Fricassee

A term that can refer to a food preparation process or a type of food dish, which is similar to a stew. As a preparation process, when a meat is fricasseed, it is typically cut into pieces to be sauteed with butter and then cooked with vegetables in a seasoned stock base and served with a white sauce. As a food dish, a fricassee consists of some type of white meat, such as chicken, veal or rabbit prepared in the manner described for the preparation process. A fricassee is often mistakenly called a stew, but it is not quite the same. For a stew, the meat is prepared by being cooked in liquid, while a fricassee requires that the meat be sautéed in butter or oil before any liquid is added.