Having different types of pate will be a great breakfast idea for those busy people! If you don’t know much about pate varieties, this article will give you a comprehensive list with a lot of useful information.
I’m pretty sure that you’ll be super amazed by how many pate types there are! This famous spreadable food may appear in a smooth form, but it can have many variations with a lot of different ingredients, some of which you may not have expected before.
What Exactly Is Pate?
Pate, or pâté in French, can be a paste, loaf, or pastry type that is filled with forcemeat, which is ground meat from pork, beef, poultry, fish, etc. It originates from France and consists of many variations with different uses like spreading on toast or crackers.
You can serve pate hot, cold, or at room temperature. My advice is to chill it for a few days to get the best taste. In French cuisine, pate is usually the term used to call pie or loaf with flaky crust outside and soft filling inside.
Since most pate variations include liver, this food is full of calories, protein, copper, iron, vitamin A, vitamin B-12, and many more. It is a delicious source of energy and minerals. Of course, pate can be high in saturated fat and cholesterol, so enjoy it in moderation.
12 Mouth-watering Types Of Pate You Should Definitely Try
Here comes the essential part of this article! The full list of many pate types that you may not know about. They are all delicious and easy to apply to slices of bread for filling sandwiches. Let’s explore more about them!
1. Pâté Chaud
Pâté Chaud is a popular type of Vietnamese pate with French inspiration, including liver and meat, or only liver that is usually served hot. You may find it under the name Bánh Patê sô in the country. It is a very delicious pastry with a flaky and crusty outside and juicy meat filling.
The yummy filling of this delectable food from Vietnam is often from pork, but the beef and chicken versions are also popular. Pâté Chaud is a delicious legacy of French influence in Vietnamese cuisine that you’ve got to try.
You can totally make this easy Pâté Chaud at home!
2. Pâté de Campagne (Pâté de Champagne)
Pâté de Campagne is one of the easiest types of pates to make from the cuts and trims of meat and any garnishment you may have, such as smoked ham and duck confit. This kind of pate is the most affordable pate on the list.
The liver plays the role of a flavoring item more than the main ingredient in Pâté de Campagne, so the filling only includes a small amount of liver. The texture is more refined and ground than other types of pate.
Nowadays, Pâté de Campagne may include more expensive ingredients, such as many delicious truffle types. People also consider Pâté de Campagne a country terrine with a coarse and moist texture that will please any pate lover!
3. Pâté en Croûte
Pâté en Croûte is an ancient dish traced back to the Middle Ages. It was a famous feast dish back then and still maintains its popularity today. Depending on the variants, the excellent filling can have pork, veal, or poultry and some mushrooms or nuts.
The most famous and typical version of Pâté en Croûte includes poultry inside. There is also another variant with the name Pâté en croute Richelieu that is filled with chicken livers. They are all delicious, with a lot of available options for meat lovers.
The crust of Pâté en Croûte is really like that of a crusty pastry. It was not edible initially and existed only to increase the dish’s shelf life. However, now, you can enjoy both the flaky crust together with the soft filling.
Here’s the best recipe to make perfect Pâté en Croûte!
4. Pâté de Gibiers (Wild Game Pâté)
Pâté de Gibiers is a special type of pate that includes meat from farmed animals or wild game. In the hunting season, you may find this dish on the menu with the name Menu de la Chasse or Pâté de Gibiers Sauvage if the filling is full of authentic wild animal meat.
The wild game list may include pheasant, roe deer, wild boar, and quail. And don’t worry, they are all legal as hunters have to seek permission first; the hunting season doesn’t last long, any way. This dish is often served hot and has a gamey taste with juicy filling.
There are also some variations of Pâté de Gibiers I think you should know. Pâté de Cerf aux Marrons is a great example, including red deer meat filling and chestnuts. Pâté en Croûte de Gibier à Plumes et sa Compôte à l’Echalote is made of bird meat and served with shallots.
5. Pâté Grandmère
Pâté Grandmère is a traditional pate in French cuisine, which is made from bacon, pork liver, and boneless pork leg. The maker will cook these meat components with basic spices, lard, shallots, eggs, brandy, bread crumbs, and whole milk for the filling.
