Frittatas, and Omelets, and Quiche – oh my! I’ve been able to eat eggs for almost four
years now, so I’ve branched out from scrambled eggs and have experimented with
the Frittata, Omelet, and Quiche. Before
I could eat eggs, I put them all egg dishes in the same category of “don’t
eat!” However, now that I can eat them, I’ve
noticed that there are some subtle differences. But those differences are so
subtle that I thought I would write what I think they are and then follow up
with a bit of research.
Frittata
My first step down the yellow egg yolk road was the
Frittata. I found a frittata recipe in a
Cooking Light magazine and have made it a number of times. The great thing about the recipe is that I
can use it as a suggestion and then use the ingredients that I have. I’ve used bacon, leftover Italian sausage, and
smoked chicken apple sausage for the meat. I’ve used combinations of chopped
fresh spinach, bell pepper, zucchini, and onion for the vegetables. Sometimes I crush corn chips and add them to
the mix for a crunchier texture. The
only ingredient that never changes is the egg!
To me the frittata is like an egg pancake in which the
flavor can be manipulated by the other ingredients added to the egg
mixture. Dictionary.com refers to it as
an Italian omelet that “resembles a large pancake containing vegetables,
seasonings, and often ricotta, Parmesan, or other cheese.”1
The key is that it is served open rather than folded. According to the Oxford English Dictionary
(OED) the word “frittata” first appeared in 1875 in a quote in the New York
Times: “All except the most passionate or stupid
appear to feel how necessary it is to keep within bounds and avoid reducing to
experiment plan and theories, the end of which would be to make a frittata of
Italian political affairs.”2
This refers to the idiom fare la frittata (to make a mess of something)
rather than the food, but it shows how the egg dish can be a chaotic hodge
podge rather than a thought out recipe.
Feeling spicy? Add
some chile powder or even some green chile.
Want it mild? Stick with salt and pepper. The frittata is an excellent and flavorful
way to handle leftovers that you just don’t know what to do with. Frittatas,
and Omelets, and Quiche – oh my!
Omelet
Next, I sashayed down the yellow egg yolk road to the Omelet. Keep in mind that I have never made an
omelet. There is something extremely
intimidating about flipping the omelet and keeping the ingredients inside the
fold. To avoid the stress, I ordered
“The Abney” at Weck’s. According to
their menu it has “diced bacon, fresh bell peppers, diced tomatoes, guacamole,
cheddar and jack cheeses, with your choice of red and/or green chile.” I, of course, chose green chile, but it was
the guacamole that really stood out. It
transformed my healthy omelet into something delicious that I will definitely
try again.
To me the omelet looks like an egg taco folded around
healthy vegetables. According to dictionary.com,
the dish usually consists of “eggs beaten until frothy, often combined with
other ingredients, as herbs, chopped ham, cheese, or jelly, and cooked until
set.”3 According to the OED, the first time the word omellette
appeared was in 1611 in a French & English Dictionary: “Omelette [v.r. Haumelotte, Homelette], an Omelet, or Pancake of egges.”4 However, the dish existed long before the
word. In 1561 the same egg dish was
referred to as an “aumelete”.
If a dish can exist for over 400 years and outlast its own name, it must be
worthwhile.
Quiche
 |
| Salmon Gouda Quiche |
Finally, I tiptoed down the yellow egg yolk road to the
Quiche. I always thought that quiche was
a fancy dish meant for the rich and famous.
I am neither, but while vacationing in Ruidoso, I thought I would invoke
my adventurous side and try it anyway.
My husband and I went to a cleverly named coffee shop called “SacredGrounds.” I ordered the Green Chile
Chicken Quiche and he ordered the Smoked Gouda Salmon Quiche. They were both presented beautifully like
pieces of egg pie next to fresh fruit and freshly baked cookies. I think I may have built the idea of Quiche
up too much because I found it to be rather bland. The husband said that his was fantastic
though, so I think this must be another case of my unsophisticated taste buds
not rising to the occasion. (The
cookies, on the other hand, were to die for.
If I’m ever back in Ruidoso, I might have to stop for those alone.)
 |
| Green Chile Chicken Quiche |
My amateur description of the Quiche wasn’t far off. Dictionary.com refers to it as “a pielike dish
consisting of unsweetened pastry shell filled with a custard and usually
containing cheese and other ingredients as vegetables, seafood, or ham.”5 However,
the OED refers to it as a “flan” and states that the first time the word
appeared was in 1925 in the Indiana Evening Gazette: “Quiche Lorraine’ is one of the specialties of this department.”6 There is a bit more mystery surrounding the
etymology of the word as it was most widely used in France; however, the word
may have been derived from the German “kuchen” which was used in the early 1800’s.
Just like the Omelet, the Quiche has
managed to exist beyond its own name and cross boarders outside of the yellow
egg yolk road.
Delicious Conclusion
Frittatas, and Omelets, and Quiche – oh my! Who knew that my journey down the yellow egg yolk road would be as exciting as the the yellow brick road! While ingredients of the
dishes are all very similar, the tastes can vary which is dependent on how the
dish was prepared. The Omelet, a simple
folded over egg, originated in France and is the oldest and therefore, the
brains - the Scarecrow- of the egg dishes.
Because of the mysterious origin of the Quiche, it is hard to say
whether it or the Frittata was created first.
It takes courage “to make a mess of something” even if it is in an egg
pancake and still be edible, so I think the Italian Frittata serves as the
courage – the not so Cowardly Lion of the dishes. That leaves the Quiche as the heart – the Tin
Man – the dish that people put on a pedestal, admire, and then devour maybe
because of the mystery that prevails it.
Frittatas, and Omelets, and Quiche – oh my! My only question? Where does the Strata fit
in?
References
1.
frittata. (n.d.). Dictionary.com Unabridged. Retrieved from
Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/frittata
2.
frittata,
n. (2014). OED Online. Oxford University Press.
3.
omelet. (n.d.). Dictionary.com Unabridged. Retrieved
November 21, 2014, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/omelet
4.
omelette,
n. (2014) OED Online. Oxford University
Press.
5.
quiche. (n.d.). Dictionary.com Unabridged. Retrieved
November 21, 2014, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/quiche
6.
quiche,
n.2. (2014). OED Online. Oxford University
Press.
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