Glossary C
Casseron is the French for "cuttlefish", particularly is in Charentes, a region in the west of France. Cuttlefish belong to the same group of animals as the octopuses, squid and nautilus and like a snail they are all molluscs. The scientific name for a cuttlefish is Sepia .
Casseron is used as food in the Mediterranean, some parts of Asia and elsewehere. Its ink are used in various dishes such as Nero di Seppia and Crni Rižot is Italy and Croatia, respectively. In Asia, are dried and served fried as snack.
In years gone by, Sepia ink which is derived from cuttlefish, was used by artists for their paintings. For the cuttlefish this ink is a decoy, a means of escape from predators. If a large fish were to attack a cuttlefish it would eject a cloud of dark brown, almost black ink towards its attacker, then they can escape their predators.
In the Philippines, they are sold dried on the markets, in the groceries in plastic packs and served fried as snacks or breakfast food with Fried rice (Sinangag) or roasted over charcoal on barbacue stick and sold on the streets. Squid is also served in the same way. How I miss this grilled/roasted Sepia.
Casseron is also known as Seiche.
Cassolette refers to a French food made of morsels (small or piece of food) which is generally presented in a small casserole. Cassolette is usually topped with a pastry or mash potatoes which can either be sweet or savory and served as an appetizer or dessert in the dish of the same name (Cassolette).
A Cassolette is also a kind of dish with a handle; a Caisse.
Cataplana refers to Ireland's warm spicy fish and sausage stew that is ideal for cold winter evenings.
Moreover, Cataplana is a Portuguese seafood dish, popular on the country's Algarve coast. It is also the name of the special cookware used to prepare the dish, which is traditionally made of copper and shaped like two clamshells hinged at one end and able to be sealed using a clamp on either side of the assembly.
The cataplana is a wok-shape hammered copper pan with a hinged domed lid. It was introduced to the southern Portugal region during the Moorish occupation in the 8th century AD.
The Cataplana is meant to be a steaming pan and is much suited for the many shellfish such as Ameijoas and Conquilbas that are available along the southern coastal region of Portugal. The ingredients are placed in the bottom half of the dish and the hinged lid is then closed, enabling the food to simmer together and the flavors developed during cooking. These days the pan has a much wider usage.
Much like the word Tagine, Cataplana is the name for both the recipe and utensil in which you cook it. Cataplanas are a feature of many Algarve kitchen and are often used as a centrepiece dish at social gatherings.