Tartine in Reunion

Tartine à la Réunion. Chayote, Lime, and Chili with Creole Spice.

Tartine à la Réunion is a chunky, vegan vegetable spread made from chayote, onion, and tomato, seasoned in the Creole style. Not a mild vegetable purée, not a sweet chutney, no ready-made sauce.

Tartine à la Réunion is a vegetable spread from the southern French cannery Rue Traversette that brings the Rougail cuisine of the Indian Ocean to a piece of baguette. The other spreads in this line tell of Brittany, Normandy, and Languedoc. This one leaves the mainland. On the label, the manufacturer explicitly announces the spiciness, and the announcement is serious. At first, you taste lime and tomato, bright and almost harmless. What comes after lasts significantly longer.

The spice comes later than you expect

The spread begins with fresh lime and ends spicy, with a noticeable gap between the two. Chayote tastes subtle on its own, somewhere between a young potato and zucchini. That's precisely why it readily absorbs any seasoning and never pushes itself to the forefront.

Onion and tomato give the jar body and a slightly acidic base. Curry and turmeric add an earthy warmth that is more smelled than tasted. Raisins contribute a dark sweetness that softens the pepper. The rum stays in the background, adding little more than a caramel note.

Even when opened, ginger rises, followed by a spicy note reminiscent of curry paste. The scent is significantly louder than with the European spreads in the series and gives an honest warning of what's to come.

Green chili, peeled ginger, and coarsely crushed pepper build the heat in layers. It only really kicks in after swallowing and then lingers in the throat for a while. The lime keeps the mixture bright and prevents the spices from becoming heavy. In the jar, the spread therefore appears warmer than its appearance suggests.

The texture is deliberately coarse: the vegetables are hand-cut, and you can see each piece. Those expecting a velvety smooth cream will find this style too chunky — for that, there are the house's classic vegetable creams. And for those sensitive to spice, the jar is worth considering: it is the spiciest spread in the entire range.

On toasted baguette, under rice, next to fish

A heaped teaspoon on warm toasted baguette is the quickest way to enjoy this spread. A cold beer pairs better with it than wine. For grilled fish, place two teaspoons next to the fillet, and the sauce is ready before anyone had to prepare it.

Next to pan-fried chicken or lamb, the Tartine replaces any chutney. A tablespoon stirred into 200g of warm rice creates a Creole side dish that can stand on its own. In a vegetable stir-fry with eggplant and bell pepper, it replaces all seasoning just before serving.

The spread also has its place in sandwiches. A thinly spread teaspoon under cold roast or smoked tofu replaces mayonnaise and mustard at the same time. On a hot baked potato, it melts into the crumb and only needs some spring onion.

For an apéro board, the contrast is worthwhile. Place a spoon of this Tartine next to one of the milder spreads from the same range. Add a dollop of mustard with Piment d'Espelette, and you have three levels of spice on one plate.

Good to know: Straight from the fridge, the lime dominates. Let the opened jar stand for ten minutes, and ginger and chili come to the fore. However, the spread is not ideal for cooking. Strong heat removes the freshness from the lime and primarily leaves the spiciness. If you want to milden it, stir a spoonful into natural yogurt for a dip for raw vegetables.

From the Chouchou of Salazie to a cauldron in Hérault

Chayote is so common on La Réunion that it has its own name there: Chouchou. Botanically, it belongs to the gourd family, with cucumber and melon as its closest relatives. It originally comes from Central America and arrived in the Indian Ocean via trade.

As a climbing plant, it trails over trellises that you can walk under, bearing pale green, pear-shaped fruits with a single soft seed. Most of the island's harvest grows in the Salazie caldera, one of the rainiest places on Earth. Peeled and diced, it retains its bite when preserved — the reason why it doesn't turn into a purée in this jar.

Rougail is the name given on the island to spicy preparations of tomato, onion, and spices, which are served with almost every dish there. This is precisely the principle that Rue Traversette transfers to the jar. The cannery was founded in 2005 by Stéphane Strobl, in Saint-André-de-Sangonis between vineyards and garrigue in Hérault. From there, it's about nine thousand kilometers to the island.

The vegetables are hand-cut, cooked in an open cauldron, and then gently pasteurized. The company fundamentally refrains from using preservatives, colorings, and artificial flavors. This also explains why the color in the jar is muted and doesn't glow signal green.

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