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To Taste of the Sea

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“Oysters are the usual opening to a winter breakfast. Indeed, they are almost indispensable.” Alexandre Balthazar Laurent Grimod de La Reynière, (1758 – 1837) Terroir The French term terroir is often used throughout the wine world to describe elements such as the climate, geology, topography and management practices and their impact on a wine’s aroma and taste and overall phenotype. It forms the basis of the French wine appellation d’origine contrôlée (AOC) system and is the model for the geographical regulation of wine grape cultivation and winemaking around the world. The foundation premise being that the habitat the wine grapes are grown in imparts specific qualities and characters unique to its exclusive site, others go further and include the producers themselves, so that a combination of farm and family create something truly unique and inimitable in the bottle. Merroir Oysters are natural filter feeders; they feed by pumping water through their gills, trapping particles of food, nutrients, suspended sediments and contaminants. In doing so, oysters help keep the waters around them clean and clear for other aquatic life. But, if you are what you eat, then just as the soils and the diet available to grapevines impact on the ultimate, character, quality and flavour of what the grapes taste like, so too does the maritime environment, diet and management of an oyster play a very big part in both its physical make up and its ultimate taste. It should be of little surprise the oysters taste like where they come from and what they eat, this not only gives them observable quality it also gives them truly regional characteristics. In French, the word mer means sea, and so the term merroir has been adopted to describe a sense of maratime terroir for oysters. “As I ate the oysters with their strong taste of the sea and their faint metallic taste that the cold white wine washed away, leaving only the sea taste and the succulent texture, and as I drank their cold liquid from each shell and washed it down with the crisp taste of the wine, I lost the empty feeling and began to be happy and to make plans.” Ernest Hemingway, ‘A Moveable Feast’ The Big Oyster Oysters have been eaten since antiquity, there are oyster middens in Australia dating back 10,000 years BC and there is evidence of oyster cultivation in Japan as far back as 2,000 years BC. During the time of the Ancient Greeks and the Roman Empire they were being over-harvested and seen as a delicacy, only available to the wealthier, privileged classes. Then, for over 100 years, beginning in the early 1800s all that changed, and Oysters experienced something of a golden age, thriving as a ubiquitous and inexpensive source of protein for all. It has been recorded that in during the 1800s New Yorkers consumed over one million oysters every week! During this period the population of New York City went from 60,000 in 1800 to 3.8 million people at the turn of the century, to just over 10 million people by 1930. There is evidence of large scale oyster consumption in the area dating back to 6950 B.C. and Oysters thrived for thousands of years in the brackish waters around New York Harbor. As filter feeders, they kept the estuary clean and fed the native inhabitants. In the early 1600s the New York metro area is said to have contained nearly half of the world’s entire oyster population. Immigrants soon turned this resource into a major industry, and to such an extent that oyster shells were used in road paving and ground up to be mixed in with construction cement. As well as being available in restaurants and specific ‘oyster cellars’ all over New York city, oysters were being shipped all over the country. New Yorkers ate them anytime and almost anywhere, including from carts on the street. They ate Blue Points, Saddle Rocks, Rockaways, Lynnhavens, Cape Cods, Buzzard Bays, Cotuits, Shrewsburys—raw on the half shell. They ate them as fried oysters, oyster pie, oyster patties, oyster box stew, Oysters Pompadour, Oysters Algonquin, oysters a la Netherland, a la Newberg, a la Poulette, oysters roasted on toast, broiled in shell, served with cocktail sauce, stewed in milk or cream, fried with bacon, escalloped, fricasseed, and pickled. At the height of their fame New York oysters were considered the finest in the world at a time when New York was the busiest port in the world. In a comprehensive history of the oyster in New York, ‘The Big Oyster’, author Mark Kurlansky wrote, “the history of the New York oyster is a history of New York itself—its wealth, its strength, its excitement, its greed, its thoughtfulness, its destructiveness, its blindness, and—as any New Yorker will tell you—its filth.” It was pollution and over-harvesting that killed the oyster industry in New York, a surprising feat considering that the lower Hudson estuary once had 350 square miles of oyster beds.” While visiting New York in the 1790s, the Frenchman Moreau de St. Mery commented, “Americans have a passion for oysters, which they eat at all hours, even in the streets.” Oysters were regular fare at cheap eateries, and it was claimed that the very poorest New Yorkers “had no other subsistence than oysters and bread.” Fortunately, oysters are nutritious—rich in protein, phosphorus, iodine, calcium, iron, and vitamins A, B, and C.” One early problem for the New York oyster industry was the use of child labor, children as young as four years old would work from 3am to 5pm shucking oysters, much of this was documented and reported by former schoolteacher Lewis Wickes Hine who gave up the classroom to document the plight of these poor children and he reported it to National Child Labor Committee, of which he had become their chief photographer. His photographs exist as confrontational evidence to this day, and his work changed the laws governing child labor in America forever. Carmen Nigro, Managing Research Librarian, Milstein Division of … Read more

