étouffer

Étouffer is a French verb with several related meanings built around the core notions of covering, compressing, or silencing. It can describe a physical act (smothering or choking), a figurative act (stifling speech or action), and a culinary technique in which a dish is prepared slowly with a lid on and little liquid. The reflexive form s'étouffer refers to choking or being overwhelmed.

In the literal sense, étouffer means to deprive of air, causing suffocation or choking. It can also mean to quench a flame by covering it, or to stifle a cry or a sigh. In French, one might say: "Il s'est étouffé en avalant sa bouchée" or "étouffer une plainte." The expression "étouffer des rires" conveys suppressing laughter.

In cooking, étouffer denotes a method of slowly cooking meat or seafood in a small amount of liquid with the pan covered, producing tender results. The dish étouffé, notably in Cajun cuisine, is named after this technique. The past participle étouffé is used as an adjective to describe such preparations, as in "poulets étouffés."

Etymology traces to Old French estouffer, related to the idea of smothering or covering. The term extends across senses from physical suffocation to metaphorical suppression, with the culinary usage deriving from the image of smothering food with steam and liquid to cook gently.