
What’s the difference between Pâté, Rillette, and Terrine?
- Pâté. Pâté is something called a forcemeat, i.e., a dish made from meat and fat that is either ground or pureed together to form an emulsion mixture.
- Terrine. Terrine, or pâté en terrine, is a type of pâté, molded in a dish called a terrine. ...
- Rillette. Rillette, also known as potted meat, tends to be on the chunkier side. ...
- Mousse. ...
- Aspic. ...
Full Answer
What is the difference between pâté and terrine?
A terrine is an entirely different thing to pâté, with the clue to how different they are in the translation from the French word pâté becoming "paste" in English. Pâtés (pastes) more often are smooth, light and will predominantly, but not exclusively, be made of duck or chicken livers.
What is a terrine?
The term is frequently used to describe pâté, when in fact, it is an entirely different thing. On top of that, there are two meanings to the culinary word in that a terrine refers both to the dish it’s baked in, as well as the dish itself.
What is a pâté?
Pâtés (pastes) more often are smooth, light and will predominantly, but not exclusively, be made of duck or chicken livers. They can be created with fish, vegetables, beans, or pulses.
How do you serve terrine?
For vegetable terrines, roasting or char-grilling the vegetables before using in the terrine is another great way to impart strong flavors and added texture. There are two main ways a terrine can be served. More often than not, it is sliced into thick slices once it is cooled completely.

What is the difference between a pâté and a terrine?
A pate differs from a terrine in that pate is usually made from liver, is much finer in texture and can be made in any shaped container. A terrine is generally made from much chunkier meat - chunks of pork hock, diced lamb leg meat, duck breast or minced pork.
What is a pâté terrine used for?
A pâté terrine is an enamelled cast iron cooking and serving dish that was traditionally used to compact a meat mixture like pâté or terrine.
Why is it called terrine?
The literal translation of terrine in French is a "large earthenware pot". The English derivative of the word is tureen; a word still used today to describe a cooking pot. The origins of the cooked dish are without any doubt French, who are masters of the terrine.
What do you mean by terrine?
Definition of terrine 1a : tureen sense 1. b : a usually earthenware dish in which foods are cooked and served. 2 : a mixture of chopped meat, fish, or vegetables cooked and served in a terrine.
Are terrines served cold?
Terrines are usually served cold or at room temperature. Most terrines contain a large amount of fat, although it is often not the main ingredient, and pork; many terrines are made with typical game meat, such as pheasant and hare.
Is spam a terrine?
"Spam really is a terrine — a French terrine," says classically trained and seasoned Chef Edric Har (Le Bernardin, Veritas, Cru), who serves his own version of Spam at his restaurant, Brooklyn Wok Shop, in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY. "It's ground pork, it's cured, it's cooked.
What is difference between a meatloaf and a terrine?
While seemingly 'special', terrines are really up-market meatloaves with layers that distinguish them from pâtés. Terrines seem old fashioned, but they are never out of style and the results are sensational. This terrine needs a two-litre (two-quart) dish.
Can you eat terrine hot?
Pâtés become more flavorful after several days of chilling, but can also be served either hot or cold. This is in contrast to terrines, which you serve either cold or at room temperature.
What ingredient is commonly used to line terrines?
aspicAs a binding ingredient, aspic is used in mousses, terrines, and aspic molds, as discussed later in this chapter. It is also the binding agent in chaud-froid sauce (see p. 878).
Who invented terrine?
Terrines or Pâtés were known to the Romans, Greek and French as early as the 11th century. In ancient Greece, Athenians sold Pâtés at the market along with other meats. It was mostly a way to make more money by utilising and selling every part of the animals they used.
How do you pronounce terrines?
0:000:54How to Pronounce Terrine? (CORRECTLY) - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipNommé.MoreNommé.
Can you eat terrine when pregnant?
Also you must not eat: rinded cheese, goat's cheese, pâté, terrines and rillettes, sushi, sashimi and artisan-smoked fish (as opposed to the industrial sort, which is smoked to death). This is besides the other fish injunctions, which tend to be about mercury - oh, and bagged salad.
What Is It?
Pâté (pronounced pah-TAY) is French for "paste." It is traditionally served baked in a crust ( en croûte) or molded as a terrine. The crust of the en croûte version, interestingly enough, was not originally intended to be eaten. The original purpose of the crust was actually to hold the pâté together.
Origins
Pâté is most associated with French cuisine , but variations on this dish can be found all over the world. It's possible that Americans who are unfamiliar with pâté are fans of liverwurst, unaware that the dishes are essentially the same. Liverwurst, especially in sliced form, is a common sandwich filler for many.
Defining terms: What is pâté?
A pâté is a forcemeat dish made of meat, fat and spices. Pâtés are often enhanced with wine, brandy or sherry. In North America, the home cook and the general public equate pâté with liver, but liver isn’t necessary to create a pâté. In my recipe research, liver seems to be more common in pâté recipes than terrine recipes.
Defining terms: What is a terrine?
A terrine is basically a pâté that’s cooked in a dish called a terrine. At Dictionary.com, they define terrine as, “a paté or similar dish of chopped meat, game, fish, or vegetables baked in such a dish and served cold.”
Defining terms: What is a meatloaf?
