ballottine a French term which refers to a hot or cold dish consisting of meat or poultry that has been boned, stuffed, rolled, tied up (often inside a cloth), and braised or poached. Its name is a diminutive form of French ballotte, which in turn is derived from balle, meaning ‘bale’, to which a ballottine has an obvious resemblance in form, although very much smaller.
© the Estate of Alan Davidson 1999, 2006, 2014 © in the Editor’s contribution to the second and third editions, Oxford University Press 2006, 2014.