 Close-up of croutons on a salad | |
| Place of origin | Unknown; possiblyFrance |
|---|---|
| Main ingredients | Bread, oil orbutter, seasonings |
| 420 kcal (1,800 kJ) | |
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Acrouton (/ˈkruːtɒn/) is a piece of toasted or friedbread, normally cubed and seasoned. Croutons are used to add texture and flavor tosalads[1]—notably theCaesar salad[2]— as an accompaniment tosoups andstews,[1] or eaten as asnack food.[citation needed]
The word crouton is derived from the Frenchcroûton,[2] itself adiminutive ofcroûte, meaning "crust".Croutons are often seen in the shape of small cubes, but they can be of any size and shape, up to a very large slice. Many people now use crouton for croute, so the usage has changed. Historically, however, a croute was a slice of a baguette lightly brushed with oil orclarified butter and baked. In English descriptions of French cooking,croûte is not only a noun but also has a verb form that describes the cooking process that transforms the bread into the crust.
The preparation of croutons is relatively simple. Typically the cubes of bread[2] are lightly coated in oil or butter (which may be seasoned or flavored for variety) and then baked. Croutons can also be cut into sticks. Some commercial preparations use machinery to sprinkle various seasonings on them.[1] Alternatively, they may be fried lightly inbutter orvegetable oil, until crisp and brown, to give them a buttery flavor and crunchy texture. Some croutons are prepared with the addition of cheese.[3]
Nearly any type of bread—in a loaf[1] or pre-sliced, with or without crust—may be used to make croutons. Dry orstale bread[1] or leftover bread is usually used instead of fresh bread. Once prepared, the croutons will remainfresh far longer than unprepared bread.
A dish preparedà la Grenobloise (in theGrenoble manner) has a garnish of small croutons along withbeurre noisette,capers,parsley, andlemon.
Dried and cubed bread is commonly sold in large bags in North America to makeThanksgiving holidaystuffing or dressing. However, these are generally different from salad croutons, being only dry bread instead of buttered or oiled and with other seasonings.
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Media related toCroutons at Wikimedia Commons
The dictionary definition ofcrouton at Wiktionary
Quick garlic croutons at the Wikibooks Cookbook subproject
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