Aspic

• 1. Introduction

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  Aspic is a savoury jelly, and in the 9th century the poet Ibrahim ibn al-Mahdi thought one such dish deserved a poem. He described a gelled preparation of Iraqi carp as "like ruby on the platter, set in a pearl... steeped in saffron thus, like garnet it looks, vibrantly red, shimmering on silver". A dish that earns that kind of praise starts out humble. Aspic is meat stock or broth that has been set in a mold around other ingredients, such as pieces of meat, seafood, vegetables or eggs. In its simplest form, it is a soup that has turned solid. It also goes by the names aspic gelée and aspic jelly. How did cooks learn to make broth hold a shape? Why will some stocks set on their own while others need help? And why does this same wobbling dish turn up on winter holiday tables in countries with almost nothing else in common?

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• 2. Calf's Feet and Carême

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  The Dongjing Meng Hua Lu, a record of life in Kaifeng, the capital of the Northern Song dynasty, mentions two meat aspics served in the city's restaurants. One was called "Crystalline Meat" and the other "Jiangchi". Meat versions came before aspics flavoured with fruit or vegetables. By the Middle Ages, cooks had worked out that a thickened meat broth could be made to set. A detailed recipe survives in Le Viandier, written around 1375.

  In the early 19th century, the French chef Marie-Antoine Carême created chaudfroid sauce. The name points to food prepared hot and served cold. Aspic worked as a chaudfroid sauce on cold fish and poultry, adding both moisture and flavour. Carême also invented several kinds of aspic and ways of preparing them. The jelly itself came from boiling calf's feet for a long time, or from substitutes such as agar or isinglass where those were available. That slow work kept aspic rare. Cooks saved it for special guests or for the ill.

  By the 1870s, boxed gelatin was on sale. It saved effort, but early products were not instant. The cook had to simmer the gelatin with egg whites and their shells, then let it drip through a bag kept for that purpose. In the 1890s, packaged gelatins had their first commercial success in America. By the 1920s, a third of the salads printed in cookbooks contained gelatin, and tomato aspic was among the jellied dishes of the era. By the 1950s, meat aspic was a popular dinner staple, and cooks competed to show off their skill with inventive molds.

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• 3. What Makes It Set

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  Three hours over a slow fire is where classic pork jelly begins. The cook puts lean pork, trotters, rind, ears and snout into a pot of cold water. After the broth cools, any unwanted fat is removed. White vinegar and the juice of half an orange or lemon can then be added, and the mixture is left to cool and gel. Bay leaves or chili add flavour. Celery, beef and even pig bones appear in other versions of the recipe.

  Poultry jellies follow the same method, but the cook adds less water. Chicken and its kin hold less natural gelatin than pork, so a smaller volume of liquid is needed to compensate. Almost any meat, including poultry and fish, can yield gelatin, though extra gelatin is sometimes needed for a proper set. Veal stock supplies a great deal of gelatin, so other meats are often added to it. A cook can clarify the stock with egg whites, then fill and flavour the mold just before it sets.

  Fish consommés usually carry too little natural gelatin. Cooks may cook the stock twice or add more gelatin. Fish gelatin also melts at a lower temperature than the gelatin from other meats, so fish aspic is more delicate and melts easily in the mouth. Most fish stocks cannot hold a molded shape on their own, so extra gelatin is added.

  Vegetables contain no natural gelatin at all. Pectin does a similar job in jams and jellies. Once the jelly is set, it does far more than hold ingredients together.

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• 4. Armor and Gloss

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  Three types of aspic exist: delicate, sliceable and inedible. The delicate type is soft. The sliceable type is firmer and must be made in a terrine or an aspic mold. The inedible type is never meant to be eaten and usually serves as decoration.

  Aspic may be colorless, in which case it is called white aspic, or it may come in various shades of amber. Wrapped around cooked meat, the gelatin keeps out air and bacteria. That barrier stops spoilage and keeps meat and other ingredients fresh for longer. The same coating can add flavour.

  In food competitions, cooks glaze pieces of food with aspic so that they glisten and look more appealing. Food dipped in it takes on a lacquered finish that suits a fancy presentation. Cooks also cut the set jelly into shapes and use them as a garnish on deli meats and pâtés.

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• 5. Winter Feasts of the East

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  The Russian word kholodets comes from kholod, meaning cold. Belarusian, Russian and Ukrainian cooks all use it for their meat aspic. In some areas it is called studen' or studenets, from a different root with a similar meaning. Kholodets belongs to winter holiday celebrations such as the Russian New Year meal or the Christmas table. Modern refrigeration now allows it to be made all year, and it is not unusual to see it on a Russian table in summer.

  To make it, cooks boil collagen-rich bones and meat for about 5-8 hours. The collagen breaks down into natural gelatin and gives a thick, fatty broth, which is seasoned with salt, pepper and other spices. The meat is then separated from the bones and minced. It goes back into the broth with slices of boiled egg and herbs such as parsley. After it cools into a jelly, it is eaten with chrain, a horseradish paste, or with mustard.

