compote
{{short description|Dessert of fruit cooked in syrup}}
{{about|the dessert|the similar Eastern European beverage |Kompot|other uses|Compote (disambiguation)}}
{{Infobox prepared food
| name = Compote
| image = Compote.jpg
| image_size = 250px
| caption = A rhubarb and apple compote (right)
| alternate_name = compost (Middle English)
| country =
| region =
| creator =
| course =
| type = Dessert
| served = Warm or chilled
| main_ingredient = Fruit, sugar syrup, spices
| variations =
| calories =
| other =
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Compote or compôte{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/compote|title=Compôte recipes - BBC Food|website=www.bbc.co.uk|language=en|access-date=2019-12-10}} (French for stewed fruit{{Cite web |title=compote {{!}} Etymology, origin and meaning of compote by etymonline |url=https://www.etymonline.com/word/compote |access-date=2023-08-03 |website=www.etymonline.com |language=en}}) is a dessert originating in medieval Europe,{{cn|date=January 2021}} made of whole or pieces of fruit in sugar syrup. Whole fruits are cooked in water with sugar and spices. The syrup may be seasoned with vanilla, lemon or orange peel, cinnamon sticks or powder, cloves, other spices, ground almonds, grated coconut, candied fruit or raisins. The compote is served either warm or cold.{{cite web|url=https://www.gastronomos.gr/syntages/achladi-milo-i-kydoni-4-kompostes-me-fthinoporina-froyta/291400/|title=Pear, apple or quince? 4 autumn fruit compotes (recipes)|language=el|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241119190517/https://www.gastronomos.gr/syntages/achladi-milo-i-kydoni-4-kompostes-me-fthinoporina-froyta/291400/|archive-date=2024-11-19}}
History
Compote conformed to the medieval belief that fruit cooked in sugar syrup balanced the effects of humidity on the body. The name is derived from the Latin word compositus, meaning mixture. In late medieval England it was served at the beginning of the last course of a feast (or sometimes the second out of three courses), often accompanied by a creamy potage.Constance B. Hieatt and Sharon Butler, ed. Curye on Inglysch. The Early English Text Society, New York, 1985.Thomas Austin, ed. Two Fifteenth-Century Cookery-Books. The Early English Text Society, New York, 1888 (reprinted 1964).[http://www.florilegium.org/?http%3A//www.florilegium.org/files/FEASTS/idxfeasts.html Information on the Coronation feast of Richard III, taken from Sutton, Anne F. and PW Hammond, The Coronation of Richard III: the Extant Documents, New York; St. Martin's Press, 1983.] During the Renaissance, it was served chilled at the end of dinner. Because it was easy to prepare, made from inexpensive ingredients and contained no dairy products, compote became a staple of Jewish households throughout Europe.[http://www.haaretz.com/culture/food-wine/be-merry-a-taste-of-poland.premium-1.470666 Be Merry / A taste of Poland], Haaretz In modern French, the term refers to usually unsweetened fruit purée without fruit chunks, such as applesauce..
Variations
Dried fruit is often used for compote by cultures from Eastern Europe, and its syrup is also drunk as a beverage. Both are called kompot. In Mennonite culture, dried-fruit compote is known by the Plautdietch name {{Lang|pdt|pluma moos}}.
The dessert may be topped with whipped cream, cinnamon, or vanilla sugar. The syrup may be made with wine, as in one early 15th-century recipe for pear compote. Other variations include using dried fruit that have been soaked in water in which alcohol can be added, for example kirsch, rum or Frontignan.Robuchon, Joël, "Members of the Gastronomic Committee". Larousse Gastronomique. New York: Clarkson Potter/Publishers, 2001, p. 322-323.
See also
{{portal|Food}}