View source for Verrine

{{Short description|Glass container for serving food}}
{{for|the demon|Verrine (demon)}}
{{for|Cicero's Verrines|In Verrem}}
{{editorial|date=January 2014}}

[[File:Verrine.jpg|thumb|A verrine, here with [[sprouting|sprouts]].]]
A '''verrine''' ({{IPA|fr|vɛ.ʁin|lang}}) is a glass container, often small, in which is served a starter, main course or dessert, rather than a drink. The glass might be able to be used for drinks, but when used for food, it is referred to as a verrine, and indeed the dish itself can be named ″a verrine″.<ref name="book">''Larousse Gastronomique'', p. 887 left column, article "verrine" (French)</ref> This French word is usually left untranslated because there is no single English word for it.<ref>[[wiktionary:verrine]]</ref>

[[metonymy|Metonymously]], a "verrine" designates in the cooking world a dish served in a verrine, in a vertical manner, allowing a different aesthetic and gustatory experience compared to a dish served on a plate.

[[Philippe Conticini]] was the first (in 1994) to imagine a dessert served in a verrine.<ref name="book" /> He introduced more than a simple evolution of the form, but rather a notable evolution in taste experience.

The verticality and transparency of the verrine allows:
* Immediate visual reading and construction of [[taste]], and
* Completion of the gustatory balance in the mouth rather than in the verrine; sensations of intensity and finish are strengthened and better controlled by the experiencer.

According to the original concept, verrines are composed of three layers, each conveying specific taste characteristics:
* The upper, thin layer is made of an acidic preparation to trigger salivation and prepare the taste buds to receive other tastes
* The intermediate, thicker layer consists of a preparation bringing the "main flavor"
* The lower layer consists of a smooth and silky preparation aimed at coating the taste buds and providing a full-bodied, pleasant finish.

== References ==
{{Commonscat|Verrine (glassware)}}
{{reflist}}

{{Portal|food}}

[[Category:Serving and dining]]