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| MOUSSE |
COOKING
INFORMATION |
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There
are several theories about the origin of the word 'mousse.'
Here is one that I find particularly fascinating.
In
ancient Rome honey was mixed with wine to make a beverage
called mulsum, which is related to mel, meaning honey.
A Late Latin relative is the word mulsa, meaning mead
or hydromel. This word mulsa became mousse in French,
meaning 'froth', and was later (in the late 19th century)
taken into English to mean a sweet frothy desert. Words
can take long, roundabout trips to get here!
Today
a mousse is a light fluffy (frothy) mixture, either
sweet or savory, with whipped cream and/or beaten egg
whites and/or gelatin. They can be served hot or cold,
and some sweet mousses are frozen.
Sweet
mousses are usually made with chocolate or fruit purées,
and most contain whipped cream.
Savory
mousses are made with puréed or ground foods (salmon,
shellfish, poultry etc). Hot mousses usually contain
beaten egg whites, and are frequently stabilized with
gelatin.
Note:
A
word about mousseline. This is a very general French
term for any light fluffy preparation, made so by
the addition of whipped cream. Usually a mousseline
is made in a mold with puréed seafood, meat, foie
gras etc. Mousseline is also used for hollandaise
sauce with whipped cream folded in. The origin of
the word is NOT the same as for ‘mousse.’ Mousseline
in French means ‘muslin’, the fine shear fabric.
If
you would like some good recipes have a look at James'
website click
here
 This
article is from Chef James Ehler of Key West, Florida.
James
is a webmaster, cook, chef, writer and (like me) a self-confessed
computer nerd. He is the former executive chef of Martha's
Steak & Seafood Restaurant and the former Reach Hotel
(both in Key West), the Hilton Hotel in Fayetteville,
Arkansas, and the New Bern Golf and Country Club, North
Carolina.
He
is now webmaster and cook at the Blue Heaven Restaurant
in Key West while he works on his Food Encyclopedia
(five years so far). It is well worth paying a visit
to James' food reference website which is a useful resource
well worth Bookmarking - to visit either website just
click on their title:
The
Food Reference Website
The
Blue Heaven Restaurant, Key West, Florida
©
James T. Ehler, 2001
All rights reserved
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