The other day, when I went to Bistro Partager in Shinsen, the first thing written on the blackboard was "Three kinds of Burgundy regional cuisine." I was first attracted by the expression "regional cuisine." In particular, the word " regional." In French, it is called cuisines regionales . Regional means " region ," so "regional cuisine" is fine, but in Japan, there is the expression "regional cuisine," and when this expression is applied to France and the cuisine of the Burgundy region is described as "Burgundy regional cuisine," it suddenly has a nostalgic atmosphere. French cuisine is, so to speak, just a refined version of "regional cuisine," and there is no separate "urban cuisine." This is because in centralized France, everything except Paris is regional. "Charcuterie," which Chef Nomoto of Partager specializes in, is also one of the "regional cuisines" of Burgundy. So when it is written "Burgundy regional cuisine," I wonder what will be served.
The three items I was interested in were "Oeufs en meulette (poached eggs in red wine sauce)", "Jambon Percier (ham and parsley terrine)", and "Epoisses", one of Burgundy's representative fromages. "Epoisses" is a so-called "washed" type of cheese, which is aged by washing the rind with Burgundy's lees brandy "Marc" and salt water, and has a unique flavor.
In fact, Burgundy's "regional cuisine" has a deep connection with wine. Apart from the Yonne department, an exclave that includes Chablis, Burgundy wine is produced in a region that spreads between Dijon in the north and Lyon in the south, cities that represent the region's cuisine. The two dishes except for Epoisses mentioned above can be said to be dishes from Dijon, which was the capital of the Duchy of Burgundy. Dijon is also famous for its aperitif "Kir," made by mixing blackcurrant liqueur (creme de cassis) with white wine, invented by Moutard Mustard and Mr. Kir, who served as mayor of the city.
Lyon, on the other hand, is known as a famous producer of charcuterie, or processed meat products. Lyon is also known as a city of fine cuisine, where you can enjoy wine and the local specialties of Andouillettes (roasted veal sausage) and Boudin Noir (pork blood sausage) at traditional casual izakayas called "bouchons". There are also many three-star restaurants, such as Paul Bocuse, that have their own maisons near Lyon. My favorite Lyon dish is "Quenelles de Brochers (Quenelles of River Barracuda)". Not only meat, but also river fish is processed to have a texture similar to that of ham. The use of brochers is the Lyon style, but these days you don't see "Quenelles" themselves. I was ecstatic when I found "Fish Quenelles with Shellfish Sauce" on the menu at "Bistro Amano" in Jimbocho the other day. The simple quenelle goes perfectly with the rich American sauce.
Lyon is the southern end of Burgundy wine. And if you go further south, you will reach the Rhone wine producing region. So, even if you are in Burgundy close to Lyon, if you are drinking red Burgundy, it is not Pinot Noir, but Beaujolais, which is made with Gamay. It is well known that Georges Duboeuf, who popularized Beaujolais around the world, was a good friend of Bocuse. The author visited shortly after the annual release date of Beaujolais Nouveau, so this three-variety platter was also delicious when paired with Beaujolais. However, in this world situation, wine prices have also risen, and Beaujolais Nouveau seems to have risen in price to nearly double that of the previous year. Chef Nomoto was unsure how to serve the wine by the glass, and since it would be a shame to raise the price of the wine he had been using, he replaced it with a higher grade Nouveau and raised the price accordingly. The wine was "Louis Dumont" run by Japanese Mr. Koji Nakata. However, it seems that the profit margin has still fallen.
I love "Oeufs en Moulette" and the rich sauce made by Chef Nomoto is so delicious that I even had a second serving. However, just the other day I ate "Brasse de Endive" made by Chef Nakata at "Chantrelle" in Motoyoyogicho and was also impressed by the red wine sauce used in the Moulette. Belgian endive is famous, and endive is also famous in the northern region of France, Nord-Pas-de-Calais and Picardy, which are close to Belgium, and there is a local dish called "Endive Gratin". Braised endive is topped with béchamel sauce and cheese, or a Mornay sauce that combines both, and baked. I remember that when I was studying Bordeaux wine, I used to frequent Cafe Deux Magots in Shibuya Bunkamura, where customers could bring in their own wine for free, and they served this "Endive Gratin" in the winter. It had ham in it, which went even better with the béchamel and cheese, and I would always order it when I visited. At that time, Deux Magots offered authentic service reminiscent of Parisian cafe cuisine, and in autumn, they would prepare butter-fried mushrooms right in front of you with the Gueridon service. Of course, "steak tartare" was also on the menu, and you could choose the amount of seasonings and have it prepared to your liking.
