Wine in food: Coq au Vin
Coq au Vin is one of the most famous French regional dishes, the original recipe is to marinate and braise a local old rooster until it is tender and cook it with red or white wine. Traditionally, a French regional red wine call “Burgundy” is used to add the rich fruity flavour and a hint of smokiness into the dish. Some people also prefer to add Cognac for a stronger taste, which is a regional brandy. This dish was popularised in Paris in the late 16th century by Henry IV. I think this top-down method used by the aristocracy made Coq au Vin into a national cuisine, consumed not only by the people in Pairs but also people from all around the country. The simplicity of the dish also made it affordable to many French peasants, they can use other wines to replace Burgundy. The garnishing and serving is also cheap and simple, the dish is usually presented with chopped parsley and served in a large metal pot, which give this dish the entitlement of comfort food. In terms of other serving Coq au Vin outside of France, there are a lot of variants in the recipe, some places serve it with mashed potatoes, some has chopped carrots in it and so on. I think this is because Coq au Vin is not part of the high class dishes, it mainly targets French peasants in the past, and there are some flexibility provided to them. As a result, foreigners may want to add more ingredients to make the dish fancier and not wanting to follow the traditional recipe.
wine in food 