The bacon addition is a great idea since it adds a chunky texture and fat to the mixture. The fat in bacon will get along well with other ingredients and create a beautiful juicy filling for the Pâté Grandmère.
6. Pâté de Foie Gras
Pâté de Foie Gras has been truly the king of French pate types since the late 1770s! It is exclusively made of duck or geese livers that are fattened to enlarge their ordinary size. It is spreadable and easy to top crackers and slices of bread.
The French government regulates the ratio of ingredients in Pâté de Foie Gras mixture with 50% of duck or geese livers and 50% of the remaining components, such as pork, eggs, and chicken liver.
You should know that duck liver is always more affordable than goose liver, and the flavors of the two variations are also different. Therefore, choose Pâté de Foie Gras products with care.
Pâté de Foie Gras is one of the most typical pates with duck liver!
7. Pâté Lorraine
Pâté Lorraine is another traditional dish from France that is mainly made from pork and veal, sometimes rabbit and chicken. The chef will season these meat types with wine, shallots, and fresh herbs like thyme, bay leaves, and parsley.
You should enjoy Pâté Lorraine when you get to France, especially in the Baccarat commune in the Lorrain region. Suitable for serving both hot and cold, this dish consists of a flaky pastry cover outside before baking and a flavorful filling inside.
8. Pâté Forestière
The extremely earthy, forest-like flavor of Pâté Forestière distinguishes it from many other types. Its name literally means “forest pate”! I’m sure you’ll love it right at first bite.
The ingredients of Pâté Forestière directly bring that distinctive taste to the filling mixture. They are pork liver, pancetta, eggs, brandy, sherry, cream, mushrooms, truffle salt, and fresh herbs like parsley and thyme. Together, they create a scrumptious type of pate.
9. Pâté Maison
Pâté Maison is famous for its super creamy and velvety texture. It contains chicken liver and pork liver paste. People prepare it by wrapping the liver filling with bacon and serving it on crisp slices of bread or toast with some herbs and onions.
Learn how to make Pâté Maison with the instructions from an authentic chef!
10. Pâté Hénaff
Pâté Hénaff is a store-bought canned type of pate that you can find in any grocery store or supermarket throughout France. Most Pâté Hénaff includes pork, especially ham. It may also contain liver, stock, and a lot of different spices like sea salt.
This Pâté Hénaff has a unique and pleasant flavor that can easily pair with anything, such as bread or toast. Canned Pâté Hénaff is a common ingredient in many fantastic French-inspired dishes.
11. Pâté Vigneron
Pâté Vigneron consists of pork filling inside and puff pastry outside. To make it, pork strips are seasoned with basic spices, white wine, parsley, and onions before being finely ground.
This type of pate tastes incredibly pleasant because of the nutmeg in the pork. You may want to enjoy Pâté Vigneron with white wine for the best experience.
12. Mushroom Pâté
Mushroom Pâté is a vegetarian-friendly type of pate in France. It consists of a sautéed mixture including dried or fresh mushrooms, garlic, rosemary, and ricotta that can easily spread on anything. This pate tastes rich with an umami flavor from mushrooms.
Even people who love meaty dishes will find mushroom Pâté quite delectable. Try this versatile type of French pate if you are really into mushrooms and want some to spread on toast. It will surely please your taste buds right at the first bite!
Noticeable Differences Between Pate And Terrine
If you are interested in French cuisine, you may know that there are two different terms in cooking that usually confuse those freshers. Keep in mind that some pates are terrines, but most terrines are not pate!
Both Pate and terrine are dishes including meat mixture wrapped or packed into a loaf or crust like a pastry.
Pate is usually made from livers, resulting in a finer and smoother texture than a terrine. Terrine is made of chunky meat like pork hock, lamb leg meat, duck breast, or minced pork; therefore, its texture is chunkier than pate.
Which Pate Type Will Be Your Favorite?
I have revealed different types of pate to satisfy your curiosity. They are all delectable with a crispy layer outside and juicy filling inside. Try to taste all of them and find out your best pate version if you have a chance. I’m sure that this food will always please your taste buds.
Why don’t you like and share this article to spread the word to other people? If you want to say something or tell a great story about your experience with pate, leave me some comments below this post! I’ll reply to you all as soon as possible. See you in other interesting posts!
