Thanksgiving, Calvados, and the Trou Normand

Today we give thanks and celebrate the bounty of the harvest.  To those expecting to feast heartily, may I suggest punctuating your meal with a trou normand (pronounced true nor·MAHN; literally, "Norman hole")?  At a certain stage of a grand dinner in Normandy, it was customary to pause for a glass of calvados to boost the metabolism and create a "hole" to make room for additional comestibles.  Nothing prolongs the pleasures of overindulgence more than a good shot of calva.

Calvados (pronounced cull·vah·DOSE) takes its name from the eponymous département in the northwest of France, a region that does not produce wine.  Normandy's rich pastures and orchards are better suited to dairy farming and apple growing than to viticulture.  Apples have a lengthy history in this area: cider dates back to the eighth century, long before its first documented distillation in 1553.

Although best known as an apple (cider) brandy, calvados can, by law, be produced from apples or pears.  Over 200 types of apple—ranging from sweet to inedibly tart—are permitted in its production.  The fruit is harvested, pressed, and allowed to ferment (four to six weeks) into a dry cider, whereupon, it is distilled and aged.

As with grape brandies, calvados is protected by its own appellations.  Pays d'Auge, the premier appellation contrôlée designation, applies to the core of the apple brandy production area, and continues to yield the highest-quality calvados.  Second-tier appellations refer to areas surrounding the Pays d'Auge.  The biggest difference is that Pays d'Auge cider must undergo a double distillation in a pot still, whereas others typically go through a single, continuous distillation in a column still.  The former method yields more flavor and complexity, while the latter produces a lighter, more apple-like flavor.

Age is a matter of taste and budget, of course.  Nevertheless, the older the calvados, the smoother and rounder it tends to be.  The age given on the bottle refers to the youngest component in the blend.  The following is a guide to age-related terms found on labels:

• Trois étoiles, ***  (2 years)
• Vieux, Réserve  (3 years)
• VO, VSOP, Vieille Réserve  (4 years)
• XO, Extra, Napoléon, Hors d'Âge, Age Inconnu  (6 years)

My personal favorite comes from Château du Breuil, in the Pays d'Auge.  The Réserve des Seigneurs - XO and, especially, the Royal are among the smoothest, richest, most complex I've tasted.  Their deep, dark color makes no secret of old age.  It's well worth spending a little more for a more mature brandy.  Regardless of your choice, a good calvados makes the perfect digestif—tried and trou Normand.  Santé!

Comments

[Comestiblog]

Robert-Gilles: Dare I ask you to expound on the other variations of trou normand? Thanks for your kind comments and warm holiday wishes. All the best to you.

Cassie: My pleasure. Incidentally, when you've figured out the whole blogging concept, would you mind teaching me? Thanks for your thoughtful comments. Keep up the good work!

[Cassie @ A Very Busy Mind]

Thanks so much for your kind words on my blog. Every comment like yours that I get lifts me up a little. :) I love how clean and crisp your blog looks; I'm still figuring out the whole blogging concept, and foodbuzz is new (and exciting) to me, too!

[Robert-Gilles Martineau]

Dear Friend!
Greetings!
Very good choice of Calvados, indeed!
As for the trou normand it reminds me of some very painful memories of my time in the French Air Force.LOL
Everything was an excuse for drinking then!
I can tell you there exist other variations of trou normand I would not dare my worst enemy to try out!
Superlative posting!
Bravo!
Happy holidays and all that!
Robert-Gilles