It is known as crudities to a first course or starter of French origin that we have incorporated into our own vocabulary with few variations with respect to its original format. As its name indicates, crudité is a raw presentation of food, specifically vegetables, greens or vegetables, accompanied by sauces, vinaigrettes, creams or dip to spread and dip.
Those who prefer to omit foreign words choose to call this dish “sticks”, although it is not entirely accurate since the crudités can be presented in other cuts and shapes. The Royal Academy dictionary already admits the term in our language and we can use it in both singular and plural, although in French only the latter is used. It refers, after all, to a specific dish or recipenot the ingredient itself isolated.
What exactly are crudités?
The rawness it’s a typical dish of french cuisine considered as hors d’oeuvrestarter or first course, whose word derives from the Latin cruditatemin turn raw, translated as “raw, not cooked”. The development and expansion of French gastronomy throughout the world, the first great cuisine considered refined and example to imitate in good tables, allowed its arrival in other countries, adopting the term even in English, where its first use is traced around 1960.
It is not necessary to investigate much to suppose that in reality, in practically all corners of the world, raw vegetables were already consumed and are consumed as a regular part of the diet, and not only because it is the most primitive or simplest form. It is something especially common in Mediterranean areas, where the fresh vegetables that can be eaten without cookingavailable fresh all year round.
But French cuisine incorporated them into the ritual of the most modern refined menu. presenting them elegantlywith a more suitable crockery and as part of those first courses that serve to whet the appetite and prepare the stomach before the strong bite, without forgetting the importance that sauces have there.
Thus, a generic crudités plate usually contains various types of raw or very lightly cooked vegetables, fruit or legumes, peeled or unpeeled, cut or uncut, accompanied by at least one sauce or dressing that is served separately. ‘The little Larousse Gastronomique in Spanish’ thus differentiates crudités from mixed salads, where it is normal to mix all the components and only have a sauce.
How to prepare a plate of crudités
The basic components of any crudité are two: vegetables raw/undercooked and a sauce or dip. The success of our dish will depend on the quality, freshness and presentation of the ingredients.
We will first choose sauce or cream, or varieties of sauces and vinaigrettes, which we want to serve, to more accurately pair the vegetables around it. These can be lighter dressings, such as a simple mustard vinaigrette, or a yogurt and herb sauce, such as Greek tzatziki, or dip more consistent and nutritious, like any hummus. The classic mayonnaise in all its variants, or the aoli, do not fail.
Once the dressings are ready, kept refrigerated, it is time to prepare the vegetableswhich should be served almost immediately, to maintain maximum freshness, unless we want to blanch or marinate them beforehand, to give them another touch of texture and flavor.
For the presentation, you can opt for the classic fountain or large plate, placing the sauce in a bowl in the center with all the vegetables around, looking for a certain harmony, or arranging the dip in different bowls and the crudités in small saucers, glasses or suitable baskets. If it is summer and we want maximum freshness, we can put the plates and bowls on top of a fountain filled with ice.
Most common vegetables
Normal or baby carrots. The larger ones are usually washed, peeled and cut into bastions or sticks, while the smaller ones can be served directly. There are very fine specimens that can also be served with part of the green stem or the leaves, which are edible.
radishes. Whole, cut in half or in quarters, with or without the stem of the leaves. The longest specimens can be cut into mini canes.
Cucumber. Better with smooth skin -Dutch- or baby or mini format, sweeter, with hardly any seeds and easier to cut into sticks. The largest ones can also be presented on discs.
Celery. Removing the thickest filaments and “hairs”, cut into sticks.
Pepper. Any color; the bell pepper type are more pleasant raw because they are more meaty. Seeds and inner filaments are removed to cut elongated pieces. The baby or mini type can be served whole or cut in half.
buds. Presented in leaves -the most external ones- or cutting the most central and tight bud in halves.
Endives. Separate the larger leaves or cut them in half or quarters.
Fennel. Cut the bulb into thick julienne strips and the branches into sticks. You can also separate the layers and cut them into strips or leave them in wide pieces.
Zucchini. Raw, it is refreshing and crisp; It can be cut into sticks, discs or half moons, not very thin. If the specimens are very thick, the central seeds can be removed in case they bother.
Broccoli and cauliflower. The raw medium florets are very rich, also the peeled trunk; can be bleached.
Brussels sprouts. Raw, they are best savored by separating the outer leaves; the central core can be cut in half or into discs.
Green asparagus. If they are very thick they can be peeled and cut in half, the thinner ones can be presented as is. They also support a quick boil.
Tomatoes. The minis, cherry type, are more practical as they offer a wide range of colors and formats that do not even need to be cut, but also the large tomatoes, if they are firm, are suitable for a plate of crudités, generally cut in quarters.
mushrooms and mushrooms. The seconds are very pleasant raw, well washed, whether they are white, portobello or shiitake. The smallest ones can be arranged as is, and the largest ones can be cut in half, separate the foot from the hat, etc.
Green beans. The thinner rounds are more tender raw; the flat ones are usually more pleasing to the palate after a gentle blanching, cutting them into thinner strips.
Snow peas. Raw or blanched, they have the advantage that the whole pod can be eaten directly.
Fruit. Ideally, crunchier varieties are chosen that do not stain much when cut and that withstand oxidation a little, if they are not seasoned with a dressing beforehand. Apple, pear, peach, nectarine, grape, mango, papaya, cantaloupe, watermelon, persimmon, pineapple, strawberries, and apricots are good choices to play with.
Additional plugins
In addition to vegetables, this dish can be made into a most complete feast or tapas if it is complemented with other ingredients and products, many simply pulling from the pantry:
Nuts raw, toasted, fried or microwaved, or seasoned with spices and herbs.
Pickles and olives.
Homemade popcorn with a special aromatic touch.
Potato chips, baked or boiled. The small cooked garnish al dente they are great for dipping whole or cut in half; the other formats accept the classic cut into sticks, segments, chips, etc.
Sauces, dips and creams to accompany
We have already mentioned many ideas to accompany the crudités; Ideally, it should be a thick sauce or light spreadable cream, not as dense as a pâté, so that the vegetables can get wet taking a good portion of the dressing, without dripping. Classic mayonnaise is the perfect example, although in the end it depends a bit on personal taste.
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