Charcuterie Chic

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There is nothing quite like an extensive charcuterie board, resplendent with all the trimmings and accompanied by a bottle of good wine, to excite one with the promise of a deep satisfaction to come. Charcuterie boards are -in the words of one of my hipster friends- ‘super-trendy’ right now. I use the term hipsters here not in the sense of the 1950s and 1960s beatniks or hepcats, but in the sense of the modern nostalgia miners who Chi Luu of Lingua Obscura describes as a sub-culture who “enjoy fossicking around in the past for cultural items, in an effort to attain authenticity and autonomy (always frantically one step ahead of the mainstream) and ultimately, an eponymous ‘hipness’. Arguably, rather than producing something novel, hipster culture re-samples from history and remixes it into something new.” Often, this remix involves stripping things bare and taking them back to their basics, things made small, by hand, simple pleasures, appreciated for their authenticity and a certain sense of intimacy conveyed by their artisanal nature. Whilst the modern interpretation of the Charcuterie board may not conspire to the ancient laws and rules of the Guild of Charcutiers, it certainly derives its inspiration here. Cured meats, salted, smoked or fermented, sausages, pate’s, rillettes, terrines, fruits -dried and fresh, pickled vegetables, nuts, perhaps some cheese; all harking back to a time when we had to preserve our foods to last through long winters, without access to seasonal ingredients. The curing of meat dates back to ancient times and was an important survival technique for prehistoric humans. In his monumental tome ‘Bibliotheca Historica’, Diodorus Siculus, (90BC-30BC) writes of Cossaei in the mountains of Persia salting the flesh of carnivorous animals, and the Ancient Greek philosopher and historian, Strabo (63BC-24AD) writes of people at Borsippa in Babylon, Iraq catching bats and salting them to eat. The Romans used a salted fat called salsamentum and the Roman gourmet Apicius speaks of making sausages with salt, garum, oil, and wine. “Apicius, the most gluttonous gorger of all spendthrifts, established the view that the flamingo’s tongue has an especially fine flavor.” Pliny The Elder, Naturalis Historia, 77AD The Gauls sent large quantities of salted pork to Rome where different cuts were sold including has and sausages, the meat having been smoked as well as salted. The Belgae of Northern Gaul and the Ceretani of Spain were famed for the fatted, salted lambs and pigs and were the most highly prized meats in Rome. In Ethiopia, according to Pliny the Elder and in Libya according to Saint Jerome, the Acridophages salted and smoked crickets, which arrived at their settlements during the spring in great swarms. The smoking of meat was traditional in North America, where Plains Indians hung meat at the top of their teepees to smoke them above the fire. The Guild Whilst the emergence of artisan guilds can be traced back to the Akkadian Empire over 2000 years BC, they rose to great prominence in medieval France, where highly skilled culinary craftsmen who gave French its characteristic identity were regulated by the guild system, guilds were regulated by city government as well as by the French crown. A guild restricted those in a given branch of the culinary industry to operate only within that field. There were two groups culinary of guilds: one consisted of those that supplied the raw material such as butchers, fishmongers, grain merchants, and gardeners. Whilst the second group supplied prepared foods: bakers, pastry cooks, sauce makers, poulterers, and caterers. There was also a small number of guilds that were allowed to offer both raw and prepared foods, the charcutiers and rôtisseurs (purveyors of roasted meat dishes) would supply cooked meat pies and other dishes, as well as raw meat and poultry. The guilds provided training and set standards for those within their industry. The levels of assistant cook, cook and master chef were awarded and those who reached the level of master chef were of considerable rank and enjoyed a high level of income, as well as economic and job security. It was during this time that Pate became a masterpiece of the culinary arts, s doughy envelope, filled with all manner of glorious or rare meats and grandly sculptured and decorated for important feasts and ceremonies. The first French recipe -written in verse by Gace de La Bigne- mentions in the same pâté, three partridges, six fat quail, and a dozen larks. ‘Le Ménagier de Paris’ mentions pâtés of fish, game, young rabbit, fresh venison, beef, pigeons, mutton, veal, and pork, and lark, turtledove, cow, baby bird, goose, and hen. Bartolomeo Sacchi, also known as ‘Platine’, was a prefect of the Vatican Library, he gives the recipe for a pâté of wild beasts: the flesh, after being boiled with salt and vinegar, was larded and placed inside an envelope of spiced fat, with a mélange of pepper, cinnamon and pounded lard; one studded the fat with cloves until it was entirely covered, then placed it inside a pâte. In the 16th century, the most fashionable pâtés were said to be those of woodcock, au bec doré, capon, beef tongue, cow feet, sheep feet, chicken, veal, and venison. The Age of Exploration During the Age of exploration, salted meat kept sailors fed on protein over long voyages. The need to properly feed soldiers during long campaigns outside the country drove scientific research, and then, in 1975 a confectioner named Nicolas Appert, after a bit of experimentation developed a method of protein preservation that in France still bears his name, ‘appertisation’. A preservation process for long-term storage of food, involving its sterilization in an airtight container by heat treatment, followed by hermetic sealing. This led to the creation of canned, salted meat products such as corned beef and allowed for the long-haul shipment and storage of many cured and processed meat products. The Chevaliers de Saint Antoine The Confrererie of the Chevaliers de Saint Antoine was founded in 1963 and is still in existence to this … Read more

