Macédoine

Cutting a Macédoine

• Prepare the vegetable as you would for Jardinière.
• Trim the vegetable so that the sides are straight, making it easier to produce even cuts.
• Slice the vegetable lengthwise into 5 mm (just under ¼ in) slices using a series of parallel cuts.
• Cut each slice into baton shapes 5 mm wide.
• Using a series of parallel cuts, cut the batons into 5 mm (just under ¼ in) cubes.

Usage

The vegetable “Macédoine de legumes” served in France today is usually a cold salad or hors d’oeuvre of diced vegetables, and often includes red beans. It is sometimes mixed with Mayonnaise combined with aspic stock, making it essentially the same as a vegetarian Russian salad. Macédoine de légumes is also a hot vegetable dish consisting of the same vegetables served with butter.

History

According to the etymologist Juan Antonio Cincunegui, the word Macedonia was popularized at the end of the 18th century and was used to refer to a mixed fruit salad. It is sometimes said that it refers to the ethnic mixture in the Ottoman 19th century Macedonia, but the chronology and contemporary sources do not support this interpretation. Macédoine can be used in any medley of unrelated things, not necessarily edible.