Napoleon's gastronomic quirks and how the "Napoleon" cake displays the emperor's character

The capricious Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte was picky about everything. This included not only military affairs, but also the monarch’s favorite food. By his example, he inspired other people. For his sake, they took cities, and also invented new original dishes. In this article, the editorial board "Site" It will tell you what Napoleon was like and what his usual menu was like.



The first thing that comes to mind is the famous Napoleon cake. When people talk about the emperor himself, they often remember this delicious masterpiece. However, the cake has nothing to do with French cuisine and the monarch himself. The history of the recipe began in Moscow: in 1912, the centenary of the expulsion of the French from Russia was celebrated. Someone from the local pastry chefs came up with a cake that resembled the triangular of the great commander. This cake was disassembled one or two times during the banquet and celebration.



However, there is another dish that is often associated with Napoleon - the chicken "Marengo". It appeared after the glorious victory of the French army and was created in honor of the glory of the emperor. At that time, Napoleon was tired of eating usually cooked chickens, so the cook had to work gloriously to honor the commander.



The story is told that Napoleon was almost sober – he drank only water and red wine. He loved to eat, but because of his busy life he often forgot about lunch. He could often eat fast without paying attention to food. But for him it had to be delicious and special. At ceremonial banquets and palace dinners, the monarch felt awkward. After the break, he demanded ice cream, which he loved and ate very often. But it was difficult for the chefs to please him: he seemed to want something special, but at the same time, sometimes he paid almost no attention to food.



By the way, the chef of Napoleon, as well as the emperor, were canceled. Among them can be distinguished by Master Dunant, who thanks to a happy case became the author of the famous “Chicken Marengo”. The recipe was born on June 14, 1800 in a setting that least resembles a dinner party. On that day, the army of Napoleon defeated the superior forces of the Austrians in the plain near the village called Marengo in the north of Italy.

Winning meal

At the end of the battle, Napoleon, anticipating victory, felt a beastly appetite. He ordered the cook to cook something quickly. This is what led to the death of Mr. Dunant. All he had was a chicken, three eggs, four tomatoes and a bottle of olive oil. The soldiers also found some onions, garlic, greens for the cook, and also caught several crayfish. A large pan was found from the dishes, one of the privates shared the crackers. For the imperial dinner, frankly, not dense.



But the cook had no time to think; he had to completely trust his intuition. And she told me only one salutary decision - to build a dish from what was at hand, and to camouflage it so that the commander did not understand what he ate.

Maitre Dunant cut the chicken into pieces, roasted them in olive oil in pot pot, which he used instead of sodium. Then he poured it with a thick sauce of tomatoes, garlic and onions. We have a slew of sleeves, and we have a slew of sleeves. And he gave us a slew of chicken, and we gave him a slew of sleeves, and we gave him a slew of sleeves. No one had ever cooked a chicken with crayfish before - you could crash out of the army kitchen for it.



As the saying goes, “He who does not take risks does not drink champagne.” Napoleon really liked the dish. He ordered the cook to cook it after each battle, and to make the Marengo chicken a symbolic dish for the victory. Followers of the cook Dunant improved the recipe: they added to the chicken shrimp, various sauces, mushrooms and olives. Today it is one of the most exquisite recipes for cooking chicken. It appeared quite accidentally, but thanks to Napoleon Bonaparte became a famous dish of French cuisine.