Malis & the Goddess of Flowers

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From great devotion comes great art Wandering through the halls and pathways of Angkor Wat, taking in the overwhelming magnificence and minute detail of the statues, sculptures, reliefs, and friezes of the largest religious structure on earth; close examination demonstrates that remarkably, almost every surface is treated and carved with narrative or decorative details. Angkor wat was designed and built in such a way so as to be in harmony with the universe, planned according to the rising sun and moon, symbolizing recurrent time sequences. The central axis aligns with the planets, connecting the structure to the cosmos so that the temple becomes a spiritual, political, cosmological, astronomical and geophysical center, a mandala -a diagram of the universe. One begins to meditate on the other magnificent art forms and craftsmanship that must have existed in the community at this time. The costumes, the finery, jewelry, paintings, music, and of course dance. We can only imagine because unlike stone’s ability to resist the jungle and endure the forces of nature and last for millennia, much of the fine arts and refined culture of the Khmer empire has been lost to history. Freedom of Expression When Cambodia gained independence from French administration in 1953 it enjoyed a brief, glorious period of optimism and cultural expression, with the royal family now in Phnom Penh, the city became a celebrated center for the arts and this was a time that saw the emergence of a new, modern and distinctly Khmer art scene. Yet again, much of our knowledge of this would also be lost in the ensuing Khmer Rouge genocide. Luu Meng is Cambodia’s most celebrated chef, his mother had run a bahn chao (thin, savoury omelettes) shop on Sothearos boulevard and his grandmother had worked as a cook in the Royal Palace before opening her own restaurant. When he was just three years old Meng and his family were forced to flee Cambodia to a U.N.-operated refugee camp in Thailand. Meng’s family survived the Khmer Rouge by following his grandfather’s advice to stay near the water. Meng’s grandfather had previously fled Mao Zedong’s regime in China to settle in Phnom Penh. Meng was eventually able to return to Phnom Penh and in 1993 started working at the Sofitel Cambodiana as a trainee cook, becoming a sous chef in 1995. Later Meng worked as an executive chef for the Sunway Hotel. In 2001 he worked for Sofitel in Siem Reap. In the mid-2000’s, together with his old Sofitel colleague Arnaud Darc, Luu Meng opened “Malis”, the first Cambodian fine dining restaurant in Phnom Penh. When Malis, (which means Jasmine in English) opened, it was not just a matter of merely opening the doors and rolling out the classic dishes. Chef Luu Meng had to rediscover and redefine a lost cuisine and restore a nation’s pride and respect in its finest foods, its reputation with its produce, and the dignity of its hospitality. Meng became part chef, part food detective -more ‘recipe raider than tomb raider- he would travel the width and breadth of the country seeking out cooks, ingredients, recipes, and techniques; listening, sampling, learning, and then training his team of chefs, imbuing them with more than the practical elements of a dish, also sharing the stories, legends and details about the people behind them, filling his team with pride at being able to bring these dishes back to life and share them once again with locals and with visitors from around the world. Ten successful years later the Thalias Group opened its second Malis restaurant in Siem Reap, on the 1st of February, 2016 sharing its living Cambodian cuisine with the millions of foreign tourists who visit the temples each year. The new, white, and silver building on the riverside is a monolithic structure inspired by the Prasat Kravan, a 10th century Angkor temple south of the Srah Srang Baray. From the outside, it has the imposing air of a palace or a state building, inside it is all food temple, a statement, and an offering of Cambodian cuisine and hospitality restored and recreated in all its glory. Chef Meng calls his cuisine ‘Living Cambodian Cuisine’ and not traditional Khmer food, he accepts that the cuisine today has been influenced by its neighbours in the region and is a cuisine that is constantly being refined, evolving, and emerging, it is a cuisine not solely of its history but also of its present and future. The Royal Ballet of Cambodia As far back as the 7th century, there is a record of Cambodian dance performed as part of the funeral rites of Khmer Kings. Temple dancers came to be recognized as ‘apsaras’, a type of female spirit of the clouds and waters in Hindu and Buddhist culture, they were seen as both entertainers and messengers to divinities. Ancient inscriptions describe thousands of apsara performing divine rites at temples; when Angkor fell to the Siamese, its artisans, Brahmins, and dancers were taken captive and removed to Ayutthaya. Dancers of the court of King Sisowath were exhibited at the 1906 Colonial Exposition in Marseilles, France at the suggestion of George Bois, a French representative in the Cambodian court. The artist Auguste Rodin was captivated by the dancers and painted a series of watercolors on them. Post-independence, Cambodia Queen Sisowath Kossamak became a patron of the Royal Ballet of Cambodia and under her guidance, several reforms were made to the royal ballet, including choreography, dramas were also shortened from all-night spectacles to around one hour in length. Prince Norodom Sihanouk featured dances of the royal ballet in his films. The Cambodian dance tradition was devastated during the terrifying reign of the Khmer Rouge; it is estimated that ninety percent of all of Cambodia’s classical artists were murdered or perished between 1975 and 1979. After the fall of the Khmer Rouge, those who did survive wandered out from hiding, found one another, and formed “colonies” in order to revive their sacred traditions. Khmer classical dance training was … Read more

