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Explanation: I suppose that it's a menu item in a haute cuisine restaurant. "Ternera blanca" is veal and "suspiro" is sigh so it must be an artistic way of describing the dish.
It was fun! Slight pause whilst I go out for dinner... So as long as we mention that this is veal, we have free flight, and, as the song says, anything goes!
"a very light veal steak that melts in the mouth because it is extremely tender and falls apart in the mouth", so we were all on the wrong track. My appreciation - and admiration - to all who took part in the chase. One can see why "sighs" could have suggested something of the idea.
But I'm not getting anywhere. The Casa Romero looked promising, but all the links to their own website are dead. And I have trawled through an awful lot of Adrià foam and suchlike to no avail. His stuff is definitely always referred to as foam though (I had been toying with the idea of suggesting using cloud here). I dunno. You have to include the word veal, as Carol also stresses. "Veal suspiro"? Or Emiliano's "veal foam"? I would go with that if I could be just a tiny bit more certain, but I have to confess, by way of a spanner in the works, that earlier on I found a ref (albeit from the Americas) to suspiro as being a pastry, so it could be a kind of veal en croute after all this. But the other dishes do suggest it's more likely to be foamy.
G'night.
I was going to mention that as a rule we Brits do like to have at least a vague idea of what we're eating, particularly whilst abroad, which could explain the generally more straightforward/explanatory, less fanciful, English versions of many foreign menu items.
Noni, I can see you've really got the bit between the teeth :)
...of the mains, and no sign yet, and am suffering from severe indigestion! Interesting to see that the English version they have on line is so straightforward - largely descriptive, (this is more a reference work than a menu of course), although I note that when the going gets tough, the term stays in Spanish, which is, methinks, an option here too.
Sorry to have forced your hand there... I know you will have it within you to forgive me ;-)
Reading that menu, I'm more and more inclined towards the foam angle, what with perfect harmony of this, wild that, and purple potatoes. Problem is that we already have the strawberry foam on the brownie. Oh goodness me, and of lime and ginger (now that sounds delicious actually). Is this a menu for people with dicey dentures. Or perhaps one is supposed to spread it over one's partner and lick. Sorry. Bet I've just offended a few. Ah well.
One line to pursue might be to look Adrià stuff up in English, there may well be something....
It must be something poncy because it's part of the menu of a special Valentine's Day romantic dinner - not your average night out with the girls (or boys).
Ah well, you've now unmasked me Noni. The menu is in Portuguese but I asked this question in Spanish because I am convinced this dish is not of Portuguese inspiration. For what it's worth here's the full menu, and yes, the 'suspiro' is the main course. Hope you can read Portuguese.
Amuse-buche: Legumes em tempura de amêndoa e molho agridoce
Ostras ao natural com espuma de lima e gengibre
Perfeita harmonia entre vieiras e camarão sobre risoto de cogumelos selvagens e aveludado de crustáceos
Suspiro de vitela branca sobre creme de batata violeta e salteado de legumes baby
Brownie de chocolate e macadâmia em espuma de morango e malagueta
It's beginning to seem quite likely isn't it? Perhaps you could let us know what other kinds of items there are on the menu. Is it the main course? Are the other items very fancy and high fallutin'?
Do please go on digressing! Actually, I'm quite familiar with secreto (ever tried roasting strips of secreto ibérico over roast potatoes and padrón peppers?) and presa de cerdo (and even know which parts of the animal they come from). Press on, and we will see what materialises!
I wonder if what you are thinking of is "secreto", which is a cut of pork, not so common until recently when the "secreto" got out, and everyone seemed to cotton onto it! Presa is another lesser known and not particularly obvious cut. Anyway, I digress. What I am suggesting is that you might not be on the right track with that, lexical, although I shall have a little nose around anyway to double check.
I think the consensus view is correct - I shall have to ask the client to contact the restaurant to find out. The annoying thing is that I'm sure I've seen it either on a menu or in the supermarket here in Valencia, but I don't remember anything about it. My impression, for what it's worth, was that it was a cut of meat rather than a way of preparing veal.
Bar Casa Romero, C/ José Maluquer local 17. This comes up as a place offering suspiro de ternera in this ghit: http://donbosco.vinauta.com/cena-del-dia-8/ (Sorry I can't give you the town straight off!)
Suspiros are normally meringues but I have never come across a savoury meringue. If you could find out the ingredients then you would know and could then go down the whimsical 'breath/whisper of white veal' on one hand or 'white veal meringue' on the other.
The literal translation is, as franglish says, not an option. All we know is that there will be some (possibly milk-fed) veal on the plate. Probably not very much of it! Might you sigh, wishing there were more? Sorry, joking apart, more information is vital, And if they won't give you more, then you will have to leave it as sth as pithy as "Veal". That would serve them right for not providing more info!
referring to the chef/restaurant/your client to ascertain exactly what the ingredients are and how the dish is presented. Have to admit, the literal translation holds no appeal whatsoever :(
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Answers
12 mins confidence: peer agreement (net): +1
a sigh of veal
Explanation: I suppose that it's a menu item in a haute cuisine restaurant. "Ternera blanca" is veal and "suspiro" is sigh so it must be an artistic way of describing the dish.
Reference information: Angelphire is probably right. The name of the dish evokes a certain andalousian song. It is probably an Andalusian dish. This song is translated into english as "Sighs of Spain"
"Para hacer los suspiros, pon las claras de huevo en un cuenco y bátelas con una varilla. Cuando estén a medio montar, añade el diente de ajo y perejil (los dos bien picados). Sigue batiendo con la varilla hasta que queden a punto de nieve."
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 3 hrs (2012-02-05 14:36:26 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
There is another reference to it being used by Ferrán Adrià in El Bulli:
I know culinary foams are best associated with this chef.
"Culinary Foam & the Future:
He is best known for creating "culinary foam", which is now used by chefs around the world. Culinary foam consists of natural flavors (sweet or savory) mixed with a natural gelling agent. The mixture is placed in a whipped cream canister where the foam is then forced out with the help of nitrous oxide." http://gourmetfood.about.com/od/chefbiographi2/p/ferranadria...
So, I'm just guessing "suspiros" are some type of foam. That said, I would still definitely ask your client.
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 3 hrs (2012-02-05 14:52:42 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
Could it be veal mousse???
Suzanne Donnelly Ireland Meets criteria Specializes in field Native speaker of: English
The translation workplace 
