Compote

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This article is about the dessert. For the similar Eastern European beverage, see Kompot . For other uses, see Compote (disambiguation) .
Compote
A rhubarb and apple compote (right)
Alternative names compost (Middle English)
Type Dessert
Serving temperature Warm or chilled
Main ingredients Fruit , sugar syrup , spices

Compote or compote [1] (French for stewed fruit [2] ) is a dessert originating from medieval Europe, [ citation needed ] made of whole or pieces of fruit in sugar syrup . Whole fruits are cooked in water with sugar and spices . The syrup may be seasoned with vanilla , lemon or orange peel, cinnamon sticks or powder, cloves , other spices, ground almonds , grated coconut , candied fruit or raisins . The compote is served either warm or cold.

History [ edit ]

Compote conformed to the medieval belief that fruit cooked in sugar syrup balanced the effects of humidity on the body. The name is derived from the Latin word compositus , meaning mixture. In late medieval England it was served at the beginning of the last course of a feast (or sometimes the second out of three courses), often accompanied by a creamy potage . [3] [4] [5] During the Renaissance, it was served chilled at the end of dinner. Because it was easy to prepare, made from inexpensive ingredients and contained no dairy products, compote became a staple of Jewish households throughout Europe. [6] In modern French , the term refers to usually unsweetened fruit puree without fruit chunks, such as applesauce .

Variations [ edit ]

Dried fruit is often used for compote by cultures from Eastern Europe, and its syrup is also drunk as a beverage. Both are called kompot . In Mennonite culture, dried-fruit compote is known by the Plautdietch name pluma moos .

The dessert may be topped with whipped cream , cinnamon, or vanilla sugar. The syrup may be made with wine, as in one early 15th-century recipe for pear compote. [4] Other variations include using dried fruit that have been soaked in water in which alcohol can be added, for example kirsch , rum or Frontignan . [7]

See also [ edit ]

References [ edit ]

  1. ^ "Compote recipes - BBC Food" . www.bbc.co.uk . Retrieved 2019-12-10 .
  2. ^ "compote | Etymology, origin and meaning of compote by etymonline" . www.etymonline.com . Retrieved 2023-08-03 .
  3. ^ Constance B. Hieatt and Sharon Butler, ed. Curye on Inglysch . The Early English Text Society, New York, 1985.
  4. ^ a b Thomas Austin, ed. Two Fifteenth-Century Cookery-Books . The Early English Text Society, New York, 1888 (reprinted 1964).
  5. ^ Information on the Coronation feast of Richard III, taken from Sutton, Anne F. and PW Hammond, The Coronation of Richard III: the Extant Documents, New York; St. Martin's Press, 1983.
  6. ^ Be Merry / A taste of Poland , Haaretz
  7. ^ Robuchon, Joel , "Members of the Gastronomic Committee". Larousse Gastronomique . New York: Clarkson Potter/Publishers, 2001, p. 322-323.
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