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marchand de vin

marchand de vin

9.9
A brown sauce made with mushrooms and red wine or Madeira used in French cooking
  • noun
  • /mɑrˈʃɑ̃ də vɛ̃/
  • Specialized
translation icon : salsa marchand de vin
  • The chef finished the dish with a rich marchand de vin sauce, adding depth to the flavors.

Examples

  • The steak was served with a savory marchand de vin that complemented the meat perfectly.

  • The chef prepared a delicious marchand de vin sauce for the steak.

  • She learned to prepare marchand de vin during her studies in French cuisine.

  • Have you ever tasted a marchand de vin sauce?

  • The chef finished the dish with a rich marchand de vin sauce, adding depth to the flavors.

  • She learned to prepare marchand de vin during her studies in French cuisine.

  • The steak was served with a savory marchand de vin that complemented the meat perfectly.

Synonyms

mushroom wine sauce
vsmarchand de vin
4.1

A brown sauce made from mushrooms and red wine served with meat

is identified as a French sauce rather than a general meat sauce
Burgundy sauce
vsmarchand de vin
4.9

A rich sauce made from red wine, onions, herbs, and butter to serve with meat

focuses on mushrooms and red wine rather than onions herbs and butter

Surface Forms

Morphology

marchand + de + vin

Although the literal components mean 'merchant of wine' (marchand de vin), the attested culinary sense—'a brown sauce made with mushrooms and red wine or Madeira'—is a conventionalized dish name. A B1 learner who knows the words would most likely interpret the phrase as a person ('wine merchant') rather than a sauce, so the true meaning is not derivable from the parts.

Etymology

Marchand de vin comes from the French words marchand and vin, meaning 'merchant' and 'wine'. One popular story says the sauce was made by or for wine sellers because it is cooked with red wine and often mushrooms, so the name explains why the sauce is wine-based today.