View source for Mirepoix

{{Short description|Flavor base made of vegetables}}
{{Other uses|Mirepoix (disambiguation)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2024}}

[[File:Mirepoix on cutting board.jpg|thumb|upright=1.15|Vegetables (with the addition of leeks) prepared for mirepoix, on a cutting board ]]
A '''{{lang|fr|mirepoix|italics=unset}}''' ({{IPAc-en|m|ɪər|ˈ|p|w|ɑː}} {{respell|meer|PWAH|'}}, {{IPA|fr|miʁ.pwa|lang|LL-Q150 (fra)-LoquaxFR-mirepoix.wav}}) is a mixture of diced vegetables cooked with fat (usually butter) for a long time on low heat without colouring or browning. The ingredients are not sautéed or otherwise hard-cooked, because the intention is to sweeten rather than caramelise them. Historically including various meats before settling at its current meaning as a vegetable base, {{lang|fr|mirepoix|italics=unset}} is a long-standing part of [[French cuisine]] and is the flavour base for a wide variety of dishes, including stocks, soups, stews, and sauces.

When the {{lang|fr|mirepoix|italics=unset}} is not precooked, the constituent vegetables may be cut to a larger size, depending on the overall cooking time for the dish. Usually the vegetable mixture is onions, carrots, and celery (either common 'Pascal' celery or celeriac), with the traditional ratio being 2:1:1—two parts onion, one part carrot, and one part celery.<ref name="CIA" /><ref>{{cite book |last1=Escoffier |first1=Auguste |title=Le guide culinaire, aide-mémoire de cuisine pratique. Par A. Escoffier, avec la collaboration de MM. Philéas Gilbert, E. Fétu, A. Suzanne, B. Reboul, Ch. Dietrich, A. Caillat, etc.,... |date=1903 |publisher=au bureau de "l'Art culinaire" |pages=132–133 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=t8UeTMbS5uYC&pg=PA132 |language=fr}}</ref> Further cooking, with the addition of [[tomato purée]], creates a darkened brown mixture called '''{{lang|fr|pinçage}}'''.

Similar flavour bases include the Italian {{lang|it|[[Mirepoix#Italian soffritto|soffritto]]}}, the Spanish and Portuguese {{lang|es|[[sofrito]]}}/{{lang|pt|refogado}} (braised onions, garlic and tomato), a variation with tomato paste instead of fresh tomato of the [[Eastern Mediterranean]] and [[Balkans]] region, the German {{lang|de|[[Mirepoix#German Suppengrün|Suppengrün]]}} (leeks, carrots and celeriac), the Polish {{lang|pl|[[Mirepoix#Polish włoszczyzna|włoszczyzna]]}} (leeks, carrots, celeriac and parsley root), the Russian/Ukrainian {{lang|ru|smazhennya}} or {{lang|ru|zazharka}} (onion, carrot and possibly celery, beets or pepper), the United States Cajun/Creole [[Holy trinity (cuisine)|holy trinity]] (onions, celery and bell peppers), and possibly the French [[duxelles]] (mushrooms and often onion or shallot and herbs, reduced to a paste).

==History==
Although the cooking technique is probably older, the word {{lang|fr|mirepoix|italics=unset}} dates from the 18th century and derives, as do many other appellations in French cuisine,<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.canalacademie.com/Peut-on-ecrire-l-histoire-de-la.html | first= Jean | last = Vitaux | title=Peut-on écrire l'histoire de la gastronomie? | language=fr| website= canalacademie.com}}</ref> from the aristocratic employer of the cook credited with establishing and stabilizing it: in this case,<ref>{{cite web | url= http://chefsimon.com/appellations.htm#m | title= Petit lexique culinaire | language= fr | website= chefsimon.com | url-status= dead | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070118044245/http://www.chefsimon.com/appellations.htm#m | archive-date= 2007-01-18 }}</ref> [[Gaston Pierre de Lévis|Charles-Pierre-Gaston François de Lévis, duc de Lévis-Mirepoix]] (1699–1757), French field marshal and ambassador and a member of the noble family of Lévis, lords of [[Mirepoix, Ariège]] in [[Languedoc]] (nowadays in the department of [[Ariège (department)|Ariège]]) since the 11th century.<ref>[[:fr:Maison de Lévis|French Wikipedia: Maison de Lévis]].</ref>{{circular reference|date=July 2024}} According to [[Pierre Larousse]] (quoted in ''[[The Oxford Companion to Food]]''), the Duke of {{lang|fr|Mirepoix|italics=unset}} was "an incompetent and mediocre individual ... who owed his vast fortune to the affection [[Louis XV]] felt toward his wife and who had but one claim to fame: he gave his name to a sauce made of all kinds of meat and a variety of seasonings".<ref name="DavidsonJaine2006">{{cite book|author1=Alan Davidson|author2=Tom Jaine|title=The Oxford Companion to Food|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bmQjAQAAIAAJ&q=Mirepoix|date=21 September 2006|location=Oxford| publisher=Oxford University Press| isbn=978-0-19-280681-9|page=511}}</ref>