As I mentioned at the beginning, France is a country where everything except Paris is rural, meaning it is "regional," so there is a parade of "regional cuisine." "Cassoulet," which you will always see in bistros, is a stew of white beans and meat made in a special pot called cassoulet, and is a specialty dish of the Languedoc region in southern France. Moreover, there are subtle differences depending on the region, and the "three great cassoulets" are said to be the "Castelnaudary style," which is based on pork, to which lamb and mountain quail in winter are added, the "Carcassonne style," and the "Toulouse style," which uses goose as the main ingredient.
The best way to get an overview of French regional cuisine is Makiko Namiki 's "Furansu no rodo ryori" ( 2003 , Shogakukan), which is out of print now. Each region's cuisine is explained with a photo. It is a slim travel book of about 150 pages, but it is full of content with photos and history of the town. It also comes with a restaurant guide where you can enjoy the regional cuisine of the time, and introduces restaurants not only in Japan but also in France. Of course, most of the restaurants have disappeared, but there are still restaurants like Chef Kikuchi's "Le Bourguignon" that are still around, which is interesting. The photos are simple and don't look very appetizing, but they have a "regional cuisine" feel that makes you want to try them.
With winter approaching, how wonderful it would be to have some warm local cuisine, delicious wine, and local fromage. Of course, don't forget that each region has its own specialty desserts.
This month's recommended wine: "Italian Island Wine, Sicily"
"Nero d'Avola 2020 IGT Terre Siciliane Ippolito" 2,500 yen (excluding tax)
In this final episode, we will introduce wine from Sicily, an Italian island. Sicily is the land where the Mafia, which appears in the movie "The Godfather," originated. It is also a place where a unique culture has developed, called the "small continent." As for food culture, there are famous Sicilian cuisine specialty restaurants in Japan. Although Sicily boasts one of the largest wine production volumes in Italy, until now it has been thought of as "cheap and reasonably tasty wine." Although IGT wines are still more popular than DOCG and DOC wines, they are gradually putting more effort into wines with designations of origin.
One of the driving forces behind this was the revival of Marsala wine ( DOC ). Marsala is one of the four major fortified wines in the world, alongside Sherry (Spain), Port and Madeira (both from Portugal), and the popularity of high-quality Marsala wine led Sicilian wine to move up the road to luxury.
Red wines are the mainstream for still wines, and wines are mainly made from the Nero d'Avola grape. Nero d'Avola, also known as Calabria, is native to the Calabria region of mainland Italy. It can be blended (the only DOCG , Cerasuolo di Vittoria, is blended with more than 30 % Frappato grapes) or used alone (varietal wine), and its full body and suitability for aging make it a high-quality wine.
This time we will introduce Nero d'Avola made by the Ippolito family, who have been making wine for four generations in the village of Salaparuta in western Sicily. It is an IGT , but in recent years Salaparuta has been promoted to DOG . This cuvée is aged in stainless steel tanks without using barrels. It is made in a way that allows you to enjoy the flavor of the fruit directly. Please enjoy this spicy, fruity wine from the south.
This year, we have introduced wines from the main regions of France and Italy. Next year, we will introduce wines from the Grand Vin producing areas of France and Italy, Bordeaux, Burgundy, Tuscany, and Piedmont. We hope you will continue to read our magazine.
For inquiries about the wines introduced, please contact AVICO Co., Ltd.
Biography
Osamu Seki Born in Tokyo in 1961. Currently a part-time lecturer at Meiji University and other institutions.
He specializes in contemporary French thought and cultural theory, and is a director of the Reefer Wine Association.
His books include "An Introduction to Beautiful Men" (Natsume Shobo) and "My Neighbor is Arashi-kun" (Cyzo), and his translations include "How Should We Read Foucault?" by Oksara (Shinsensha) and "Mr. Pydrow, What Use Is a Gastronomic Critic?" by Pydrowski (Shinsensha).
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