Tables of Two

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“So short our lives, so hard the lessons, _ so difficult the tests, so sudden the final victory, _ so tenuous the hope of joy that so easily evaporates into fear _ – this is what I mean by Love……._ For this was on Saint Valentine’s Day When every bird comes there to choose his match Of every kind that men may think of And that so huge a noise they began to make That earth and air and tree and every lake Was so full, that not easily was there space For me to stand—so full was all the place.” Chaucer 1382 Of Birds Geoffrey Chaucer (1340s – 1400) was an English poet and author, he is widely considered to be the greatest English poet of the Middle Ages; His most famous work, The Canterbury Tales. Called the “father of English literature” he was the first writer to be buried in what has since come to be called Poets’ Corner, in Westminster Abbey. This section of the South Transept of Westminster Abbey now contains the remains or memorials to some of the greatest writers and poets in British history including Shakespeare, Dickens, C. S. Lewis, Thomas Hardy, Rudyard Kipling, Alfred Tennyson, W. H. Auden, Jane Austen, William Blake, the three Bronte sisters, Robert Burns, Benjamin Disraeli, Oscar Wilde, William Wordsworth, Keats, Byron, Eliot and many, many more. Chaucer also gained fame as a philosopher and astronomer, composing the scientific “A Treatise on the Astrolabe” for his 10-year-old son Lewis. He maintained a career in the civil service as a bureaucrat, courtier, diplomat, and member of parliament, which is why, above many of his contemporaries, we know so much about him today. What Chaucer is far less famous for, is writing what is believed to be one of the first, and perhaps the first, reference to St. Valentine’s Day as being a special day for lovers: which he did in his 699-line poem ‘The Parliament of Fowls’, in 1382. Before this time, the day was known as ‘The Feast of Saint Valentine’ having been established by Pope Gelasius I in AD 496 to be celebrated in honour of Saint Valentine of Rome, who died on the 14th of February, in AD 269. Early folk traditions connected to St. Valentine’s Day were built up around its connection to the onset of Spring. In Slovenia, Saint Valentine was one of the saints of spring, the saint of good health, and the patron of beekeepers and pilgrims and it was celebrated as the day when the first work in the vineyards and in the fields commenced after winter. It has also become a folk tale that birds proposed to each other or married on the 14th of February. Chaucer’s poem is that of a dream about a parliament for birds, coming together to choose their mates. It was said to have been written to honour the first anniversary of the engagement between fifteen-year-old King Richard II of England and fifteen-year-old Anne of Bohemia, which took place after five years of negotiating the marriage contract. Whilst Chaucer writes about the natural love and love’s true nature, even writing of the female’s right to not only choose her partner but to express her desire to wait another year, in a time when courtly marriage was usually arranged. Yet there is no record of the traditions of love being associated with St. Valentine’s Day before his poem. There are, however, several poems describing birds mating on this day that soon followed. The Tower The earliest description of February 14 as an annual celebration of love appears in the Charter of the Court of Love. The charter, allegedly issued by Charles VI of France at Mantes-la-Jolie in 1400, describes lavish festivities to be attended by several members of the royal court, including a feast, amorous song, and poetry competitions, jousting, and dancing. Amid these festivities, the attending ladies would hear and rule on disputes from lovers. The history of sending Valentine’s Day letters or cards to the objects of one’s affection is vague at best, believed to have started in the UK and spread throughout Europe. The oldest known Valentine’s Day letter was written by Charles, the Duke of Orleans to his wife Bonne in 1415. The Duke was just 21 years old and the letter was written from his prison in the Tower of London, after his capture at the Battle of Agincourt who was fifteen or sixteen at the time. As was the custom at the time for most royals, marriage was a matter of state and arranged with all the maneuvers and diplomacy of an international peace treaty. This was the boy’s second marriage, having at age 12, been married off to his 17-year-old cousin Isabella of Valois, daughter of King Charles VI, herself already a widow after being first married at age six. Charles’s young marriage to Isabella ended when she died giving birth in 1409. The following year, Charles wed in yet another political alliance; to 11-year-old Bonne of Armagnac, daughter of Bernard VII, Count of Armagnac. In the letter, Charles refers to his wife as his Valentine but given the circumstances, it makes for grim reading: My very gentle Valentine, Since for me, you were born too soon, And I for you was born too late. God forgives him who has estranged Me from you for the whole year. I am already sick of love, My very gentle Valentine. Charles would end up being imprisoned for 25 years and never saw his valentine again, nor did they have any children; Bonne died sometime between 1430 and 1435, whilst he was still locked up in the tower. When Charles did eventually return to France he wed once again at the age of 46 to Mary of Cleves, aged 14. They had three children and he died in 1465. Charles wrote hundreds of poems whilst in prison; many of them about love and nobility. Understandably, the longer he was held captive, the … Read more

