Fricassee facts for kids
Fricassee (pronounced fri-ka-SEE) is a tasty dish that's a bit like a stew. It's made by cooking pieces of meat, often chicken, veal, or rabbit. First, the meat is lightly browned in butter. Then, it's simmered in a delicious sauce. This sauce gets its flavor from the cooking liquid. You can find many different kinds of fricassee, depending on what ingredients are available!
Contents
What is Fricassee?
Fricassee is a special way of cooking meat. It's not quite a sauté (where meat is just quickly fried). It's also not quite a full stew (where liquid is added right away). Instead, fricassee is somewhere in the middle!
How Fricassee is Made
First, small pieces of meat are lightly cooked in a pan. They are browned just a little, but not fully cooked or deeply colored. This step helps seal in the flavors.
Next, a liquid is added to the pan. This liquid could be broth, wine, or even cream. The meat then simmers slowly in this liquid until it's tender. The liquid also turns into a rich, flavorful sauce. Sometimes, the sauce is thickened with egg yolks or flour. This makes it creamy and delicious!
The History of Fricassee
The word "fricassee" comes from French. It might be a mix of two French words: frire (meaning "to fry") and casser (meaning "to break into pieces"). This name perfectly describes how the dish is made!
People have been making dishes like fricassee for a very long time. Recipes similar to fricassee can be found in old French cookbooks from the 1300s. One of the earliest mentions of "friquassee" by name was in a cookbook called Le Viandier around 1490.
Fricassee Through Time
In the 1500s, fricassee recipes appeared in English cookbooks. Back then, English cooks often used egg yolks to make the sauce thicker. Italian versions also used egg yolks, sometimes with lemon.
By the 1700s, cooks in England and America started using flour instead of egg yolks to thicken the sauce. For example, Martha Washington, America's first First Lady, had a recipe for chicken fricassee. Her recipe used cream and egg yolks to make the sauce.
In the early 1800s, cookbooks like A New System of Domestic Cookery by Maria Rundell showed how to make fricassee with different meats and even vegetables. The sauce was often made with broth, herbs, and lemon, then thickened with cream, flour, and butter.
Different Kinds of Fricassee
Fricassee can be made with many different types of meat and ingredients. Here are some popular kinds:
Chicken Fricassee
Chicken fricassee is a very popular and comforting dish. It's been a favorite in America for a long time. Even Abraham Lincoln enjoyed it! In Cajun cuisine (a style of cooking from Louisiana, USA), chicken fricassee is a classic comfort food.
An old American recipe from 1734 describes seasoning chicken with spices. The chicken was then lightly browned and stewed with gravy, egg yolks, and wine. This made a thick, creamy sauce.
In the Spanish Caribbean, fricasé de pollo (chicken fricassee) is also very popular. It came to the islands from French and Spanish settlers. Unlike some French versions, this fricassee often has a tomato-based sauce with red wine.
Beef Fricassee
You can even make fricassee with beef! An early 1800s recipe used thinly sliced cold roast beef. It was cooked in butter and broth with parsley and onion. The sauce was then thickened with egg yolks, wine, and vinegar. Recipes for beef fricassee were even published in popular magazines during the American Civil War.
Rabbit Fricassee
Rabbit fricassee is another traditional type. An old recipe by Hannah Glasse describes small pieces of breaded rabbit. These were fried in butter and served with a red wine gravy.
Images for kids
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Chicken fricassée is a yummy stew!
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A meatball and mushroom fricassee served with rice
See also
In Spanish: Fricasé para niños
