So, Rillons or rillauds?
It is an unusual war, but a real war, which takes place between the fervent greedy defenders of one or the other. And this war is all the more vivid, over the centuries, as it is in fact supported by competition between two cities, Tours and Angers, the respective spearheads of Touraine and Anjou !
In both cases, they are cubes of pork belly, a few centimetres long, wide and high, and where lean and fat alternate in layers, ideally two thirds lean meat to one third fat. The long cooking process gives a melting and very "tasty" result.
But then, it will be said, since this description is suitable for both products, why two names, and why such a war?
The Rillon
Ah, there, there... but it's not the same thing at all, come on!
Already, much more refined, much more subtle (here, you can easily guess if the author is a Tourangeau or angevin...!), the rillon is presented, like the other, in the form of pork belly cubes but, obviously, and this is an absolutely fundamental difference, these cubes are decayed.
Result, not being covered by a first layer of rind, hard, one can bite into the rillons with beautiful teeth, without constraint, in the beautiful freedom of a festive moment, a glass in the hand! And you can cut them out while singing the song of the rillons, without twisting to remove the layer of rind....
And then, the fact of having got rid of this hard surface before firing allows it (at 95° for an hour or two depending on size, still!) to penetrate it better, to coat it better, to melt it better...
Finally, we used the word "subtle" earlier. And, whatever we say, we must recognize that a meticulous mastery of cooking results in the exterior, brown, contrasting a little with the interior, more rosy, all producing a very delicate blend of flavours.... subtly different !
Finally, we will say that what is also subtle, clever, cunning, is that the Tourangeaux have been careful not to promote this product frantically, which they prefer to keep to themselves without saying anything! Also, outside the department, the rillons are very little known.
The manufacture of Rillons
Originally, these rillons were made on the farm when the pig was killed, and it was a way of keeping the breast. After cooking, they were stored in pots, drowned in the fat they had lost during the operation, about a third of their original weight.
They were placed in pots and browned in lard. Then, there is the addition of Patrelle flavouring, a food supplement originally composed of burnt onion juice, then the whole thing is soaked in white wine, or marc, and flavoured with pepper, spices, thyme and bay leaf. And then it's the long cooking....
It must be recognized that it is now quite rare to find these rilllons actually made on the farm, and that they are now rather the work of delicatessen butchers who have taken over the old recipes.
The Rillons song
Obviously, as soon as we talk about good things to eat, festive and friendly, and it is possible to accompany a small fresh wine, there is a song not far away... the rillons are no exception to the rule:
"When the butcher makes the breast brown
When the serious craftsman respects the product
It is the Pink King who sits in the kitchen
It is the Touraine pig in its delicatessen
Let's laugh, let's laugh friends of Touraine
Let's laugh, let's laugh around the rillons
Laughter, gourmet laughter from Touraine
Let's celebrate, let's celebrate rillettes and rillons
By Balzac so fond of our brown rillettes
By St. Anthony forever our patron saint
Let's praise these succulents on our plate
Let's always taste the good pig butter together
To you, to you, our Touraine rillettes
To all of you, we offer our rillons
Let's sing, let's sing, let's sing, let's eat in Touraine
Let's celebrate, let's celebrate rillettes and rillons"
...and the rillauds?
For those who absolutely want to learn more about this product, which is supposedly so close, but in fact so far away, named Rillaud in the Angers region, and in a concern for objectivity, in order to offer as broad information as possible, and without prejudice, the "Great Unusual West" has also produced an article on the subject, whose title is, of course, the reverse reflection of the current title, namely "Rillauds or Rillons, gourmet war between Angers and Tours ! »
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