  In Poland, certain meats, fish and vegetables are set in aspic to make galareta. Across Central, Eastern and Northern Europe, the dish often takes the form of pork jelly and is popular around Christmas and Easter. Hungary calls it kocsonya.

  Romania and Moldova have piftie, also called răcitură, from the Romanian word rece, meaning cold. It is usually made with pig's trotter, though turkey or chicken can replace it. The cook boils the meat with carrots and other vegetables, pours the gelatin-rich broth over the meat and mashed garlic in bowls, and lets it cool. The dish grew out of the winter slaughter of pigs, when gelatin-rich cuts were easy to find. It became part of the ritual foods of the winter holidays, from Christmas through the period leading up to Epiphany.

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• 6. Balkans and Caucasus

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  In Serbia, the dish called pihtije is known by several spellings and names, including pivtija and pača. It is made from lamb, chicken or pork, such as the head, shank or hock, and set into a firm, cake-like form. Serbs often serve it at slavas and other celebrations. It comes with cold rakija, a grape brandy, along with sauerkraut and turšija, a mix of pickled cucumbers, dill, peppers, cauliflower and carrots. In winter, it may share the table with kolenica, or ham hock, and heated liquor.

  The method starts with cleaned and washed meat, boiled for no longer than 10 minutes. The cook then changes the water, adds vegetables and spices, and cooks until the meat falls away from the bones. After the bones come out and the stock is filtered, meat and stock go into shallow bowls with garlic and thin slices of tomato or green pepper. Left in a cold place, it congeals and can be cut into equal cubes. Good pihtije is said to be "cut like glass".

  Croatia has hladetina, from the word hladno, meaning cold. Some versions are served in a dish with delicate gelatin. The variant called tlačenica is closer to the German sulze, a kind of head cheese. In Slovenia, the dish is called žolca, a word taken from sülze, and tlačenka, and it is traditionally served at Easter. In Slovakia, huspenina is made with ox or pork. A similar dish, tlačenka, is served all year but especially at Easter.

  In Georgia, the cold jellied pork called mujuji, or muzhuzhi, uses pork meat, tails, ears and feet. Carrots, vinegar, garlic, herbs, onions, bay leaves, allspice and cinnamon go in as well. Some recipes cook the dish in two stages and pickle it lightly with wine vinegar, adding tarragon and basil. One part holds the feet, tails and ears, and the other holds the lean meat of piglets. The two are chilled together and served with green onions and spicy herbs.

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• 7. Aspic Across Asia

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  Korea's jokpyeon begins with beef and pork cuts that are rich in collagen, such as the head, skin, tail and cow's trotters. The cook boils them in water for a long time. When the liquid cools, it sets into a jelly-like mass.

  Among the Newars of the Kathmandu Valley in Nepal, buffalo meat jelly called ta khaa is a major part of the winter festival feast. It is eaten alongside sanyaa khunna, a fish aspic made from dried fish and buffalo meat stock. The fish aspic is soured and carries a heavy mix of spices and condiments.

  In Northern China, aspic is a traditional winter dish, especially around Chinese New Year. It is usually made by boiling pork rind in water. Zhenjiang has its own version, shuǐjīng xiáoròu, meaning salted pork in jelly, made with pig trotters. It has two layers. The upper layer, about half an inch thick, is pigskin aspic. The lower layer is half red and half white and comes from boiling trotter and pigskin until they gel. Cooks once boiled the trotter with saltpeter, which gave it a crimson hue. Because saltpeter is now banned in food, the modern approach uses German pork knuckles.

  Vietnam has thịt nấu đông, eaten during Lunar New Year. It is also called thịt đông, or Vietnamese pork aspic, and is the closest Vietnamese match for the dish. A relative is giò thủ, also called giò tai or giò xào. Cooks stir-fry the meat with other ingredients, then wrap and compress it. The dish comes from Northern Vietnam and is now popular nationwide. Families often make it for the Lunar New Year, and sausage shops in most markets sell it.

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• 8. Preserving and Topping

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  In Flanders in Belgium, rog in 't zuur, also called rog in zure gelei, deals with a problem: ray wings spoil very quickly. The cook poaches them in a fish stock made with vinegar, spices and onions. Gelatin is then added to the stock, which is poured over the fish. Sealed in this way, the fish keeps for 2-4 days without refrigeration. People eat it cold with bread, for breakfast or as a snack, or serve it as an appetizer. The meat inside pork pies is preserved in a similar way, using pork jelly.

  Aspic contains nutrients such as iron, vitamin A, vitamin K, fatty acids, selenium, zinc, magnesium and phosphorus.

  In Denmark, the aspic called sky is made from meat juices and gelatin, and sometimes mushrooms. It is almost always eaten as a topping on cold cuts or on rullepølse, on open-faced sandwiches known as smørrebrød. Sky is also a key ingredient in Dyrlægens natmad, a dish that combines leverpostej, sliced salt beef and onions. Most Danish supermarkets stock sky, with or without mushrooms, so the jelly that once took hours to make now sits ready-made on the shelf.

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