Around the World French food in Reunion Food

Around the World… French food in Reunion

Food in Reunion ENTER

Welcome… v. Where is Reunion? v. The beginning… v. Traditional Ingredients and Methods v. Recipes from Reunion v. Restaurant Menu

Where is Reunion? Reunion is a small French island located east of Madagascar or Africa. It lies in the Indian Ocean, north of the Tropic of Capricorn. Reunion’s capital, St-Denis, is found on the central north coast, while the island’s highest mountain, Piton des Neiges, is found at the centre of Reunion, at 3069 metres tall.

The beginning… Reunion is made up of many different cultures. This dates back to the 1600’s when Reunion was first colonised by the Malagasy and the French. Prior to this there were no other known civilisations on the island, and with no adjoining countries, it made the island ‘deserted’. By the next century, colonists from the island had planted sugar cane and began to transport slaves from East Africa and Zanzibar. This was stopped in 1848 bringing with it the last main migration for the country, the Indians, Chinese and Grand Comoros workers. It was each of these cultures that created Reunion’s food. Although each race had come from different areas of the world, they combined their traditional recipes and ingredients to create a new style, unique to Reunion.

Traditional Ingredients and Methods Here are some of the ingredients that you may find in one of Reunion’s most popular and traditional foods, cari poulet. v Rice – usually as a base for the meal v Beans – Usually lentils, red or white beans to go with the rice v Poultry, pork, kid n(baby goat) or fish v Herbs and spices – such as ginger, salt, pepper, garlic, thyme or curcuma v Vegetables or bredes – Bredes originates from a Portuguese word that means plants to eat & is essentially green leaves Traditionally this meal would be cooked in an old cooking pot and au feu de bois. Once cooked the meal would be eaten with hands or a spoon. During ceremonies, the meal would be put on a large plate, or van, which is a flat basket made of braided leaves and covered with banana tree leaves, and everyone would eat from it. This represents when slaves were still used and ate their meal from the same plate.

Recipes from Reunion Cari Poulet – Whole cooked chicken in a spicy sauce Method: v Cut the chicken into small pieces and fry it in oil in a hot You need: cooking pot. Mix the garlic, v A whole chicken ginger, salt and pepper v 6 cloves of garlic together in a pestle. Cut the v A bit of ginger onion. When the chicken is glazed, add the onion and mix v 1 onion it together for 2 -4 minutes. v 3 tomatoes Then add the garlic and mix it v A pinch of turmeric root up for another 2 -4 minutes. v 2 red peppers Add a pinch of turmeric root and then the tomatoes. Finally, v Salt and pepper add half a glass of water and let it reduce. When ready, the sauce should be thick.

Recipes from Reunion (continued) Achards - Spicy Vegetable Pickle Method: You need: n v 200 g cauliflower v 200 g small green tomatoes v 150 g green cabbage v 150 g carrot n v 150 g small melons v 200 g small onions n v 2 cloves of garlic v 6 tbsp. oil n v 2 tbsp. white vinegar v A pinch of salt v 1 tsp. saffron n v Red chilli pepper to taste v A small piece of peeled ginger Peel and cut the vegetables into thin strips. Blanch in boiling water with the pinch of salt for 5 minutes. Drain and dry well with a kitchen towel. Mash the garlic, ginger and chilli in a mortar with the vinegar. Heat the oil in a pot without letting it bubble and add the saffron. Place the vegetables and the seasonings from the mortar into a large bowl. Pour the hot saffron oil over top and combine well. Let it marinate for two days in a cold place before serving, or while still very hot pack into hot sterilized jars.

Restaurant Menu Below is an actual menu from a French restaurant in Reunion. COCKTAILS: Le Bras Rouge ( syrup, rhum arrangé, exotic fruits) 40. 00 F Le Grand Bénard ( kiwi sirup, Cointreau, fruits ) 45. 00 F TODAY's SPECIALS (according to availability and season) Espadon sauce Combava (Swordfish with Combava sauce) 70. 00 F Porc au Bois des Songes (Pork with Songe wood ) 70. 00 F Sauté de Crevettes à l'Ananas (Sauté of shrimps with pineapple) 70. 00 F Côte de Porc fumé maison aux lentilles de Cilaos (Homemade smoked pork chops with Cilaos lentils) 70. 00 F Sauté de Poulet aux Palmistes (Sauté of chicken with palmist chou ) 70. 00 F Carri Poulet à la Vanille Bourbon Chicken Carri with Bourbon Vanilla sauce) 70. 00 F Grillades de Poissons (Espadon, Dorade, Capitaine) 75. 00 F with sauce 87. 00 F n Service inclusive n n n n

Restaurant Menu Below is an actual menu from a French restaurant in Reunion. COCKTAILS: Le Bras Rouge ( syrup, rhum arrangé, exotic fruits) 40. 00 F Le Grand Bénard ( kiwi sirup, Cointreau, fruits ) 45. 00 F TODAY's SPECIALS (according to availability and season) Espadon sauce Combava (Swordfish with Combava sauce) 70. 00 F Porc au Bois des Songes (Pork with Songe wood ) 70. 00 F Sauté de Crevettes à l'Ananas (Sauté of shrimps with pineapple) 70. 00 F Côte de Porc fumé maison aux lentilles de Cilaos (Homemade smoked pork chops with Cilaos lentils) 70. 00 F Sauté de Poulet aux Palmistes (Sauté of chicken with palmist chou ) 70. 00 F Carri Poulet à la Vanille Bourbon Chicken Carri with Bourbon Vanilla sauce) 70. 00 F Grillades de Poissons (Espadon, Dorade, Capitaine) 75. 00 F with sauce 87. 00 F n Service inclusive n n n n

A LA CARTE" COURSES " Boucané Bringelles (smoked bacon carri with eggplant) 60. 00 F Rougail Saucisses Pays ( country sausage and tomato stew) 60. 00 F Cabris Massalé ( Mutton kid stew with Massale spice) 60. 00 F Saucisses aux Lentilles de Cilaos ( Sausage and Cilaos Lentils) Carri Poulet ( Chicken carri) 60. 00 F Civet Zourrite ( Small octopus stew) 75. 00 F Gigot crème d'ail ( Leg of lamb with garlic cream) 75. 00 F Gigot aux Lentilles de Cilaos ( Leg of lamb with Cilaos lentils) Entrecôte nature Frites ( Entrecôte steak , chips) 75. 00 F 70. 00 F 85. 00 F 95. 00 F Entrecôte au Poivre Vert, Frites( Entrecôte steak with green pepper sauce, chips) 95. 00 F Entrecôte au Roquefort, Frites ( Entrecôte steak with roquefort sauce, chips) Selection of deserts, ice creams and pancakes assortment

Bibliography vhttp: //wl. middlebury. edu/jcastain/stories/story. Reader$26 vhttp: //perso. wanadoo. fr/daniel. lacouture/Divers/Dossiers_histoire_co utumes/Divers_Discussion_Dossier_009. htm> vhttp: //www. ac- reunion. fr/pedagogie/lyvergerp/svt/tpe/aliments_reunionnais/introducti on à lalimentation. htm vhttp: //www. ac- reunion. fr/pedagogie/lyhotelier/cuisineframe. htm vhttp: //www. theworldwidegourmet. com/cooking/preserving/achard. ht m vhttp: //www. lessentiers. com/index. php? op=2&lang=en vhttp: //www. lonelyplanet. com/mapshells/africa/reunion. htm v. Encarta Encyclopaedia Standard 2003 CDROM - Microsoft