What's in the markets in January

[John Talbott]

What’s in the markets in Jan

The following are reported by the Almanach du Gastronomie* to appear in the markets in January:

Arriving: arctic cod, Pollack, anchovies, fennel, spinach, 6 varieties of Provence (what we call lettuces) including lettuce, escarole (same in the US: endive in the UK), curly lettuce (we call it frisée too), leaf or curly lettuce (feuille de chene), oranges, pommes clochard (for the traditional apple dessert), certain pears, strawberries (from Spain though), litchis.

Leaving: herring, pheasant, wild boar, chestnuts, Roquefort Baragnbaudes, grapes, esp from Moissac.

In full season: oysters, urchins, mixed aromatic herbs, calamari, scallops, bar (European bass/sea wolf), sole, merlan (whiting, Silver Hake), dorade (daurade, sea bream, chrysophrys, gilt head), raie (skate or ray), rouget (red mullet, sur mullet goat fish), plie (carrelet, European plaice, dab), poulards and capons, beef, farmer’s pork, cabbage, cauliflower, mache (we call it mache, but elsewhere it is apparently called corn salad or lamb’s lettuce), beets, salsifis (somewhere called the oyster plant) and crosne (Japanese or Chinese artichoke on which a thread runs), pumpkin, truffles. Vacherin, Munster, Abondance, Ossau-Iraty, Salers + Laguiole, blue cheeses, citrus, pineapples, bananas, kumquats and physalis (ground cherries or Golden Nugget Cape Gooseberry).

*Reference: Almanach du Gastronomie by Armelle de Scitivaux (Bottin Goumand, 1998, 133 FF.)

Edited December 8, 2006 by John Talbott (log)