The wait is over and we are delighted to welcome you back to Malis

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We are thrilled to inform you we are now open for dine-in services seven days a week offering breakfast, lunch, happy hour, and dinner. Guests can now enjoy one of their favourite breakfasts in a cool, tranquil environment and at unbeatable value. Cambodia’s Kuy Teav, noodle soup, is famed for its rich, delicious and nourishing properties and our chefs have gone to town so they can offer you a wide range of flavours to choose from, including our signature Kuy Teav with Pork and Prawn, as well as Beef, Pork, Fish Balls, Crispy Mee with Minced Beef, and Braised Pork Offal, all served with a tasty range of accompaniments so you can tailor the flavour to your own liking. And we have richer offerings too, with a deliciously aromatic and hearty Kuy Teav Khor Kor, made with a delicately spiced Beef Stew, and a wildly satisfying Kuy Teav Posjrouk made with Braised Pork Belly. If there is a better way start to the day, we’re not sure what it is, and at just $4 for each deliciously filling bowl, we’re glad to offer this little bit of good news for all. Available every morning from 6.30am to 10.30am. If breakfast isn’t your thing, you can always drop in during the day for a tasty Afternoon Snack, when you can enjoy a bowl of Kuy Teav Phaklov (braised pork offal noodle soup) or Kuy Teav Prosjrouk. Available everyday from 2pm to 5pm. In fact it’s possible to enjoy great value at Malis no matter what the time of day. If you don’t fancy a soup for breakfast, there’s always the classic Bay Sach Chrouk Ang (grilled pork and rice), or Bor Bor Samchok (pork and seafood congee). Later in the day, refresh your senses with a vibrant Sour Chicken and Lemongrass Soup or go deep with a Saraman Beef Curry, perhaps Cambodia’s richest, most aromatic and flavoursome dish (in the eyes of some at least). Or you can go for the lively flavours of Tofu with Kampot Pepper and Ginger. And there’s plenty more besides that. With its cool, air-conditioned environment, elegant but relaxing setting and attentive service, we hope that Malis can serve as a momentary escape from the uneasy world outside. Malis is offering limited seating to accommodate social distancing measures, so reservations are highly recommended Information and take away please call +855 15 824 888

La Chandeleur

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“…sprinkled with sugar and eaten hot, they form an exquisite dish. They have a golden hue and are tempting to eat. Thin and transparent like muslin, their edges are trimmed to resemble fine lace. They are so light that after a good dinner, a man from Agen is still willing to sample three or four dozen of them! Crêpes form an integral part of every family celebration. Served with white wine, they take pride of place on all joyful occasions.” Anatole Francois Thibault, ‘To Better Times’ 1906 La Chandeleur, or ‘Candlemas’ in English, is a Christian holiday marking the presentation of Jesus at the Temple, it is sometimes called the Feast of the Purification of the Virgin Mary. On Candlemas, many Christians bring their candles to the local church, where they are blessed as a symbol of Jesus Christ, who referred to himself as the Light of the World. The Feast is one of the oldest in Christian historian with documentary evidence of it being celebrated since at least the 4th century AD. Christmas was, in the West, celebrated on 25 December from at least the year AD 354 