Dessiné

  

Dessiné

Type	Rice dish
Course	Entreé
Place of origin	Sierra
Region or state	Gold Coast, Sierra
Associated national cuisine	Sierran/Creole
Serving temperature	Hot
Main ingredients	Chicken bouillon, meat/seafood, white wine roux, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, onion, okra, celery, filé powder, allspice, bell pepper, carrot, tomato, chilis
Food energy (per 4 serving)	= 2400 kcal
Similar dishes	Caldoso, gumbo, jambalaya
Other information	Official dish of the Gold Coast
Cookbook:Dessiné

Dessiné or dessine (English pronunciation: /ˈdɛs(uː).neɪ/; French pronunciation: /dɛ.si.ne/) is a dish found in Sierran Creole cuisine typically served with chicken bouillon assorted with vegetables over rice. It is prepared and cooked through the method of smothering. Originating from Saintiana, it is popular throughout Sierra and is especially prominent in Grands Ballons and the St. Anthony County area.

The traditional method of preparing dessiné requires French white wine roux and chicken bouillon. The flavor and seasoning of dessiné varies depending on locality and region. In Grands Ballons cuisine and Creole cooking, dessiné contains garlic, filé powder, carrot, tomato, allspice, and chilis. Seafood, such as shrimp or crab, may be added. In Porciúncula and non-Creole French cooking, meat such as beef or pork may be used instead, and the use of onions, Worcestershire sauce, and bell pepper is incorporated with greater emphasis. In Channelier cuisine, fish and shellfish is the preferred choice of protein, especially clam. Clam broth may be used instead of chicken bouillon. Across all three traditions, gumbo is traditionally served with rice.

Dessiné developed from the cosmopolitan cooking culture of the Saintana, also known as the Creole Coast, during the 19th and 20th centuries. Rice dishes became highly popularized during the Sierran Cultural Revolution and the surge of domestic rice production drove down the price of rice among working class Sierran Creoles. Dessiné became a staple dish in Creole cuisine and was also popular in the Channel Islands. Mass production and commercialization of dessiné allowed the dish to proliferate across the country and the world as fast food restaurants, diners, food companies, and distributors began selling their own versions of the dish. Instant dessiné is one of the most popular choices of inexpensive meals in Sierra and Anglo-America due to its relative ease and convenience of cooking.

Dessiné is the official provincial dish of the Gold Coast and is also a popular version of hot box. The dish combines influences from several culinary traditions including African, French, Spanish, Southern Anglo-American, and Louisiana Creole. Dessiné gained widespread popularity during the 1970s as other Sierran Creole dishes also entered into the Sierran mainstream. The Sierran fast food chain Shirley's was credited with the commercialization and popularization of the dish.

Etymology

The name of the dish comes from Sierran Creole French, deriving from the French past participle form of dessiner ("to draw"), dessiné. In Sierran Creole French, dessiner developed a new meaning similar to the English sense as in "drawing water from the well". It is speculated that the original name was la soupe dessiné (drawn soup) in Sierran Creole French, likely referring to the action of mixing the soup to "draw out" the flavor and contents of the soup. In contemporary times, the dish's name has become a mondegreen due to the English pronunciation of dessiné sounding similar to the Japanese phrase, ですね？ (desu ne?), literally meaning "isn't it?" or "that's right". The ablaut reduplicated phrase, Dessiné desu ne or Dessine desu ne is a common saying to convey that one is hungry to the point they would want something as simple or convenient as dessiné. The near-homophony expressed in the three languages have resulted in social commentators finding a humorous or serendipitous feature of Sierra's multicultural and multilingual society.

Recipe and ingredients

Traditional homemade dessiné is a heavily seasoned soup that is thickened to create a viscous, creamy sauce made out of chicken bouillon, white wine roux, and Worcestershire sauce. Any combination of meat or seafood can be used, but chicken is favored. Other popular meat-based dessiné include beef or turkey, and more rarely, pork. Oysters, shrimp, salmon, or cod are occasionally added in seafood-based dessiné. Cut-up hot dog sausages may sometimes be added and more contemporaneous recipes may call for the inclusion of shredded cheese as well. Most varieties of dessiné call for seasoning which includes onions, garlic powder, parsley, oregano, paprika, and filé powder.

See also

• Fowler stew
• Sierran curry
• Sierran cuisine
• List of Sierran dishes
• List of soups
• List of stews