Editing Compote

{{short description|Dessert of fruit cooked in syrup}}
{{about|the dessert|the similar Eastern European beverage |Kompot|other uses|Compote (disambiguation)}}
{{Infobox prepared food
| name            = Compote
| image           = Compote.jpg
| image_size      = 250px
| caption         = A [[rhubarb]] and [[apple]] compote (right)
| alternate_name  = compost (Middle English)
| country         = 
| region          = 
| creator         = 
| course          = 
| type            = [[Dessert]]
| served          = Warm or chilled
| main_ingredient = [[Fruit]], [[sugar syrup]], [[spice]]s
| variations      = 
| calories        = 
| other           = 
}}

'''Compote''' or '''compôte'''<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/compote|title=Compôte recipes - BBC Food|website=www.bbc.co.uk|language=en|access-date=2019-12-10}}</ref> (French for ''stewed fruit''<ref>{{Cite web |title=compote {{!}} Etymology, origin and meaning of compote by etymonline |url=https://www.etymonline.com/word/compote |access-date=2023-08-03 |website=www.etymonline.com |language=en}}</ref>) is a [[dessert]] originating in medieval Europe,{{cn|date=January 2021}} made of whole or pieces of [[fruit]] in [[sugar syrup]]. Whole fruits are cooked in water with sugar and [[spices]]. The syrup may be seasoned with [[vanilla]], [[lemon]] or [[orange (fruit)|orange]] peel, [[cinnamon]] sticks or powder, [[clove]]s, other spices, ground [[almond]]s, grated [[coconut]], candied fruit or [[raisin]]s. The compote is served either warm or cold.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gastronomos.gr/syntages/achladi-milo-i-kydoni-4-kompostes-me-fthinoporina-froyta/291400/|title=Pear, apple or quince? 4 autumn fruit compotes (recipes)|language=el|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241119190517/https://www.gastronomos.gr/syntages/achladi-milo-i-kydoni-4-kompostes-me-fthinoporina-froyta/291400/|archive-date=2024-11-19}}</ref> 

==History==
Compote conformed to the medieval belief that fruit cooked in sugar syrup balanced the effects of humidity on the body. The name is derived from the [[Latin]] word ''compositus'', meaning mixture.  In late medieval England it was served at the beginning of the last course of a feast (or sometimes the second out of three courses), often accompanied by a creamy [[potage]].<ref>Constance B. Hieatt and Sharon Butler, ed.  ''Curye on Inglysch''.  The Early English Text Society, New York, 1985.</ref><ref name=Austin>Thomas Austin, ed.  ''Two Fifteenth-Century Cookery-Books''.  The Early English Text Society, New York, 1888 (reprinted 1964).</ref><ref>[http://www.florilegium.org/?http%3A//www.florilegium.org/files/FEASTS/idxfeasts.html Information on the Coronation feast of Richard III, taken from Sutton, Anne F. and PW Hammond, The Coronation of Richard III: the Extant Documents, New York; St. Martin's Press, 1983.]</ref>  During the Renaissance, it was served chilled at the end of dinner. Because it was easy to prepare, made from inexpensive ingredients and contained no dairy products, compote became a staple of Jewish households throughout Europe.<ref>[http://www.haaretz.com/culture/food-wine/be-merry-a-taste-of-poland.premium-1.470666 Be Merry / A taste of Poland], [[Haaretz]]</ref> In modern [[French language|French]], the term refers to usually unsweetened fruit [[purée]] without fruit chunks, such as [[applesauce]]..

==Variations==
Dried fruit is often used for compote by cultures from Eastern Europe, and its syrup is also drunk as a beverage. Both are called ''[[kompot]]''. In [[Mennonites|Mennonite]] culture, dried-fruit compote is known by the [[Plautdietsch language|Plautdietch]] name {{Lang|pdt|pluma moos}}.

The dessert may be topped with [[whipped cream]], cinnamon, or vanilla sugar. The syrup may be made with wine, as in one early 15th-century recipe for pear compote.<ref name="Austin" /> Other variations include using [[dried fruit]] that have been soaked in water in which [[alcohol (drug)|alcohol]] can be added, for example [[kirsch]], [[rum]] or [[Muscat de Frontignan|Frontignan]].<ref name="Robuchon">[[Joël Robuchon|Robuchon, Joël]], "Members of the Gastronomic Committee". ''Larousse Gastronomique''. New York: Clarkson Potter/Publishers, 2001, p. 322-323.</ref>

==See also==
{{portal|Food}}
* [[Fruit fool]]
* [[Kompot]] 
* [[Kissel]]
* [[Minatamis na saging]]
* [[Tomato compote]]
* [[Tong sui]]
* [[List of French desserts]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Fruit desserts]]
[[Category:Ottoman cuisine]]
[[Category:Armenian desserts]]
[[Category:French desserts]]
[[Category:Jewish desserts]]