Vinegars

Appears in

#57The Cooking of South West France
The Cooking of South West France

By Paula Wolfert

Published 1987

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The vinegars of the French Southwest include apple cider vinegar, red and white wine vinegars, and raspberry vinegar. Cider vinegar is used in poaching liquids for fish and shellfish, for cooking the famous apple dishes of the Limousin, and in vinaigrettes for vegetable salads in the region of the Périgord and the Quercy.

Red wine vinegar is used for salads and for deglazing duck dishes. White wine vinegar is employed for game marinades, fish dishes, and the famous sauce béarnaise. And raspberry vinegar, which for a time became something of a cliché among chefs, is still used in Southwest France, especially for deglazing sautéed duck breasts. In the 1929 edition of La Bonne Cuisine du Périgord, author La Mazille suggests adding a teaspoon of it to cold water to make a refreshing summer drink.