when it was fixed by Pope Liberius , and for many people, it marks the end of the Christmas cycle. Pope Gelasius I (492–496) whilst he did not invent it, influenced the spread of the celebration, and there is much speculation that this was in order to reduce the significance of the pagan festival known as Lupercalia, which can be traced back to the 6th century BC. A festival which the Pope once claimed in a letter only involved a “vile rabble”. Lupercalia was indeed a much more sordid Roman affair, involving honoring the she-wolf who raised Romulus and Remus and placating the fertility god Lupercus. The Lupercalia festival involved animal sacrifice, feasting, and naked young men daubed in sacrificial blood; who would run through the streets ‘whipping’ women with ‘thongs’ cut from the hides of the sacrificial goats. Many women welcomed the lashes and even bared their skin to receive this fertility rite, which was said to ensure pregnancy for the barren and a safe delivery for those already pregnant. During Lupercalia, men were able to randomly choose a woman’s name from a jar and would then be coupled with her for the duration. It is said, that many of these couples would stay together until the following year’s festival, with some even falling in love and deciding to marry. Pope Gelasius started a candlelit procession around Rome and handed out galettes, (a type of savoury crêpe) to the poor pilgrims, who came to Rome for the procession. It is from these traditions that the holiday became associated with crepes. Crêpes & Superstition In France, Belgium, and Swiss Romandy, La Chandeleur is considered the ‘Day of Crêpes’, It is also said that the pancakes, with their round shape and golden color -reminiscent of the solar disc- became a symbolic rejoicing as the days began to get longer and spring approached. Another -somewhat more practical legend- has it that this was a good way to use up the excess wheat before the new harvest. A tradition dating as far back as the fifth century, and also linked to fertility rites, is to flip the crepe in the air with the right hand, whilst holding a gold coin in the other. If the crepe manages to avoid landing on the floor, then you shall have prosperity throughout the year. It is also customary for the first crepe made to be kept in or atop the pantry, this is to ensure a plentiful harvest and ward off any distress of misfortune. In France, several superstitions survive, surrounding the procession of the candles to the temple; if your candle manages to stay alight all the way to the church then you will definitely not die in that year, unfortunately, if your candle wax only runs down one side, then you will probably lose a family member! Those possessed or under a bad spell can take heart, as they may be cured on this day by a mystic using a candle that has been blessed. There are even superstitions about the weather, a rainy February 2nd means another 40 days of rain. A sunny day will bring more winter and misfortune, a clear day means winter is all but over, and an overcast day means another 40 days of winter chills. The classically thin, irresistibly delicious, French crepe evolved in the region of Brittany sometime during the 13th century. They are now popular all over the world and can be sweet or savoury, they may be flambéed at your table, stacked and filled with jams, preserves, syrups, bananas, bacon, mushrooms, artichokes, and much, much more. “Love is a fire of flaming brandy, Upon a crepe suzette” ‘Life is a Minestrone’ 10cc

