boughtgelatin). It is very popular inCroatia,Serbia,Poland,Czech Republic,Romania,Moldova,Estonia,Latvia,Lithuania,Slovakia(calledhuspenina/studeno),Hungary,Greece, andUkraine. InRussia,Belarus,GeorgiaandUkraine, it is known askholodets,kholodneduringChristmasorEaster. InRussia,kholodetsis a traditional winter and especiallyChristmasandNew Year's dish, which is eaten withchrain(horseradish paste) ormustard.It is also eaten inVietnam(thịt nấu đông) duringLunar New Year. The meat inpork piesis preserved using pork jelly.
Pihtije(Serbian:пихтије),pivtija(Macedonian:пивтија),pača(Bulgarian:пача) is an aspic-like dish, generally made from lamb, chicken or pork meat, such as the head, shank, 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 and are well spiced.
Pihtijeis 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 coldmastikaorrakija(grape brandy) andturšija(pickled tomatoes, peppers, olives, cauliflower, cucumber).
The recipe calls for the meat to be cleaned, washed, and then boiled for a short time, no longer than 10 minutes. Then the water is changed, and vegetables and spices are added. This is cooked until the meat begins to separate from the bones, 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 tomatoes 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. It congeals into jelly and can be cut into cubes (it is often said that goodpihtijasare "cut like glass"). These cubes can be sprinkled with various spices or herbs as desired before serving.
Pihtijeis usually cut and served in equal sized cubes.
Pihtijeare frequently used inslavasand other celebratory occasions withSerbs.
RomanianandMoldovanpiftieis also calledrăcitură(pluralrăcituri), derived from theRomanianrece, meaning cold.Piftiehas a different method of preparation. It is usually made withpig's trotter(but turkey or chicken meat can also be used), carrots and other vegetables, boiled to make a soup with high gelatin content. The broth containing gelatin is poured over the boiled meat and mashed garlic in bowls, the mixture being then cooled to become a jelly.Piftieis traditionally served forEpiphany.
Jokpyeon(족편) is a dish prepared by boiling beef and pork cuts with highcollagencontent such as the head, skin,tail,cow's trotters, or other cuts in water for a long time. The resulting stewing liquid sets to form a jelly-like substance when cooled.
Among theNewarsofKathmandu ValleyinNepal, buffalo meat jelly, known asta 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 andbuffalo meatstock, soured, and containing a heavy mix of spices and condiments.
In Central, Eastern, and Northern Europe, aspic often takes the form of pork jelly and is popular around theChristmasandEasterholidays. InPoland, certain meats, fish and vegetables are set in aspic, creating a dish calledgalareta.
InBelarusian,Russian, andUkrainiancuisine, a meat aspic dish is calledkholodets(Belarusian:халадзец[xalaˈd͡zʲɛt͡s];Russian:холодец[xəlɐˈdʲets];Ukrainian:холодець[xoloˈdɛtsʲ]; also written asholodetzoutside these countries) derived from the wordkholodmeaning "cold". In some areas it is calledstuden'(студень) orstudenets(Ukrainian:студенец,romanized:studenets), derived from a different root with a similar meaning.
The dish is part of winter holiday celebrations such as the traditional RussianNew Year(novy god) orChristmasmeal. However, modern refrigeration allows for its year-round production, and it is not uncommon to seekholodetson a Russian table in summer.
Kholodetsis usually made by boiling the bones and meat rich incollagenfor about 5–8 hoursto produce a thick and fatty broth, with the collagen hydrolizing into the naturalgelatin, mixed with salt, pepper, and other spices. The meat is then separated from the bones, minced, recombined with the broth, dressed with the slices of boiled egg and herbs like parsley and cooled until it solidifies into a jelly.Kholodetsis usually eaten withchrainormustard.
The Croatian version of this dish is calledhladetina(hladnomeaning cold). Variants range from one served in a dish with rather delicate gelatin, totlačenicamore resembling the German sulze, a kind ofhead cheese.
InSlovenia, aspic is known asžolca(derived from theGermansülze, meaninghead cheese) ortlačenkainSlovene. It is traditionally served atEaster.
InDenmark, aspic is calledskyand is made from meat juices, gelatin, and sometimes  mushrooms. Sky is almost solely eaten as a topping forcold cutsorrullepølseonDanishopen faced sandwiches calledsmørrebrød. It is a key ingredient inDyrlægens natmad, a dish combiningleverpostej, sliced salt beef and onions. Sky, with or without mushrooms, is an easy-to-find product in most supermarkets.
Mujujiormuzhuzhi(Georgian:მუჟუჟი) is a traditionalGeorgiandish of cold jellied pork. Its ingredients include pork meat, tails, ears, feet, carrots, vinegar, garlic, herbs, onions, roots, bay leaves, allspice, and cinnamon.In some recipes, the dish is cooked in two separate processes, slightly pickled with wine vinegar and spiced with tarragon and basil. One part contains pork feet, tails and ears; the other contains the lean meat of piglets. They are combined into one dish, chilled and served with green onions and spicy herbs.
Rog in 't zuurorrog in zure geleiis a Flemish traditional recipe to preserve ray wings which are otherwise notoriously quick to spoil. Ray wings are poached in a fish stock with vinegar, spices and onions, then preserved by adding gelatin to the stock and covering the fish with the gelatin stock. In this manner the fish would keep 2–4 days without refrigeration. The dish is served cold with bread for breakfast or as a snack, or can be served as an appetizer.
InNorthern China,Pídòng(Chinese:皮冻) is a traditional dish served in winter, especially during theChinese New Year. This Chinese dish of aspic is usually made by boiling pork rind in water. The dishes cooled without pork rind are calledQīngdòng(Chinese:清冻) while those containing pork rind in the aspic are calledHúndòng(Chinese:浑冻).
InZhenjiang, aspic using pig trotters is calledSalted Pork in Jelly(Chinese:水晶肴肉;pinyin:Shuǐjīng Xiáoròu). The dish has two layers of meat. The upper layer, about half an inch thick, is 'pigskin aspic', while the lower layer is half red and half white, made from boiling pig's trotter and pigskin until gelled, forming 'meat aspic'. The traditional method of preparing the dish involves boiling the trotter withSaltpeter, resulting in a crimson hue. However, due to the use of saltpeter in food being banned, the modern approach is using German pork knuckles.
Giò thủ,giò tai, also known by another popular namegiò xào, is one of the traditional Vietnamese sausage dishes with the main ingredient being stir-fried meat with some other ingredients, then wrapped and compressed. Originating in Northern Vietnam and now popular throughout the country, more or less similar forms of preparation like this dish also exist in many other cuisines around the world. The processing process is relatively easy, the ingredients are easy to find, and the finished product is delicious and strangely chewy, making spring rolls a familiar dish of people all over the region. Giò thủ is often made by families during the traditionalLunar New Year, and is sold at sausage shops in Vietnam most markets nationwide.
A more accurate variants of aspic in Vietnamese is calledThịt đông, orVietnamese pork aspic.
Aspic is a source of various nutrients like iron, vitamin A, vitamin K, fatty acids, selenium, zinc, magnesium and phosphorus.
An amino acid calledglutaminein aspic may enhance the integrity of the intestinal barrier, which may be beneficial forinflammatory bowel diseaseand other digestive problems.
Glycine from aspic can improve sleep and reduce fatigue during the day.
Notes
Bibliography