The term was not encountered regularly in French culinary texts until the 19th century, so it is difficult to know what a dish {{lang|fr|à la mirepoix}} was like in 18th century France. [[Antoine Beauvilliers]],<ref>[[French cuisine#History of restaurants|French cuisine §Food establishments §History]].</ref> for instance, in 1814, gives a short recipe for a {{lang|fr|Sauce à la Mirepoix}} which is a buttery, wine-laced stock garnished with an aromatic mixture of carrots, onions, and a {{lang|fr|[[bouquet garni]]}}. [[Marie-Antoine Carême]], in 1816, gives a similar recipe, calling it simply "Mire-poix".<ref name="CarêmePlumery1817">{{cite book|author1=Marie Antonin Carême|author2=Armand Plumery|title=L'art de la cuisine française au dix-neuvième siècle: traité élémentaire et pratique ...|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IuApAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA66|year=1817|publisher=de Kerangué & Pollés Libraires-éditeurs|page=66}}</ref> By the mid-19th century, [[Jules Gouffé]] refers to {{lang|fr|mirepoix|italics=unset}} as "a term in use for such a long time that I do not hesitate to use it here".<ref name="DavidsonJaine2014">{{cite book|edition=3rd|author1=Alan Davidson|author2=Tom Jaine|title=The Oxford Companion to Food|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RL6LAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA526|date=21 August 2014|location=Oxford| publisher=Oxford University Press| isbn=978-0199677337|page=526}}</ref> His {{lang|fr|italics=unset|mirepoix}} is listed among essences and, indeed, is a meaty concoction (laced with two bottles of [[Madeira wine|Madeira]]), which, like all other essences, was used to enrich many a classic sauce. By the end of the 19th century, the {{lang|fr|mirepoix|italics=unset}} had begun to take on its modern meaning, although it still regularly included meat. [[Joseph Favre]], in his {{lang|fr|Dictionnaire universel de cuisine}} ({{circa|1895}}, reprinted 1978), uses the term to describe a mixture of ham, carrots, onions, and herbs used as an aromatic condiment when making sauces or braising meat.<ref name="Alan Davidson 1999 p. 509">Alan Davidson, ''Oxford Companion to Food'' (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999), p. 509.</ref>
The {{lang|fr|[[Matignon (cuisine)|matignon]]}} is very similar to the {{lang|fr|mirepoix|italics=unset}}, except that the {{lang|fr|matignon}} is designed to be brought to the table and eaten with the dish or alone as a side dish.<ref name= "Alan Davidson 1999 p. 509"/>

