Bisque (food)

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For other uses, see bisque.
A bowl of lobster bisque
A bowl of lobster bisque

Bisque is a thick, creamy, highly-seasoned soup of French origin, classically of puréed crustaceans.[1] It can be made from lobster, crab, shrimp or crayfish. Also, creamy soups made from vegetables instead of seafood are sometimes called bisques.

[edit] Etymology

It is thought the name is derived from Biscay, as in Bay of Biscay[2], but the crustaceans are certainly bis cuites "twice cooked" (by analogy to a biscuit) for they are first sautéed lightly in their shells, then simmered in wine and aromatic ingredients, before being puréed.[3]

[edit] Method

Bisque is a method of extracting every bit of flavor from imperfect crustaceans not good enough to send to market. In an authentic bisque, the shells are ground to a fine paste and added to thicken the soup. Julia Child even remarked, "Do not wash anything off until the soup is done because you will be using the same utensils repeatedly and you don't want any marvelous tidbits of flavor losing themselves down the drain." [4]

Seafood bisque is traditionally served in a low two-handled cup on a saucer or in a mug.

Bisque is also sometimes used to refer to cream-based soups that do not contain seafood, in which the ingredients are pureed or processed in a food processor or a food mill. Common varieties include tomato, mushroom, and squash bisque.

[edit] References

  1. ^ The Academie Francaise Dictionary defines a bisque as: BISQUE n. Potage fait d'un coulis de crustacés. Une bisque de homard, d'écrevisses. (Soup made of of pureed crustaceans, e.g. lobster or crawfish.)
  2. ^ "Bisque", Online Etymology Dictionary, accessed 2007-04-27
  3. ^ "Bisque (2) and Biscuit (3)", AskOxford.com, accessed 2007-04-27
  4. ^ Child, Julia; Simone Beck (1970). Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume 2. Knopf. ISBN 0394401522.