Galette
[GAH-let]

WHAT? French flapjacks. Most Americans are familiar with crêpes, but the galette, a signature dish of Brittany, is not nearly as well known. Made with buckwheat flour and encasing savory fillings such as mushrooms, cheese, eggs, and ham, galettes came into vogue after the Crusaders brought back buckwheat from their travels to Asia. They called it sarasin, derived from the same root as Saracen, meaning “of a dark color.” Culinaria: France (Könemann) explains that buckwheat's popularity in Brittany came from the crop's resiliency, its short growing time, and the fact that it was not taxed, hence was more profitable for farmers than planting wheat. This unleavened, stone-baked substitute for bread, Culinaria writes, “is probably man's oldest food.” Incidentally, the word galette is also used in French for flat cakes, as in the galette de roi. Every fall the Breton town of Louiseville holds a weeklong Festival de la Galette de Sarrasin, celebrating the flatbread with sporting events, Bingo, and musical acts, all presided over by Le Père de Sarrasin. Last year's festival included an appearance by none other than Baby Spice!

WHEN? April 6, 2001: Un Goût du Nord-Ouest


Grüner Veltliner
[GROO-ner FELT-lih-ner]

WHAT? The wine the hills are alive with. Grüner Veltliner is both the name of the grape and the crisp white wine it makes, a unique and delicious Austrian libation. Grown primarily in the eastern part of the country, around Vienna, it is a small grape, high in acid that is well-suited to cold climates. The best examples of the wine, which experts like Hugh Johnson believe can be superb, are straw yellow in color and have a light fruity flavor. At heurigers (Austrian winery restaurants), young Grüner Veltliners are drawn straight from the barrel, unfiltered and cloudy, into drinking glasses, never wine glasses. They make the perfect accompaniment to the simple hearty fare – think smoked ham hocks and liptauer spread – that the heurigers serve.

WHEN? April 26, 2001: Ben and Karen Barker, Magnolia Grill


Gyromitres
[GEE-ro-mee-truhs]

WHAT? The Fugu of fungi. You won't often see gyromitres outside of French homes, because this delicacy, much like absinthe (which Chef Craig Shelton will also be serving) and the aforementioned Japanese blowfish, has been outlawed for sale, due to the presence of hydragine, a substance which is toxic if the mushrooms are prepared incorrectly. Found in the sandy soil of the slopes of the Pyrénées, Alps, and mountains of central Europe, gyromitres appear right after the growing season for morels, which they resemble in appearance and taste. Historically, mushrooms have long been a source of culinary rebellion: although botanists have warned for centuries of their toxicity, the siren lure of the imagined deliciousness of unfamiliar mushrooms has sent many an amateur mycologist into the forest and fields searching for a morel, chanterelle, or cousin. As Waverly Root writes in Food, “about 80 species [of mushrooms] are eaten in France, but only 20 are found on the market.”

WHEN? April 24, 2001: Craig Shelton, The Ryland Inn


Mock Duck

WHAT? A flightless bird. You won't find this Asian "duck" hanging in the windows of Chinatown restaurants. That's because it isn't duck at all. The best mock duck–the kind that will certainly be served at the Beard House – is made from fresh, organic wheat gluten (aka seitan). Gluten is protein, and for this product the protein is folded and pressed to create a chewy, meaty substance that is then glazed and treated as a meat-free alternative to duck in Buddhist and other vegetarian dishes. Although you can find recipes for mock duck that call for pork or other meat products, they are not the true mock dock – if there can be such a thing. Commercially prepared mock duck is available in cans in Asian grocery stores. It is rolled, pressed, and glazed to resemble duck – the top layer is even dimpled to look like skin – but it pales in comparison to the fresh product. Don't confuse mock duck, the dish, with Mock Duck, the impromptu jazz/rock band formed in a Vancouver café in 1968, either.

WHEN? April 9, 2001: Taste of the Twin Cities