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This aromatic, decadent spread is made with black or green olives. The original recipe includes four essential Mediterranean ingredients – chopped olives, anchovies, capers, and olive oil – combined with additional ingredients and spices to form a thick, fragrant spread.
Even though it is often described as a Provençal recipe, it was originally invented in 1880 by a chef Meynier at a Marseilles restaurant called La Maison Dorée, while the first recipe dates back to 1897, when it was published in Jean-Baptiste Reboul's La Cuisinière Provençale.
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Rillettes de Tours is a spread made from pork meat that has been slowly cooked in a pot of pork fat. It is made in the French area of the city of Tours. Rillettes is sold all over the charcuteries in France, where the locals affectionately call it 'pig jam', usually presented in a pot or a jar, where it can be covered with a layer of fat to preserve the product.
The meat can be flavored with white wine during the cooking process, and the result is a golden yellow to brown paste with a rough, coarse texture and a browned-meat taste, like the essence of roast pork. Serve it on toasted bread with cornichon pickles to cut the rich taste of this French delicacy, and pair it with a glass of cold white wine.
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Brandade is a French dish consisting of mashed salt cod that is mixed with olive oil, potatoes, and often garlic and milk until the consistency becomes smooth and creamy. The name of the dish stems from the Provencal word brandado, meaning to shake or to stir.
Brandade was most likely invented by the cooks of Nîmes and Marseilles in the 18th century. The dish was first popularized by a famous French chef named Durand in his cookbook from 1830. It is usually served warm as an appetizer, dip, or spread that's accompanied by bread or crackers.
MOST ICONIC Brandade
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Mousse de foie gras is a French delicacy made with slices of sautéed duck or goose foie gras that are processed into a smooth, light, and spreadable paste with ingredients such as softened butter, béchamel sauce, or crème fraiche (a thick, slightly sour cream).
This dish typically uses the cheaper (grade B or C) foie gras, and it is usually seasoned with salt and black pepper and flavored with the tart Pomme de Vie apple brandy, orange-flavored Grand Marnier, or port wine. A simple, yet elegant appetizer, foie gras mousse is incredibly versatile.
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Cervelle de canut is a fresh cream cheese spread that is often seasoned with vinegar, salt, pepper, olive oil, garlic, and chopped fresh herbs. The spread originates from the French city of Lyon and it is the city's specialty. Regarding the name of the dish, it is literally translated to silk weaver's brains.
However, it is 100% vegetarian, as the dish was named after canuts – the silk weavers of Lyon in the 19th century. Since the weavers were mostly poor and couldn't afford real brains, they invented their own dish, a spread which was often placed on a piece of bread or a potato.
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Anchoïade is a traditional dip originating from Provence. It consists of anchovies which have been packed in oil, red wine vinegar, minced garlic, and olive oil. The anchovies and garlic are ground into a paste, and it's then combined with vinegar and olive oil, which should be whisked in bit by bit until the desired consistency has been reached.
Anchoïade is often slathered on grilled bread as a spread, used as a dip with crudités, or as a dressing for salads. However, it's most commonly used with crudités, so make sure you have an assortment of vegetables prepared for dipping, such as celery stalks, thinly sliced black radishes, or florets of broccoli romanesco.
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Féroce d'avocat is a traditional West Indian specialty that's popular in Martinique and Guyana. It's made with a combination of avocado, cassava flour, garlic, chili peppers, lime juice, salt cod, and spinach leaves. The cod is boiled, and its flesh is then mixed with the other ingredients until the mixture becomes homogeneous.
The mix is seasoned with salt and pepper, chilled, then served as a spread, usually presented in an avocado shell. This dish was typically eaten by plantation workers for breakfast, and nowadays it's usually served as an appetizer. The translation of the name literally means fierce avocado, where fierce refers to the strong and spicy Caribbean chili peppers.
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