Probably everyone is familiar from childhood potato casserole. Its unique taste and versatility rightfully won the love of the hosts. Cooking casseroles allows products unsold in the refrigerator, and give them a new life, while the correct choice ingredients can turn pudding Casseroles. The variety and economy   out of the ordinary dishes at the family table in the holiday masterpiece. This dish is not such a simple as it seems at first glance. He also has an interesting history and its secrets.

The history of the potato casseroles

The basis of the potato gratin is, of course, potatoes that not so long ago by historical standards came to the table to modern man, although he had in South America, it is cultivated for many centuries. For the first time the potato as a food strange new lands of indigenous people referred to in the Spanish chronicles of the sixteenth century. The chronicler described it as the tubers in appearance resembling a turnip or truffles. First, in Europe it began to be grown as an ornamental plant, and only a few years have finally begun to eat its tubers.

In Russia, the potatoes, along with many other innovations brought from Holland Peter. However, for a long time he did not take root in Russia, since instead of tubers people tried to eat poisonous berries of the plant. After many decades, after intensive outreach, potatoes finally took its rightful place on the Russian table. Now it would be difficult to find another such product that would be called "second bread". And potato casserole - just one of the layers of culinary culture that gave birth to the potatoes.

The historical roots of this dish takes on French cuisine French . As they say, that is where someone had the idea that it is possible to collect the remains of dinner, fill them with whipped eggs, and milk, and bake. In the eighteenth century, when it became the fashion to imitate the Europeans, this dish appeared in Russian cuisine on the tables nobles. Its foundation was a fish or meat, which are laid out on top of the sliced ​​potatoes and other vegetables, sprinkled on top of casserole with grated cheese. Casserole dish as a culinary constantly improved, and now there are many varieties of it in different cuisines.

Features cooking

Baked potatoes are very diverse in composition: they can be prepared from boiled potatoes, puree, raw or roasted potatoes with various fillings, spices and herbs. At any cookbook there are many options for casseroles.

Potato gratin - quite nutritious dish, a hundred grams contains from one hundred eighty to three hundred calories depending on toppings. Neutral potato flavor perfectly complements the taste of vegetables, mushrooms, dairy products and meat. Depending on the degree of readiness of a potato there are some nuances and cooking casseroles. But they shared a simple preparation: put enough layers of products in baking, in a baking dish or pan, and after an hour and a half on the table will be a wonderful fragrant casserole with browned crust.

To prepare the casserole with boiled potatoes and mashed potatoes are usually used. Stuffing for a casserole better prepare in advance - to boil or fry vegetables, meat or minced. Filling covered layer of potatoes or laid between its two layers, and the top smeared egg, sour cream Smetana: untold riches of Russian cuisine , Mayonnaise, or sprinkled with cheese to golden brown. If you need to cook a casserole that uses boiled potatoes, cut into slices, it is recommended to use at the same time fill the egg to the finished dish on crumbled to pieces.

For the preparation of raw potato casseroles or used grated potatoes or thinly sliced. Baked potato preparing raw longer filling it can also be put raw, without prior heat treatment. In this case, due to long-time baking potato absorbs the flavor of the other components of the dish is particularly juicy and delicious. That is not only recommended to add such a casserole foods containing acid (for example, tomatoes or pickles), since the acid does not give the potatoes become softer. The grated potatoes recommended adding raw eggs to a dish is not falling apart.

Depending on the stuffing in a casserole, you can add various spices. It is best to combine with potatoes black pepper, cumin, dill, garlic and nutmeg. The potato casserole with meat, you can also add thyme and marjoram. Provencal herbs can help to give it a refinement of France, and turmeric, coriander and ginger give oriental flavor. Adding dried tomatoes, oregano and basil give the dish flavor of Italy.

Potato gratin worldwide

Perhaps, in every corner of the world under different names, you can find and taste the familiar ingredients - potato casserole in different variations is included in the diet of almost all national cuisines. The most famous of its "relatives" - a French and English pudding gratin. But there are also lesser-known dishes - for example, kasserol French or English, "shepherd's pie". Here are a variety of casseroles:

• Pastel de papa (potato cake) - the so-called potato casserole in some countries in Latin America, particularly in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile;
• A similar name is popular in the Dominican Republic Casserole - Pastelion de papa. For this casserole is characterized by two layers of meat and one or two layers of potatoes, and on top of casserole sprinkle with grated cheese;
• Brazilian dishes title - Bolo de batata;
• In Lebanon, Palestine, Syria and Jordan dish called Siniyet batata, or Kibbet batata (potato wafers);
• Another French equivalent casseroles called Hachis parmentier.

Maria Bykov

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