Aspic

According to one poetic reference by Ibrahim ibn al-Mahdi, who described a version of a dish prepared with Iraqi carp, it was "like ruby on the platter, set in a pearl ... steeped in saffron thus, like garnet it looks, vibrantly red, shimmering on silver".

Aspic was used as a chaudfroid sauce in many cold fish and poultry meals, where it added moisture and flavour to the food.

Pork jelly is an aspic made from low-grade cuts of pig meat, such as trotters, that contain a significant proportion of connective tissue.

[15] Pork jelly is a popular appetizer and, nowadays, is sometimes prepared in a more modern version using lean meat, with or without pig leftovers (which are substituted with store-bought gelatin).

It is very popular in Croatia, Serbia, Poland, Czech Republic, Romania, Moldova, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia (called huspenina/studeno), Hungary, Greece, and Ukraine.

In Russia, kholodets is a traditional winter and especially Christmas and New Year's dish, which is eaten with chrain (horseradish paste) or mustard.

It is usually accompanied by cold mastika or rakija (grape brandy) and turšija (pickled tomatoes, peppers, olives, cauliflower, cucumber).

It is usually made with pig's trotter (but turkey or chicken meat can also be used), carrots and other vegetables, boiled to make a soup with high gelatin content.

The broth containing gelatin is poured over the boiled meat and mashed garlic in bowls, the mixture being then cooled to become a jelly.

[17][18] Among the Newars of Kathmandu Valley in Nepal, buffalo meat jelly, known as ta khaa, is a major component of the winter festivity gourmet.

[citation needed] In Central, Eastern, and Northern Europe, aspic often takes the form of pork jelly and is popular around the Christmas and Easter holidays.

The dish is part of winter holiday celebrations such as the traditional Russian New Year (novy god) or Christmas meal.

The meat is then separated from the bones, minced, recombined with the broth, dressed with the slices of boiled egg and herbs like parsley and cooled until it solidifies into a jelly.

Variants range from one served in a dish with rather delicate gelatin, to tlačenica more resembling the German sulze, a kind of head cheese.

In Slovenia, aspic is known as žolca (derived from the German sülze, meaning head cheese) or tlačenka in Slovene.

Sky is almost solely eaten as a topping for cold cuts or rullepølse on Danish open faced sandwiches called smørrebrød.

It is a key ingredient in Dyrlægens natmad, a dish combining leverpostej, sliced salt beef and onions.

Its ingredients include pork meat, tails, ears, feet, carrots, vinegar, garlic, herbs, onions, roots, bay leaves, allspice, and cinnamon.

[20][21][22] In some recipes, the dish is cooked in two separate processes, slightly pickled with wine vinegar and spiced with tarragon and basil.

[25] In Zhenjiang, aspic using pig trotters is called Salted Pork in Jelly (Chinese: 水晶肴肉; pinyin: Shuǐjīng Xiáoròu).

Originating in Northern Vietnam and now popular throughout the country, more or less similar forms of preparation like this dish also exist in many other cuisines around the world.

Giò thủ is often made by families during the traditional Lunar New Year, and is sold at sausage shops in Vietnam most markets nationwide.

An amino acid called glutamine in aspic may enhance the integrity of the intestinal barrier, which may be beneficial for inflammatory bowel disease and other digestive problems.