Mr Boubier’s Butter

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Rue de Mont Blanc, Geneva For the past 92 years, a charming little Cafe at #26, Rue de Mont-Blanc, just a short walk across the Rue de Cornavin from Geneva Central Station, (today wedged between a Starbucks, a Five Guys hamburger joint and a McDonalds), Café de Paris has been serving a simple dish with a complex secret, one that has seen it become an institution in Geneva and it fame and fortune all over the world. In 1981, the American novelist, Paul Erdman, wrote in ‘The Last Days of America’: “We went to a restaurant near the station, the ‘Café de Paris’ in Geneva, which has the best butter steak of all places you can eat on earth. “ In 1930, whilst the owner of ‘Restaurant du Coq d’Or’, Mr. Boubier created his unique butter sauce, made with herbs, spices, and many other ingredients, to enhance his grilled beef. Mr. Boubier then gave this recipe to his daughter and her husband. As well as being Mr. Boubier’s son-in-law, Arthur ‘Freddie’ Francis Dumont was the owner of the ‘Café de Paris’, a sort of micro-brewery/pub at the time, he decided to turn it into a restaurant, offering one unique dish: beef rib steak topped with his father-in-law’s astonishing butter sauce. The restaurant -with its single main dish- was an instant success, the sauce a sensation, its ingredients quickly turning into a closely guarded family secret. Geneva’s unique composition as a global city, a center for international finance and diplomacy and the home of numerous international bodies and organizations, saw the legend of the ‘Café de Paris Butter’ begin to spread out to other cities, countries, and continents, and very soon, no visit to Geneva was complete without a visit to Café de Paris to try Mr. Boubier’s remarkable butter sauce. It was on everyone’s itinerary and so, Arthur Dumont presented the recipe at the National Exhibition in Lausanne in 1964, at the Universal Exhibition in Montreal in 1967, and even traveled to Iran to prepare the dish for his Highness the Shah. Chez Boubier’s Café de Paris in Geneva has changed little in almost a century; from the red leather banquette, the little terrace of tables out on the walkway to the 1930’s Paris Brasserie chic décor, it oozes nostalgic charm and authenticity. The set menu consists of a green leaf salad with a mustard vinaigrette, unlimited house-made fries, and an entrecote steak with the famous ‘Café de Paris Butter’, served on a platter over a candlelit burner, so that the butter sauce begins to melt as you begin to dine. The main course is followed by an impressive selection of desserts to choose from. In fact, there is only a wine list and a dessert menu, for your main course the only consideration is whether you prefer your steak bleu, saignant, À point, or bien. Today, there are several Franchises of the famous Café de Paris, with restaurants scattered across Switzerland, Spain, The United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia. Venice in the 17th Arrondissement The Gineste de Saurs family of wine producers has lived in southern France since the fourteenth century, the family château is situated in Lisle-sur-Tarn 50 kilometers northeast of Toulouse, and was built from 1848 to 1852 by Eliezer Gineste de Saurs. In 1959, Paul Gineste de Saurs was looking to develop an assured outlet in Paris for the wines from his struggling family winery; taking his inspiration from the Café de Paris in Geneva, he purchased an Italian restaurant in the 17th arrondissement of Paris, near Porte Maillot. The Inn was named Le Relais de Venise and without changing anything inside nor out, Gineste de Saurs commenced with the almost identical set menu of green salad, desserts, and an entrecote steak with his own version of the famous ‘Café de Paris’ butter sauce. Seeing no reason to change a perfectly good neon sign he simply added another smaller one with the words, ‘Son Entrecôte’ underneath the original one. Throughout the next 60 years, no one has seemed to mind that the little Italian trattoria with the Venetian name served a decidedly French ‘Prix fixe’ menu, built around a single main dish. The restaurant has a no-reservations policy and has become famous for its long queues outside of people waiting patiently for a table. Following the death of Paul Gineste de Saurs in 1966, three of his children carried on in the business. One daughter – Hélène Godillot – took control of the original restaurant Le Relais de Venise – L’Entrecôte at Porte Maillot, and her branch of the family subsequently opened additional locations under that name in Barcelona (in 2003) and London (in 2005). A second daughter – the same Marie-Paule Burrus who heads the family’s Château de Saurs winery – established her group of restaurants under the name Le Relais de l’Entrecôte in the 6th and 8th arrondissements of Paris and in Geneva. And a son – Henri Gineste de Saurs – opened his group of restaurants outside Paris, under the name L’Entrecôte, in Toulouse (in 1962), Bordeaux (in 1966), Nantes (in 1980), Montpellier (in 1990), Lyon (in 1999) and Barcelona (in 2019). The founder’s grandchildren are now taking an increasingly active role in the business. From 1979 to 2014, the Relais de l’Entrecôte in Geneva occupied premises that originally housed the ‘Bavaria’, a brasserie established in 1912, which became a favourite place of international officials during the early years of the League of Nations. In his 1959 novel Goldfinger, Ian Fleming mentions the Bavaria as a place visited by James Bond. The Relais de l’Entrecôte succeeded the Bavaria in 1979, but the rue du Rhône neighbourhood evolved through the years and the street was transformed into a strip of luxury boutiques. The restaurant’s landlord started converting its own ground-floor, retail space into high-end boutiques and by 2006 it sought to terminate the Relais de l’Entrecôte’s lease. After eight years of legal wrangling, appeals, and court decisions, the landlord won and the restaurant … Read more

