mirepoix

See also: Mirepoix

English

Etymology

Borrowed from French mirepoix, named after Gaston de Lévis, duc de Mirepoix (1699–1757).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mɪə(ɹ)ˈpwɑː/, /mɪəɹəˈpwɑː/

Noun

mirepoix (countable and uncountable, plural mirepoix or (rare) mirepoixs)

1. A combination of diced onions, carrots, celery and herbs sautéed in oil or butter as used in French cooking.

   Synonym: soffritto

   • 1877, Eneas Sweetland Dallas, Kettner's Book of the Table‎^[1]:

     The Mirepoix is from this moment complete.

   • 1910, American Cookery‎^[2], volume 14:

     Trim off superfluous fat, rub over the outside of the meat with salt and flour, and set it upon the mirepoix.

   • 2011, Modern Batch Cookery‎^[3], The Culinary Institute of America, page 34:

     Classic seasoning combinations include mirepoix, matignon, marinades, oignon piqué, and oignon brûlé.

   • 2013 May 22, Paul Levy, “Cooked: A Natural History of Transformation by Michael Pollan – review”, in The Guardian‎^[4]:

     Most European cultures use a patiently chopped, heated and stirred vegetable mixture, such as a mirepoix or soffritto, always including members of the onion family, and Pollan explores the chemistry of these, as well as their adaptive value.

2. (figurative) A mixture.
   • 2016 December, Adam Chandler, “What If Consumers Just Want to Buy Junk Food?”, in The Atlantic‎^[5]:

     To this mirepoix of contradictory news, add another Pew survey from earlier this month, which found that 54 percent of respondents said they believe that Americans are seeking out more-healthy food than they did 20 years ago—even though they are eating less healthfully than they did in that same timeframe.

Translations

combination of vegetables and herbs

• French: mirepoix (fr)
• German: Mirepoix n
• Italian: soffritto (it)
• Polish: włoszczyzna (pl)
• Spanish: sofrito (es)

See also

• brunoise (“leeks, celery, and carrots”)
• GGS (“ginger, garlic, and scallions”)
• Holy Trinity (“onions, celery, and bell peppers, in Cajun cuisine”)

Further reading

• mirepoix on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

French

Etymology

Decapitalization of Mirepoix; named after Gaston de Lévis, duc de Mirepoix (1699–1757).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /miʁ.pwa/

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

mirepoix m or f (uncountable)

1. mirepoix
2. bouillon, broth, or soup, made from mirepoix

Descendants

• → English: mirepoix

Further reading

• “mirepoix”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
• mirepoix (cuisine) on the French Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^fr