Aspic
Aspic or meat jelly () is a savoury gelatin made with a meat stock or broth, set in a mold to encase other ingredients. These often include pieces of meat, seafood, vegetable, or eggs. Aspic is also sometimes referred to as "aspic gelée" or "aspic jelly". In its simplest form, aspic is essentially a gelatinous version of conventional soup. In the United States, similar dishes include "jello salads", which are sweet and made using commercial gelatin mixes instead of meat stock or consommé. Elsewhere around the world, similar non-savoury dishes are often called "gelatin salads". A meat jelly that  includes cream is called a "chaudfroid". History. The 10th-century "Kitab al-Tabikh", the earliest known Arabic cookbook, contains a recipe for a fish aspic called . This dish was made by boiling several large fish heads with vinegar, parsley, cassia, whole onions, rue, black pepper, ginger, spikenard, galangal, clove, coriander seeds, and long pepper. The resulting dish was then colored with saffron to give it a "radiant red" color. The cooked fish heads and seasonings were then removed from the cooking liquid before the tongues and the lips were returned to steep until the liquid and everything in it had  cooled and gelatinized. According to one poetic reference by Ibrahim ibn al-Mahdi, who described a version of the dish prepared with Iraqi carp, 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 the Middle Ages, 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, the French  chef Marie-Antoine Carême created chaudfroid. The term "chaudfroid" means "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 in America in 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 . Uses. 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. It can also be used to encase meats, preventing them from becoming spoiled. The gelatin keeps out air and bacteria, 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 a terrine or 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 or pâtés. 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 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 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. 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 with egg whites and then filled and flavored just before the aspic sets. The most common are pieces of meat, seafood, eggs, fruits, or vegetables. Veal stock (in particular, stock from a boiled calf'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, pectin serves a similar purpose in culinary applications such as jams and jellies. Global variations of  aspic. Pork jelly. Pork jelly is an aspic made from low-grade cuts of pig meat, such as trotters, that contain 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, Serbia, Poland, Czech Republic, Romania, Moldova, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia (called ), Hungary, Greece, and Ukraine. In Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine, it is known as , during Christmas or Easter. In Russia, is a traditional winter and especially  Christmas and New Year's dish, which is eaten with (horseradish paste) or mustard. It is also eaten in Vietnam () during Lunar New Year. The meat in pork pies is preserved using pork jelly. 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 good are "cut like glass"). These cubes can be sprinkled with various spices or herbs as desired before serving. Romanian and Moldovan. Romanian and Moldovan is also called (plural ), derived from the Romanian , meaning cold. has a different method of preparation. It is usually made with pig '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. is traditionally served for Epiphany. Korea. () is a dish prepared by boiling beef and pork cuts with high collagen content 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. Nepal . Among the Newars of Kathmandu Valley in Nepal, buffalo meat jelly, known as , is a major component of the winter festivity gourmet. It is eaten in combination with fish aspic (), which is made from dried fish and buffalo meat stock, soured, and containing a heavy mix of spices and condiments. Poland. In Central, Eastern, and Northern Europe, aspic often takes the form of pork jelly and is popular around the Christmas and Easter holidays. In Poland, certain meats, fish and vegetables are set in aspic, creating a dish called . Eastern Europe. In Belarusian, Russian, and Ukrainian cuisine, a meat aspic  dish is called ( ; ; ; also written as "holodetz" outside these countries) derived from the word meaning "cold". In some areas it is called () or (), derived from a different root with a similar meaning. The dish is part of winter holiday celebrations such as the traditional Russian New Year ("novy god") or Christmas meal. However, modern refrigeration allows for its year-round production, and it is not uncommon to see on a Russian table in summer. Croatia. The Croatian version of this dish is called ( meaning cold). Variants range from one served in a dish with rather delicate gelatin, to more resembling  the German sulze, a kind of head cheese. Slovenia. In Slovenia, aspic is known as (derived from the German , meaning head cheese) or in Slovene. It is traditionally served at Easter. Denmark. In Denmark, aspic is called and is made from meat juices, gelatin, and sometimes mushrooms. Sky is almost solely eaten as a topping for cold cuts or on Danish open faced sandwiches called . It is a key ingredient in , a dish combining , sliced salt beef and onions. Sky, with or without mushrooms, is an easy-to-find product in most supermarkets. Georgia. or () is a traditional Georgian dish  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. Belgium. "Rog in 't zuur" or "rog in zure gelei" is 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. References. Notes Bibliography