Crespéou

Crespéou
Crespéou of Piolenc
Alternative names	trouchia omelette à la moissonneuse
Course	Main
Place of origin	France
Region or state	Avignon and Comtat Venaissin
Serving temperature	Cold
Main ingredients	Eggs, various flavoring vegetables
Media: Crespéou

A crespéou (French: [kʁɛs.pe.u]) is a savory Provençal cake made up of omelettes with herbs and vegetables stacked in layers. The dish can be eaten cold, sometimes accompanied with a tomato coulis. The recipe, which appears to be native of Avignon and Haut-Vaucluse (Piolenc and Orange), has become popular throughout the county of Venaissin, the region of Provence, and the countryside around Nice.^[1]

Origin

Its name comes from crespèu, the Occitan form of the French word crêpe.^[2] Similarly to a fougasse, an Occitan crespèu has many variations. This dish is also known as trouchia or omelette à la moissonneuse. The latter name suggests that it originated as a dish traditionally prepared for field work and specifically for the harvest season.^[1]

Flavors and colors

The dish is usually baked and inverted. It comprises a minimum of three or four layers of different colored omelettes, often given by red tomatoes, orange carrots, green spinach or chard, and black olives. Peppers, with their variety of colors also allows for multicolored crespéou. Some preparations use sausage or sliced fish for a beige layer. In Nice, there is always an omelette made from chard ribs.^[1] Other vegetables can be used, such as zucchini, eggplant, onion, or basil.^[3]

Matching food and wine

Traditionally a crespéou does not have to be accompanied by a wine. However, given the dish's extremely identified flavors, it can pair with a rosé wine certified to originate (AOC) from Côtes du Roussillon or Coteaux d'Aix-en-Provence.