{{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, spices | 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> ({{IPAc-en|'|k|A:|m|p|ou|t}} {{respell|KAHM|poht}}; 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 peel, cinnamon sticks or powder, cloves, other spices, ground almonds, grated coconut, candied fruit or raisins. 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 presumption 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>[https://www.haaretz.com/food/2012-10-18/ty-article/.premium/recipes-for-fresh-fruit-compotes/0000017f-e3df-d804-ad7f-f3fff25b0000 Be Merry / A taste of Poland], Haaretz</ref> In modern 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 Mennonite culture, dried-fruit compote is known by the 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 can be added; for example, kirsch, rum, or Frontignan.<ref name="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