According to the 1938 {{lang|fr|italics=set|[[Larousse Gastronomique]]}}, a {{lang|fr|italics=unset|mirepoix}} may be prepared {{lang|fr|au gras}} (with meat) or {{lang|fr|au maigre}} (without meat).<ref>Since the 17th century, recipe books in France had been organised so readers could plan meals in accordance with prescribed days for fasting according to the [[Catholic]]  liturgical calendar. See [https://books.google.com/books?id=bG3tgfGxTTkC&dq=Maigre+and+Gras+Lent&pg=PA110 Sean Takats, ''The Expert Cook in Enlightenment France'' (Baltimore, Maryland: Johns Hopkins University Press) p. 110.]</ref> {{lang|fr|Mirepoix au maigre}} is sometimes called a {{lang|fr|[[brunoise]]}}<ref>''Larousse Gastronomique'', Montagné, Prosper, and Gottschalk, eds., introduction by A. Escoffier and Philéas Gilbert (Paris: Librerie Larousse, 1938), p. 690.</ref> (although strictly speaking this term more accurately merely designates the technique of dicing with a knife). A {{lang|fr|mirepoix au gras}} contains diced ham or pork belly as an additional ingredient. Similar combinations, both in and out of the French culinary repertoire, may include leeks, parsnips, garlic, tomatoes, shallots, mushrooms, bell peppers, chilies, and ginger, according to the requirements of the regional cuisine or the instructions of the particular chef or recipe.<ref>The 1938 Larousse (op. cit.) recommends the addition of thyme and powdered bay leaf to the {{lang|fr|mirepoix au maigre}}, for example.</ref> The analogous {{lang|it|italics=unset|soffritto}} (frequently containing parsley) is the basis for many traditional dishes in classic Italian cuisine, and the {{lang|es|[[sofrito]]}} serves a similar purpose in Spanish cuisines. 

Traditionally, the weight ratio for {{lang|fr|mirepoix|italics=unset}} is 2:1:1 of onions, celery, and carrots;<ref name= "CIA">{{cite book|author=The Culinary Institute of America|author-link=The Culinary Institute of America|title=The Professional Chef| edition= 9th| location= [[Hoboken, New Jersey]]| publisher= [[John Wiley & Sons]]|date=2011|isbn=978-0-470-42135-2|oclc=707248142}}</ref> the ratio for bones to {{lang|fr|mirepoix|italics=unset}} for stock is 10:1.{{Citation needed|date= October 2008}} When making a white stock, or {{lang|fr|fond blanc}}, parsnips are used instead of carrots to maintain the pale colour.

==International versions==
[[File:Mirepoix.hungary.leveszoldseg.jpg|thumb|Prepackaged Hungarian ''leveszöldség'' ("soup vegetables"): carrot, parsley, parsley root, celeriac]]

===German {{lang|de|Suppengrün}}===
{{More citations needed section|date=July 2024}}
'''{{lang|de|Suppengrün}}''' ({{IPA|de|ˈzʊpm̩ˌɡʁyːn|}}) means 'soup greens' in German; the Dutch equivalent is {{lang|nl|soepgroente}}. Soup greens usually come in a bundle and consists of a leek, a carrot, and a piece of celeriac. It may also contain parsley, thyme, celery leaves, rutabaga (swede), parsley root, and onions. The mix depends on regional traditions, as well as individual recipes. The vegetables used are cold-climate roots and bulbs with long shelf lives. {{lang|de|Suppengrün}} act as herbs and impart hearty, strong flavours to the soup or sauce, providing a foil for other strong tasting ingredients such as dried peas and beans or pot roast.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://germanfood.about.com/od/introtogermanfood/a/suppengruen.htm|title=Use Carrots, Onions and Leeks for German Soup Greens|access-date=2014-03-28|archive-date=2016-08-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160820081642/http://germanfood.about.com/od/introtogermanfood/a/suppengruen.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> Large chunks of vegetables are slow cooked to make flavourful soups and stocks, and are discarded when the vegetables have given up most of their flavour. Finely chopped {{lang|de|suppengrün}}  are browned in fat and used as a basis for a finished sauce. The vegetables may also be cooked long enough until they fall apart, and may become part of the sauce or pureed to form the sauce.{{Citation needed|date=February 2021}}<ref>{{cite web | title=Use Carrots, Onions and Leeks for German Soup Greens | url=https://www.thespruceeats.com/suppengruen-carrots-onions-and-celery-1446970 }}</ref>

