A traditional French meal match for a king – and everybody else. Uncover the wealthy historical past of Poule au pot – a French nationwide dish.
You’ll be pushed to discover a French particular person in the present day who would passionately declare poule au pot because the nation’s nationwide dish. Because of France’s presence on the world’s culinary stage, its 650 Michelin-star eating places in addition to its controversial love of McDo, the nation’s tastes have advanced in numerous instructions. And but, this easy and considerably beige chicken-in-broth maintains its antiquated standing, a tribute to the nation’s rustic delicacies lengthy earlier than it grew to become identified for its culinary status.
The historical past of poule au pot – a royal story
The story of poule au pot begins in Pau, in southwestern France, a metropolis well-known for this hen dish and because the birthplace of its alleged originator, le Bon Roi Henri – in any other case often known as Henry VI, King of France for 21 years bridging the 16th and 17th centuries. Good King Henry has gone down in historical past for his benevolence. It seems this has partially been propaganda, indoctrinating college kids all through the years with cartoons of his pleasant variety character. Each winter, Pau celebrates “La Poule au Pot est reine” (The hen in a pot is queen), with historical past classes specializing in this good king. What kids presumably aren’t taught is that his different nickname was “le Vert Galant” – the Outdated Charmer – due to his womanising methods.
Within the mid-1500s, the Struggle of Faith tore the nation aside because the Huguenots struggled for his or her proper to worship after years of brutal suppression. Henry of Bourbon was the inheritor to the Kingdom of Navarre which occupied lands on both aspect of the Pyrenees. The household have been Huguenots and due to tactical marriage alliances, an excellent victory in battle, and a bit assassination, he was topped Henry VI in 1589. Instantly he granted the Huguenots freedom to worship, then later transformed to Catholicism, bringing peace, albeit for a short while, to France.
For this and plenty of of his progressive insurance policies, he has been upheld as one in every of France’s greatest, hottest monarchs, notably when in comparison with his notorious descendants. He modernised and restored cities, promoted schooling and the humanities, supported home agriculture, and – most significantly, a minimum of to this subject – endorsed cooking hen.
In Pau, hen was a typical meals supply – accessible and low cost. And, after years of conflict and famines, Good King Henry famously mentioned:
“God keen, I’ll be certain that each final ploughman in my kingdom has the means to make sure that, as soon as every week, he has a hen in his pot.”
His aim was to revive the well-being of his individuals, beginning with democracy through their stomachs, and he allegedly imposed that poule au pot be often known as the nationwide dish, a stroke of selling genius for his legacy.
Pretend information?
Nonetheless… Good King Henry could or could not have really mentioned this iconic line. The quoted textual content was written 50 years after his demise, which brings into query why his generosity over poule au pot stands the take a look at of time.
This specific textual content was known as Histoire du Roy Henry le Grand and was written in 1661 by Hardouin de Péréfixe, future Archbishop of Paris and tutor to Henry’s grandson, Louis XIV. Hardouin’s goal was to indicate Louis what an exemplary king his grandfather was so he may emulate the identical consideration for the individuals. So, was the quote true, or was it fabricated as a delicate nudge for the present king to be taught from instance? Allegedly it wasn’t till the 20th century when progress in poultry farming meant the entire inhabitants had entry to hen – despite the fact that 100 years prior, Louis XVIII adopted and garnished this phrase with “each Sunday” – a transparent case of misinformation, all to advertise the monarchy’s everlasting closeness to its individuals! And the appropriation doesn’t finish there. In 1928, the US Republican Social gathering gained the election with the slogan “A Hen in Each Pot”.
Even so, what we are able to collect from Good King Henry’s phrases – if he did in reality say them – was his goal to revive the nation’s wealth and self-sufficiency by selling agriculture. This he did, as farming was revived, with the well-known line “Ploughing and grazing are the 2 breasts of France,” mentioned by his finance minister tasked with its reorganisation.
A French nationwide dish
However with all this historic cachet, what even is poule au pot? It’s hen stewed with root greens in a light-weight broth. Ideally you desire a flavourful hen that’s lived a little bit of life or a feminine (une poule). Historically, the hen is stuffed – with bacon, sausage, the giblets, and breadcrumbs – then poached in broth made with a clove-studded onion and different greens readily available, presumably carrots, turnips, and leeks, till the meat falls from the bone.
“Style it and develop into satisfied of King Henry the Fourth’s solicitude for the well-being of the peasants of France” – Babet, 19th century cookery guide creator
In 1893, cookery guide creator Babet famously wrote, “It’s a succulent dish an excessive amount of uncared for in nowadays, when dainty residing is tending to interchange the country cooking of the nice previous days.” And that, I suppose, is what this dish’s historical past is all about, past the political propaganda – fuelling the abdomen, bringing communities collectively, and consuming from the bountiful land. With advents in culinary progress, each the nice and unhealthy, this style of actual unadulterated dwelling cooking may develop into misplaced, so perhaps we must always be taught from Good King Henry and proudly maintain poule au pot up because the nation’s nationwide dish.
Do this dish at dwelling, recipe for traditional poule au pot from the Ferrandi College of Culinary Arts on The Good Life France web site.
Ally Mitchell is a blogger and freelance author, specialising in meals and recipes. She lives in Toulouse and writes at: NigellaEatsEverything.
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