Fricot
Encyclopedia
Fricot is a traditional Acadian
dish. The word fricot has its origins in 18th century France where it was used to mean a feast
. The following century, it had evolved to mean "meat stew", and later still it became used to refer to prepared food.
The main ingredients consist of potatoes, onions, and whatever meat was available, cooked in a stew and topped with dumplings. The common meats used were chicken
(fricot au poulet), clams
(fricot aux coques), rabbit
(fricot au lapin des bois), beef
, or pork
. When chicken was used, it was traditionally an older chicken, since an egg-laying chicken would have been too precious to cook. This accounts for the long cooking time, as an older chicken would have had tougher meat.
In lean times, a meatless fricot would be made. Fricot a la belette was one term for this, which means "weasel stew". The reference being made is that the cook is as sly as a weasel for leaving out the meat. In the opposite vein, Prince Edward Island
Acadians use the term fricot a la bazette which means "stupid cook's stew", implying that the meat was forgotten.
Fricot is such an important part of Acadian food culture that the call to eat in Acadian French is "Au fricot!"
Acadian
The Acadians are the descendants of the 17th-century French colonists who settled in Acadia . Acadia was a colony of New France...
dish. The word fricot has its origins in 18th century France where it was used to mean a feast
Feast
Feast may refer to:* Banquet, a large meal* A Festival or feria* Ramadan, Muslim's holy month* Nineteen Day Feast, a monthly meeting held in Bahá'í communities to worship, consult, and socialize....
. The following century, it had evolved to mean "meat stew", and later still it became used to refer to prepared food.
The main ingredients consist of potatoes, onions, and whatever meat was available, cooked in a stew and topped with dumplings. The common meats used were chicken
Chicken (food)
Chicken is the most common type of poultry in the world, and is prepared as food in a wide variety of ways, varying by region and culture.- History :...
(fricot au poulet), clams
CLaMS
CLaMS is a modular chemistry transport model system developed at Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany. CLaMS was first described by McKenna et al. and was expanded into three dimensions by Konopka et al....
(fricot aux coques), rabbit
Rabbit
Rabbits are small mammals in the family Leporidae of the order Lagomorpha, found in several parts of the world...
(fricot au lapin des bois), beef
Beef
Beef is the culinary name for meat from bovines, especially domestic cattle. Beef can be harvested from cows, bulls, heifers or steers. It is one of the principal meats used in the cuisine of the Middle East , Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Europe and the United States, and is also important in...
, or pork
Pork
Pork is the culinary name for meat from the domestic pig , which is eaten in many countries. It is one of the most commonly consumed meats worldwide, with evidence of pig husbandry dating back to 5000 BC....
. When chicken was used, it was traditionally an older chicken, since an egg-laying chicken would have been too precious to cook. This accounts for the long cooking time, as an older chicken would have had tougher meat.
In lean times, a meatless fricot would be made. Fricot a la belette was one term for this, which means "weasel stew". The reference being made is that the cook is as sly as a weasel for leaving out the meat. In the opposite vein, Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island is a Canadian province consisting of an island of the same name, as well as other islands. The maritime province is the smallest in the nation in both land area and population...
Acadians use the term fricot a la bazette which means "stupid cook's stew", implying that the meat was forgotten.
Fricot is such an important part of Acadian food culture that the call to eat in Acadian French is "Au fricot!"