Stuffed poultry neck is not particular to France, however. In German, it is called helzel; in English, magel, in Hungarian halsli, and in Yiddish falsa kishke (Encyclopedia of Jewish Food, by Gil Marks). Outside France, it is known as a dish for the poor, since it is usually stuffed with inexpensive ingredients such as bread, matzah meal, giblets and other inexpensive starches so as to stretch the meat as far as possible.

The addition of foie gras in the French version makes it out of the reach of the poor, although many farmers in the Southwest raise ducks, so they get the foie gras from their own ducks.

In France, this is eaten as a starter with green salad and/or potatoes fried in duck fat, but it could just as easily make a main course for lunch.

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by Jonell Galloway

Dijon capital of mustard, escargots/snails and fine wine, is a gastronomic capital. It was a Roman town, and a major crossroads for trade routes, including pewter, tin, amber and exotic spices. It was the capital of the Kingdom of Burgundy, and the seat of the Dukes of Burgundy, from the eleventh to the late fifteenth centuries. Their palace is today the Beaux-Arts Museum, which still houses their tombs.

These half-timbered buildings are near the covered market in the old town, which was registered as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2015.

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by Jonell Galloway

Well into the twentieth century, the word souper, meaning literally “to eat soup,” was (and sometimes still is) used for the evening meal. It is also the origin of the word “supper” in English. The history is complex and varies according to region, class and period in history, but the word mainly derives from the fact that French people who lived in the country ate their main meal at noon and only soup and bread in the evening. It later came to be used for meals after the theatre or a night on the town, meaning more something small to fill your belly than a full meal. In Paris, this often consisted of eating onion soup after dancing all night. In all cases, supper is lighter and less formal than dinner. Since 1300, the term “supper” was also applied to the last meal of Christ.

This is an extract from George Sand’s 1872 novel Nanon, about the evening soup:

It was Saturday. For Saturday supper and Sunday lunch we ate bread. The rest of the week, like other poor people in the Marche, we lived only on chestnuts and buckwheat gruel. I’m talking about a long time ago; I believe it was in 1787. In those days, many families lived like we did. Now, poor people are better nourished. We had ways of bartering our staple foods and we used the chestnuts to get a little wheat.

On Saturday nights, my great uncle brought back a loaf of rye bread from the market, along with a small chunk of butter. I was determined to make his soup for him all on my own and I had had someone explain exactly how Mariotte did it. I went into the garden to pull up a few vegetables and I peeled them so that they were perfectly clean, using my horrible little knife. Mariotte, seeing that I was becoming skillful, lent me hers for the first time. Before she had never wanted to let me use it because she thought I’d hurt myself.

My older cousin Jacques got back from the market before my uncle; he brought bread, butter and salt. Mariotte left us and I went to work. Jacques made fun of my determination to make the soup all by myself and claimed it would be bad. I was full of pride. Everyone found my soup good and flooded me with compliments.

From Nanon, 1872, by George Sand

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What to Eat in France: Salade de Truffes, or Truffle Salad

by Jonell Galloway

The Périgord is truffle country: these large black truffles that grow underground next to oak trees and sometimes hazelnut trees are highly prized. Today, three-quarters of them come from the Var, Drôme and Vaucluse. They are harvested in autumn and winter, but the best ones are found in January.

They are often eaten raw, but can just as easily be cooked.

Recipe

1. Peel truffles.
2. Bring white wine, salt and pepper to a low boil and simmer truffles for 10 minutes.
3. Drain and slice.
4. Place truffles in a salad bowl. Add walnut oil, diced shallots and a trickle of wine vinegar. Mix carefully so that truffles don’t break apart.
5. Cook soft-boiled eggs. Peel and slice.
6. In another salad bowl, season sliced eggs with salt, pepper, walnut oil and verjuice. Mix carefully.
7. Pour eggs into truffles. Add a few pickled nasturtium pods and some chopped chervil.
8. Mix carefully and serve either one its own or over toast.

Note: The eggs can be replaced with artichoke bottoms or boiled potatoes. One should avoid adding aromatic herbs and spices so as not to interfere with the deep flavor of the truffles. Capers may be substituted for the nasturtium pods. If you like your eggs runny, place them directly onto the toast and pour dressing and truffles over them.

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