Gibassier
Encyclopedia
A gibassier is a French pastry from Provence
, a galette
made with fruited olive oil
. It is generally spiced with anise
, candied orange peel, and orange flower water
, and dusted with baker's sugar.
poumpo à l'oli, pompa a l'òli, literally "oil pump"), but these are distinct dishes. The pompe à l'huile is moister, breadier, and is part of the thirteen desserts
of a Provençal
Christmas, which is the only time of year that it is produced, while the gibassier is drier, pierced with holes, and an everyday pastry, made year-round.
According to the great dictionary of Occitan Lou Tresor dóu Felibrige, by Frédéric Mistral
, the pompe is a « fouace, galette
, gâteau que l'on envoie en présent aux fêtes de Noël » (fouace is a sweet cognate to focaccia, rest of definition discusses Christmas usage) while gibassié is « gâteau à jour, une galette percée de trous, un craquelin » (everyday cake, pierced with holes).
. In the United States, it has been popularized in the 2000s by
Michel Suas (founder of the San Francisco Baking Institute), and master baker Ciril Hitz. It is made commercially by Pearl Bakery in Portland, Oregon
, and hence available at shops around town.
mountains. Alternatively, the old form gibacier is also a flat bag, used to carry game
(from the French word for game, gibier, from Latin); these words may be homophones, or the origin, the pastry having a similar shape to the bag.
). A more unusual variation is to prepare it as a hard biscuit
(cookie
), rather than as a cake, but with the same pierced shape. This is a specialty of Lourmarin
.
Provence
Provence ; Provençal: Provença in classical norm or Prouvènço in Mistralian norm) is a region of south eastern France on the Mediterranean adjacent to Italy. It is part of the administrative région of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur...
, a galette
Galette
Galette is a general term used in the French cuisine to designate various types of flat, round or freeform crusty cakes, similar in concept to a Chinese bing. One notable type is the galette des Rois eaten on the day of Epiphany...
made with fruited olive oil
Olive oil
Olive oil is an oil obtained from the olive , a traditional tree crop of the Mediterranean Basin. It is commonly used in cooking, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and soaps and as a fuel for traditional oil lamps...
. It is generally spiced with anise
Anise
Anise , Pimpinella anisum, also called aniseed, is a flowering plant in the family Apiaceae native to the eastern Mediterranean region and Southwest Asia. Its flavor resembles that of liquorice, fennel, and tarragon.- Biology :...
, candied orange peel, and orange flower water
Orange flower water
Orange flower water, or orange blossom water, is a clear, perfumed distillation of fresh bitter-orange blossoms.This essential water has traditionally been used in many French and Mediterranean dessert dishes, such as the gibassier and pompe à l'huile, but has more recently found its way into...
, and dusted with baker's sugar.
Pompe à l'huile
The gibassier is often conflated with the pompe à l'huile (pɔ̃p alɥil; Occitan:poumpo à l'oli, pompa a l'òli, literally "oil pump"), but these are distinct dishes. The pompe à l'huile is moister, breadier, and is part of the thirteen desserts
Thirteen desserts
The thirteen desserts are the traditional dessert foods used in celebrating Christmas in the French region of Provence. The "big supper" ends with a ritual 13 desserts, representing Jesus Christ and the 12 apostles. The desserts always number thirteen but the exact items vary by local or familial...
of a Provençal
Provence
Provence ; Provençal: Provença in classical norm or Prouvènço in Mistralian norm) is a region of south eastern France on the Mediterranean adjacent to Italy. It is part of the administrative région of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur...
Christmas, which is the only time of year that it is produced, while the gibassier is drier, pierced with holes, and an everyday pastry, made year-round.
According to the great dictionary of Occitan Lou Tresor dóu Felibrige, by Frédéric Mistral
Frédéric Mistral
Frédéric Mistral was a French writer and lexicographer of the Occitan language. Mistral won the Nobel Prize in literature in 1904 and was a founding member of Félibrige and a member of l'Académie de Marseille...
, the pompe is a « fouace, galette
Galette
Galette is a general term used in the French cuisine to designate various types of flat, round or freeform crusty cakes, similar in concept to a Chinese bing. One notable type is the galette des Rois eaten on the day of Epiphany...
, gâteau que l'on envoie en présent aux fêtes de Noël » (fouace is a sweet cognate to focaccia, rest of definition discusses Christmas usage) while gibassié is « gâteau à jour, une galette percée de trous, un craquelin » (everyday cake, pierced with holes).
Availability
The gibassier is traditional and common in Provence, but is rarely available in the AnglosphereAnglosphere
Anglosphere is a neologism which refers to those nations with English as the most common language. The term can be used more specifically to refer to those nations which share certain characteristics within their cultures based on a linguistic heritage, through being former British colonies...
. In the United States, it has been popularized in the 2000s by
Michel Suas (founder of the San Francisco Baking Institute), and master baker Ciril Hitz. It is made commercially by Pearl Bakery in Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, and hence available at shops around town.
Etymology
The etymology is unclear – see gibassier. Some suggest that it is named after the mountain peak Le Gibas in the LuberonLuberon
The Luberon or Luberon Massif , also called Lubéron, has a maximum altitude of 1,256 m and an area of about 600 km²...
mountains. Alternatively, the old form gibacier is also a flat bag, used to carry game
Game (food)
Game is any animal hunted for food or not normally domesticated. Game animals are also hunted for sport.The type and range of animals hunted for food varies in different parts of the world. This will be influenced by climate, animal diversity, local taste and locally accepted view about what can or...
(from the French word for game, gibier, from Latin); these words may be homophones, or the origin, the pastry having a similar shape to the bag.
Variation
As a traditional dish, there is significant variation between preparations (compare bouillabaisseBouillabaisse
Bouillabaisse is a seafood soup made with various kinds of cooked fish and shellfish and vegetables, flavored with a variety of herbs and spices such as garlic, orange peel, basil, bay leaf, fennel and saffron. Bouillabaisse is a traditional Provençal fish stew originating from the port city of...
). A more unusual variation is to prepare it as a hard biscuit
Biscuit
A biscuit is a baked, edible, and commonly flour-based product. The term is used to apply to two distinctly different products in North America and the Commonwealth Nations....
(cookie
Cookie
In the United States and Canada, a cookie is a small, flat, baked treat, usually containing fat, flour, eggs and sugar. In most English-speaking countries outside North America, the most common word for this is biscuit; in many regions both terms are used, while in others the two words have...
), rather than as a cake, but with the same pierced shape. This is a specialty of Lourmarin
Lourmarin
Lourmarin is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. Its inhabitants are called Lourmarinois.-Geography:...
.
Recipes
- Ciril Hitz, Baking Artisan Pastries & Breads Sweet and Savory Baking for Breakfast, Brunch, and Beyond, 2009, ISBN 978-1-59253564-4
- See discussion at "Gibassier", SylviaH, April 24, 2010
- Michel Suas, Advanced Bread and Pastry, 2008, 1043 pp., ISBN 978-1-41801169-7
- See discussion at Bread Baby: Le Gibassier, Jesse, December 10, 2008
- Christian Etienne, Aimer la cuisine en Provence
- See discussion at "gibassier....gibassier de mes rêves", 28 novembre 2006
- Receto dou gibassié, 18 déc. 2009
- "Gibassier (Pompe à Huile)" at Coffee & Donuts, by Bernard M. Tostanowski III, September 28, 2009
External links
- Gibassier recipes at Ptit Chef
- Madeleine: Dough Poetry: Pearl Bakery's Gibassier, February 06, 2006