Transcript The foods of Réunion Island (Emma)

Around the World…
French food in Reunion
Food in Reunion
ENTER
Welcome…
Where
is Reunion?
The beginning…
Traditional Ingredients and Methods
Recipes from Reunion
Restaurant Menu
Where is Reunion?
Reunion is a small French
island
located
east
of
Madagascar or Africa. It lies
in the Indian Ocean, north of
the Tropic of Capricorn.
Reunion’s capital, St-Denis, is found
on the central north coast, while the
island’s highest mountain, Piton des
Neiges, is found at the centre of
Reunion, at 3069 metres tall.
The beginning…
Reunion is made up of many different cultures. This dates
back to the 1600’s when Reunion was first colonised by the
Malagasy and the French. Prior to this there were no other
known civilisations on the island, and with no adjoining
countries, it made the island ‘deserted’.
By the next century, colonists from the island had planted
sugar cane and began to transport slaves from East Africa
and Zanzibar. This was stopped in 1848 bringing with it the
last main migration for the country, the Indians, Chinese and
Grand Comoros workers.
It was each of these cultures that created Reunion’s food.
Although each race had come from different areas of the
world, they combined their traditional recipes and
ingredients to create a new style, unique to Reunion.
Traditional Ingredients and Methods
Here are some of the ingredients that you may find in one of Reunion’s most popular and
traditional foods, cari poulet.
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Rice – usually as a base for the meal
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Beans – Usually lentils, red or white beans to go with the rice
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Poultry, pork, kid n(baby goat) or fish
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Herbs and spices – such as ginger, salt, pepper, garlic, thyme or curcuma
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Vegetables or bredes – Bredes originates from a Portuguese word that means plants
to eat & is essentially green leaves
Traditionally this meal would be cooked in an old cooking pot and au feu de bois. Once
cooked the meal would be eaten with hands or a spoon. During ceremonies, the meal
would be put on a large plate, or van, which is a flat basket made of braided leaves
and covered with banana tree leaves, and everyone would eat from it. This represents
when slaves were still used and ate their meal from the same plate.
Recipes from Reunion
Cari Poulet – Whole cooked
chicken in a spicy sauce Method:
 Cut the chicken into small
pieces and fry it in oil in a hot
You need:
cooking pot. Mix the garlic,
 A whole chicken
ginger, salt and pepper
 6 cloves of garlic
together in a pestle. Cut the
 A bit of ginger
onion. When the chicken is
glazed, add the onion and mix
 1 onion
it together for 2-4 minutes.
 3 tomatoes
Then add the garlic and mix it
 A pinch of turmeric root
up for another 2-4 minutes.
 2 red peppers
Add a pinch of turmeric root
and then the tomatoes. Finally,
 Salt and pepper
add half a glass of water and
let it reduce. When ready, the
sauce should be thick.
Recipes from Reunion (continued)
Achards - Spicy Vegetable
Pickle
Method:
You need:

 200g cauliflower
 200g small green tomatoes
 150g green cabbage
 150g carrot

 150g small melons
 200g small onions

 2 cloves of garlic
 6 tbsp. oil

 2 tbsp. white vinegar
 A pinch of salt
 1 tsp. saffron

 Red chilli pepper to taste
 A small piece of peeled ginger
Peel and cut the vegetables into
thin strips. Blanch in boiling water
with the pinch of salt for 5
minutes. Drain and dry well with a
kitchen towel.
Mash the garlic, ginger and chilli
in a mortar with the vinegar.
Heat the oil in a pot without letting
it bubble and add the saffron.
Place the vegetables and the
seasonings from the mortar into a
large bowl. Pour the hot saffron oil
over top and combine well.
Let it marinate for two days in a
cold place before serving, or
while still very hot pack into hot
sterilized jars.
Restaurant Menu
Below is an actual menu from a French restaurant in Reunion.
COCKTAILS:
Le Bras Rouge ( syrup, rhum arrangé, exotic fruits)
40.00F
Le Grand Bénard ( kiwi sirup, Cointreau, fruits )
45.00F
TODAY's SPECIALS (according to availability and season)
Espadon sauce Combava (Swordfish with Combava sauce) 70.00F
Porc au Bois des Songes (Pork with Songe wood )
70.00F
Sauté de Crevettes à l'Ananas (Sauté of shrimps with pineapple)
70.00F
Côte de Porc fumé maison aux lentilles de Cilaos
(Homemade smoked pork chops with Cilaos lentils)
70.00F
Sauté de Poulet aux Palmistes
(Sauté of chicken with palmist chou )
70.00F
Carri Poulet à la Vanille Bourbon
Chicken Carri with Bourbon Vanilla sauce)
70.00F
Grillades de Poissons (Espadon, Dorade, Capitaine)
75.00F
with sauce
87.00F
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Service inclusive
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Restaurant Menu
Below is an actual menu from a French restaurant in Reunion.
COCKTAILS:
Le Bras Rouge ( syrup, rhum arrangé, exotic fruits)
40.00F
Le Grand Bénard ( kiwi sirup, Cointreau, fruits )
45.00F
TODAY's SPECIALS (according to availability and season)
Espadon sauce Combava (Swordfish with Combava sauce) 70.00F
Porc au Bois des Songes (Pork with Songe wood )
70.00F
Sauté de Crevettes à l'Ananas (Sauté of shrimps with pineapple)
70.00F
Côte de Porc fumé maison aux lentilles de Cilaos
(Homemade smoked pork chops with Cilaos lentils)
70.00F
Sauté de Poulet aux Palmistes
(Sauté of chicken with palmist chou )
70.00F
Carri Poulet à la Vanille Bourbon
Chicken Carri with Bourbon Vanilla sauce)
70.00F
Grillades de Poissons (Espadon, Dorade, Capitaine)
75.00F
with sauce
87.00F
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Service inclusive
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"
A LA CARTE" COURSES
Boucané Bringelles (smoked bacon carri with eggplant)
60.00F
Rougail Saucisses Pays ( country sausage and tomato stew)
60.00F
Cabris Massalé ( Mutton kid stew with Massale spice)
60.00F
Saucisses aux Lentilles de Cilaos ( Sausage and Cilaos
Lentils)
Carri Poulet ( Chicken carri)
60.00F
Civet Zourrite ( Small octopus stew)
75.00F
Gigot crème d'ail ( Leg of lamb with garlic cream)
75.00F
Gigot aux Lentilles de Cilaos ( Leg of lamb with Cilaos
lentils)
Entrecôte nature Frites ( Entrecôte steak , chips)
75.00F
70.00F
85.00F
95.00F
Entrecôte au Poivre Vert, Frites( Entrecôte steak with green
pepper sauce, chips)
95.00F
Entrecôte au Roquefort, Frites ( Entrecôte steak with
roquefort sauce, chips)
Selection of deserts, ice creams and pancakes assortment
Bibliography
http://wl.middlebury.edu/jcastain/stories/storyReader$26
http://perso.wanadoo.fr/daniel.lacouture/Divers/Dossiers_histoire_c
outumes/Divers_Discussion_Dossier_009.htm>
http://www.acreunion.fr/pedagogie/lyvergerp/svt/tpe/aliments_reunionnais/introducti
on à lalimentation.htm
http://www.acreunion.fr/pedagogie/lyhotelier/cuisine/cuisineframe.htm
http://www.theworldwidegourmet.com/cooking/preserving/achard.ht
m
http://www.lessentiers.com/index.php?op=2&lang=en
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/mapshells/africa/reunion/reunion.htm
Encarta Encyclopaedia Standard 2003 CDROM - Microsoft