===Italian {{lang|it|italics=unset|soffritto}}{{anchor|Italian_Soffritto}}===
{{Redirect-distinguish|Soffritto|Sofrito}}
In [[Italian cuisine]], onions, carrots and celery are chopped to form a {{lang|it|[[Wikt:battuto#Noun|battuto]]}},<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.italiana.co.uk/onionscarrotandcelery.html|title=Onions, Carrot and Celery|website=www.italiana.co.uk|access-date=13 October 2018}}</ref> and then slowly cooked<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tastingtable.com/cook/national/soffritto-italian-secret-ingredient-cooking-base-need-to-know|title=The Secret Weapon in Italian Cooking|date=5 July 2016|website=tastingtable.com|access-date=13 October 2018}}</ref> in butter or olive oil, becoming '''{{lang|it|italics=unset|soffritto}}'''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.seriouseats.com/2014/05/all-about-mirepoix.html|title=All About Mirepoix, Sofrito, Battuto, and Other Humble Beginnings|first=Serious|last=Eats|date=|website=www.seriouseats.com|accessdate=13 October 2018}}</ref> It is used as the base for most pasta sauces, such as [[ragù]] ({{lang|fr|ragoût}}), but occasionally it can be used as the base of other dishes, such as sauteed vegetables. For this reason, it is a fundamental component in Italian cuisine. It may also contain garlic,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://cookingwineandtravel.com/recipe/Marinara_Sauce__Soffritto_Style|title=Marinara Sauce - Soffritto Style|website=CookingWineandTravel.com|access-date=13 October 2018}}</ref> shallot, or leek.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.seattlemag.com/article/chef-jerry-corso-gets-cooking-soffritto|title=Chef Jerry Corso Gets Cooking with Soffritto|date=15 March 2016|website=seattlemag.com|access-date=13 October 2018}}</ref>

According to the Italian restaurateur Benedetta Vitali, {{lang|it|italics=unset|soffritto}} means 'underfried' and is "a preparation of lightly browned minced vegetables, not a dish by itself". At one time it was called "false {{lang|fr|ragoût}}", because {{lang|it|italics=unset|soffritto}} was thought to vaguely recall the flavour of meat sauce.<ref>Benedetta Vitali, ''Soffritto: Tradition and Innovation in Tuscan Cooking ''(Berkeley, Toronto: Ten Speed Press, 2001), pp. 7&ndash;8.</ref>

===Polish {{lang|pl| włoszczyzna}}===
[[File:Włoszczyzna.jpg|thumb|A typical set of soup greens, known as {{lang|pl|włoszczyzna}}, used in [[Polish cuisine]]: carrots, parsley root and leaves, leek, and celeriac. Bay leaves and allspice grains are also shown.]]
'''{{lang|pl|Włoszczyzna}}''' ({{IPAc-pl|w|ł|o|sz|'|cz|y|z|n|a}}) is the Polish word for soup vegetables or greens. The word literally means 'Italian stuff' because Queen [[Bona Sforza]], who was Italian and married Polish King [[Sigismund I the Old]] in 1518, introduced this concept to [[Polish cuisine]].<ref>[http://easteuropeanfood.about.com/od/qz/g/Wloszczyzna.htm Wloszczyzna] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140328125003/http://easteuropeanfood.about.com/od/qz/g/Wloszczyzna.htm |date=2014-03-28 }} about.com</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Dybkowska |first1=Alicja |language=pl |title=Polskie dzieje od czasów najdawniejszych do współczesności |year=1994 |publisher=PWN |location=Warszawa |isbn = 83-01-11683-8}}</ref>  A {{lang|pl|włoszczyzna}} may consist of carrots, parsnips or parsley root, celery root or celeriac, leeks, and savoy or white cabbage leaves, and sometimes celery leaves and flat-leaf parsley.<ref>{{cite book |author=Dr Stanisława Bergera |language=pl |title=Kuchnia polska |year=1955 |publisher= Polskie Wydawnictwa Gospodarcze |location=Warszawa}}</ref> The most typical, packaged combination is celery root, parsley root, carrots, and leeks. {{lang|pl|Włoszczyzna}} is usually cut up to uniform size and boiled to form a flavor base for soups and stews.{{Citation needed|date=February 2021}}

==See also==
{{Portal|Food}}
* [[Epis]]
* [[Holy trinity (cooking)]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{commons category-inline|Mirepoix (cuisine)}}
{{Cookbook}}
* [http://www.foodtimeline.org/foodsauces.html#mirepoix 'Mirepoix'], entry in ''[[The Food Timeline]]''


{{French cuisine}}

[[Category:Food ingredients]]
[[Category:French cuisine]]
[[Category:Culinary terminology]]
[[Category:Celery]]
[[Category:Carrot dishes]]
[[Category:Onion-based foods]]