Alternative names | Omelet, egg pancake |
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Place of origin | Ancient Persia [1] [2] |
Serving temperature | Hot |
Main ingredients | Eggs, butter or oil |
An omelette (also spelled omelet) is a dish made from eggs, fried with butter or oil in a frying pan. It is a common practice for an omelette to include fillings such as chives, vegetables, mushrooms, meat (often ham or bacon), cheese, onions or some combination of the above. Whole eggs or egg whites are often beaten with a small amount of milk, cream, or water.
The earliest omelettes are believed to have originated in ancient Persia. [1] [2] : 65 According to Breakfast: A History, they were "nearly indistinguishable" from the Iranian dish kookoo sabzi. [2]
According to Alan Davidson, [1] the French word omelette (French: [ɔm.lɛt] ) came into use during the mid-16th century, but the versions alumelle and alumete are employed by the Ménagier de Paris (II, 4 and II, 5) in 1393. [3] Rabelais ( Gargantua and Pantagruel , IV, 9) mentions an homelaicte d'oeufs, [4] Olivier de Serres an amelette, François Pierre La Varenne's Le cuisinier françois (1651) has aumelette, and the modern omelette appears in Cuisine bourgeoise (1784). [5]
Alexandre Dumas discusses several variations of omelette in his Grand dictionnaire de cuisine. One is an omelette with fresh herbs (parsley, chives and tarragon), another is a variation with mushrooms that Dumas says may be adapted using green peas, asparagus, spinach, sorrel or varieties of truffles. The "kirsch omelette " (or rum omelette) is a sweet omelette made with sugar and liquor, either kirsh or rum. The omelette is rolled and sprinkled with powdered sugar. A hot poker is used to burn a design into the omelette and it is served with a sweet sauce made of liquor and apricot jam. Another sweet omelette, attributed to a royal cook of Prussia, is made with apples and brown sugar glaze. Of the Arabian omelette, Dumas writes "I have been concerned in this book to give the recipes of peoples who have no true cuisine. Here, for example, is a recipe the Bey's cook was good enough to give me." The omelette itself is made with an ostrich egg and served with a spicy tomato-pepper sauce. [6]
Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz) | |
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Energy | 657 kJ (157 kcal) |
0.7 g | |
12 g | |
10.6 g | |
Vitamins | Quantity %DV† |
Vitamin A equiv. | 19% 172 μg |
Thiamine (B1) | 8% 0.1 mg |
Riboflavin (B2) | 31% 0.4 mg |
Niacin (B3) | 1% 0.1 mg |
Pantothenic acid (B5) | 24% 1.2 mg |
Vitamin B6 | 6% 0.1 mg |
Folate (B9) | 10% 39 μg |
Vitamin B12 | 46% 1.1 μg |
Choline | 39% 212 mg |
Vitamin D | 4% 29 IU |
Vitamin E | 8% 1.2 mg |
Vitamin K | 4% 4.5 μg |
Minerals | Quantity %DV† |
Calcium | 4% 47 mg |
Iron | 8% 1.5 mg |
Magnesium | 2% 10 mg |
Phosphorus | 13% 162 mg |
Potassium | 4% 114 mg |
Selenium | 49% 26.7 μg |
Sodium | 7% 161 mg |
Zinc | 8% 0.9 mg |
Other constituents | Quantity |
Water | 75.9 g |
Cholesterol | 356 mg |
†Percentages estimated using US recommendations for adults, [7] except for potassium, which is estimated based on expert recommendation from the National Academies. [8] |
In Korean cuisine, traditional omelettes are known as gyeran-mari (계란말이, "rolled-eggs") which is a type of savory banchan . Gyeran-mari is made with beaten eggs, mixed with finely diced vegetables, meats, and seafood. This side dish is often found in Korean banquet ( janchi ) meals, as well as Korean fast food ( bunsik ) restaurants.
