Roots Remoulade

The Larousse Gastronomique ‘s recipe for remoulade calls for a cup of mayonnaise with two tablespoons mixed herbs (parsley, chives, chervil and tarragon), one tablespoon drained capers, two finely diced cornichons and a few drops of anchovy essence (optional).

Now, the Éditions Larousse is a Parisian publishing house specializing in encyclopedias and dictionaries, and as a battle-scarred veteran of Dr. Joe Ray’s etymology classes at Ole Miss, I find it odd that this recipe skips over the roots of the word “rémoulade,” derived from the dialectal French, rémola, with origins in the Latin word for horseradish, armoracea.

Given this precedent, I find it altogether appropriate if not requisite that any recipe for a remoulade should include horseradish, but yes, anchovies are nice, too.

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