Since I was already on Dictionary.com, I checked out the definition of meatloaf too. Meatloaf is officially “a dish of ground meat, often mixed with other ingredients, as bread crumbs and seasonings, molded in the shape of a loaf and baked.”
Is terrine the same as pâté?
Basically, yes. Pâtés and terrines are meat and fat emulsions—called forcemeat—and what you do with it determines what name to call it. If you cook the forcemeat in the dish—a.k.a. a terrine—you could call it a pâté en terrine or terrine for short. If you surround the forcemeat with pastry and cook it, it’s called a pâté en croûte.
Bonus question: Is terrine the same as meatloaf?
Meatloaf and terrines are much the same because they’re both loaf-shaped and made with similar ingredients but they’re not the same. Meatloaves are generally served hot, right out of the oven while terrines are served cold after many hours or a day of cooling down and sometimes pressing.
What the experts say about pâte and terrines being the same
I’m new to the world of forcemeat; this whole site is about what I’ve learned as a beginner and an amateur. This means I don’t have the knowledge, wisdom or expertise to know why some people call pâté and terrine the same and some people insist they’re different.
What Michael Ruhlman and Brian Polcyn say about pâtés and terrines
In their book, Charcuterie: The Craft of Salting, Smoking & Curing, Michael Ruhlman and Brian Polcyn say this, “Pâtés and terrines, broadly speaking, are essentially big sausages cooked in some sort of mold, either earthenware or porcelain ( en terrine ), in dough ( en croûte ), or in skin (galantines and ballotines).”
What Is Terrine?
The term “terrine” is a french word meaning “large earthenware pot”. That’s because in the past, terrine literally meant the container that the dish was made in.
Difference Between Terrine, Pâté, and Rillettes
There has been a great deal of confusion over what exactly constitutes a terrine, a pâté, and a rillette. Although all three fall under the umbrella of forcemeat dishes, there are still many differences that make each dish distinct.
Popular Ingredients For Terrine
The most popular main meats used are pork or game such as venison, rabbits, boar, and more. These meats are sufficiently tender and cook quickly, becoming more flavourful once cooked. Beef is less preferable, as it is too dense and takes much longer to cook than the other meats.
Tips for Making Terrine
Although people predominantly made terrines with pottery molds in the past, terrine molds today can be made from all kinds of materials. These include cast iron, ceramic glass, stainless steel, porcelain, and many more. When faced with so many choices, how do you decide which is the best type of mold to use?
How to Serve and Eat Terrine
Once a terrine has cooled, it is most often served in thick slices on a charcuterie board, along with a wide variety of cured meats, sausages, cheeses, and bread. Popular choices for cheese include blue cheese or goat cheese. Crusty breads also go especially well with terrines, so sourdough bread, rye bread, or baguettes are excellent choices.
Pâté
A forcemeat mixture of meats, fish, seafood or vegetables baked in a pastry shell or mold. Pâté en croute specifically refers to the pastry that encased the forcemeat. Today pâtés are loosely defined and can be prepared in pastry crusts or wrapped in fat back, leeks, or ham.
Terrine
From a term for the earthenware dish that was traditionally used for the preparation of a terrine. Today the practical terminology of terrines and pâtés is often interchangeable. Terrines can be prepared with a forcemeat, molded foie gras, or layered vegetables bound with aspic or fresh cheese.
Galantine
Traditional preparation of a galantine required poultry to be boned completely and then stuffed with a forcemeat and reshaped to its original form. Today’s interpretation of a galantine is closer to a roulade, prepared with boned poultry such as chicken or duck wrapped in their own skin.
Ballotine
This is a smaller relative of the galantine that traditionally utilizes the boned, leg portions of poultry. They are stuffed with forcemeat and braised or roasted. Ballotine are traditionally served hot and may be presented as a main entrée.
Roulade
Prepared in a manner similar to contemporary galantines, a roulade refers to a rolled item creating a pinwheel effect. A flattened chicken breast or butterflied pork loin are two examples. A roulade can be filled with just about anything and served hot or cold.
Rillettes
Traditionally a mixture of pork and pork fat cooked until they fall apart. The meat and fat are then shredded and mixed until thoroughly blended, and spooned into small crocks. The surface is sealed with a layer of aspic or fat to preserve it. Rillettes can be prepared with any type of meat, fish or poultry.
Tourte
A hot pâté baked in a crust. It is round and pie-shaped and is usually served as a main course.
Terrine
A terrine is a dish of ground meat, organ meat, seafood, vegetables, boiled eggs, herbs and/or other seasonings packed or layered in a ceramic or steel loaf-shaped mold, cooked in a water bath, cooled, turned out and sliced for serving.
Rillettes
Rillettes are meat, fish or poultry that’s been chopped or shredded, seasoned with salt and pepper and preserved slowly in its own fat, the fat of another animal, olive oil or butter to make a thick spread for sandwiches, crudité or pasta stuffing.
Pâté
A finely or coarsely ground blend of meat, organ meat and herbs or seasonings. Some pâtés contain milk (for a smoother texture), egg (which helps it set in its mold), or bread (which helps stretch the ingredients and forms a firmer loaf). Pâté is often one element of a layered terrine, but it can be as simple as chicken liver mousse.
