Gougère facts for kids
Gruyère cheese gougères
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| Type | Choux pastry |
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| Place of origin | France |
| Main ingredients | Choux pastry, cheese (usually Gruyère, Comté, or Emmental) |
A gougère (say it: goo-ZHAIR) is a special baked treat from France. It's a savory (not sweet!) choux pastry. This means it's made from a light, airy dough called choux dough. Cheese is mixed into the dough, making it very flavorful.
Gougères come in many different kinds. The cheese often used is Gruyère, Comté, or Emmentaler. But chefs can use other cheeses or even add other ingredients.
These tasty pastries are thought to have come from the Burgundy region of France. They are especially linked to a town called Tonnerre.
Gougères can be made in different sizes. Some are small, about 3 to 4 centimeters (1 to 1.5 inches) wide. These are perfect for appetizers. Larger ones can be 10 to 12 centimeters (4 to 5 inches) wide. You can also find them shaped like a ring. Sometimes, gougères are filled with things like mushrooms, beef, or ham. When they are filled, they are usually made in a ring or pie shape.
In Burgundy, gougères are often served cold when people are tasting wine in cellars. They are also served warm as a starter before a meal. This delicate dish is great for special parties and celebrations.
History of Gougère
The word "gougère" today means a savory pastry made with choux dough. But a long time ago, in the 1700s and 1800s, the name was used for many different dishes. Some of these early gougères were just cheese, eggs, and breadcrumbs. They were usually flat and round, not puffy like they are now.
Even older forms of gougère were more like a stew than a pastry. These old recipes included herbs, bacon, eggs, cheese, and spices. In the Middle Ages in France, it was a type of cheese tart or pie. Later, it became well-known in what is now Belgium. It was also found in Auxerre (Burgundy) in the 1800s, where it was called gouere.
The Name Gougère
The word gougère has been spelled in many ways over time. Some old spellings include gouiere, gouyere, goïère, and goyère. The way we spell it today, gougère, seems to have started in the 1700s.
No one knows for sure where the word originally came from.
See also
In Spanish: Gougère para niños