While the Spanish terms tortilla (in Spain) and torta (in the Philippines) are applied to an omelette dish, in Mexico & Central America tortilla is a term for a flatbread made of wheat or corn, while torta is used for a type of sandwich. An omelette in Mexico (& Central America) is sometimes termed as tortilla de huevos, still, the term omelette is widely used.[ citation needed ]
In the Philippines, omelettes are known as torta , usually encountered with the enclitic -ng ("tortang") indicating it modifies the next word (the main ingredient); e.g. tortang hipon = torta ("omelette") + -ng and hipon ("shrimp"), meaning "shrimp omelette". There are many types of torta which are named based on their main ingredients. They include:
An omelette Arnold Bennett incorporates smoked haddock, hard cheese (typically Cheddar), and cream. [30] It was created by the chef Jean Baptiste Virlogeux at the Savoy Grill in London for the writer Arnold Bennett, who was a frequent customer. [30] [31] Cooks including Marcus Wareing to Delia Smith and Gordon Ramsay have published recipes for it. [32]
Brazilian cuisine is the set of cooking practices and traditions of Brazil, and is characterized by European, Amerindian, African, and Asian influences. It varies greatly by region, reflecting the country's mix of native and immigrant populations, and its continental size as well. This has created a national cuisine marked by the preservation of regional differences.
Spanish omelette or Spanish tortilla is a traditional dish from Spain. It is celebrated as one of the most popular dishes of the Spanish cuisine. It is an omelette made with eggs and potatoes, usually including onion. It is often served at room temperature as a tapa.
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Hash is a dish consisting of chopped meat, potatoes, and fried onions. The name is derived from French: hacher, meaning 'to chop'. It originated as a way to use up leftovers. In the U.S. by the 1860s, a cheap restaurant was called a "hash house" or "hashery."
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Torta is a culinary term that can, depending on the cuisine, refer to cakes, pies, flatbreads, sandwiches, or omelettes.
New Mexican cuisine is the cuisine of the Southwestern US state of New Mexico. The region is primarily known for its fusion of Pueblo Native American cuisine with Hispano Spanish and Mexican cuisine originating in Nuevo México. This Southwestern culinary style is popular beyond the current boundaries of New Mexico, and is found throughout the old territories of Nuevo México and the New Mexico Territory, today the state of Arizona, parts of Texas, and the southern portions of Colorado, Utah, and Nevada.
Stuffed peppers is a dish common in many cuisines. It consists of hollowed or halved bell peppers filled with any of a variety of fillings, often including meat, vegetables, cheese, rice, or sauce. The dish is usually assembled by filling the cavities of the peppers and then cooking.
Neapolitan cuisine has ancient historical roots that date back to the Greco-Roman period, which was enriched over the centuries by the influence of the different cultures that controlled Naples and its kingdoms, such as that of Aragon and France.
Venetian cuisine, from the city of Venice, Italy, or more widely from the region of Veneto, has a centuries-long history and differs significantly from other cuisines of northern Italy, and of neighbouring Austria and of Slavic countries, despite sharing some commonalities.
Eggah is an egg-based dish in Egyptian cuisine that is similar to a frittata. It is also known as Egyptian omelet. Eggah is commonly seasoned with spices such as pepper, cinnamon, cumin, coriander seeds, turmeric, nutmeg and fresh herbs. It is generally thick, commonly filled with vegetables and sometimes meat and cooked until completely firm. It is usually circle-shaped and served sliced into rectangles or wedges, sometimes hot and sometimes cold. Eggah can be served as an appetizer, main course or side dish.
Kuku or kookoo is an egg-based and often vegetarian Iranian dish made of whipped eggs with various ingredients folded in. It is similar to the Italian frittata, the French quiche, or an open-faced omelette, but it typically has less egg than a frittata, and is cooked for a shorter time, over a low heat, before being turned over or grilled briefly to set the top layer. It is served either hot or cold as a starter, side dish, or a main course, and is accompanied with bread and either yogurt or salad.
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