L’Art sur la Table : part 1

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The Ancien Regime French cuisine has been regarded for its unique qualities and flavours since the earliest days of the Ancien Regime, with the written works of celebrated chefs as far back as Guillaume ‘Taillevent’ Tirel, (Le Viandier, 13th century) through to the 17th-century works of chefs such as François Pierre de la Varenne, (Le Cuisinier François, 1651) and François Massialot, (Le Cuisinier Roïal et Bourgeois, 1691). The latter being at a time when we start to see French cuisine really emerge, abandoning middle eastern spices and Italian sauces to define itself with local ingredients, fresh herbs, and new, lighter sauces that incorporate more local, regional, and decidedly more French ingredients, techniques, and flavours. Paris was the epicenter of culture and the economy and the most highly skilled craftsmen were to be found there, including those of the culinary trades. The very finest were regulated by the guild system, which themselves were regulated by the city government as well as the French crown. A guild restricted those in any given branch of the culinary industry to operate only within that area and to ‘stay in their lane’ as it were. There were two main groups of guilds: one that supplied the raw ingredients such as butchers, fishmongers, grain merchants, and gardeners; whilst the second group supplied prepared food: bakers, pastry cooks, sauce makers, poulterers, and caterers, etc. There were, however, also guilds that offered both raw materials and prepared food. Two such guilds were the charcutiers and rôtisseurs, who would supply cooked pies and other dishes, whilst also supplying raw meat and poultry; much to the annoyance of the butchers and poulterers. The guilds served as training grounds and the accredited titles of cook, chef, and master chef were conferred. Those who reached the level of a master chef were of considerable rank and often some degree of fame and were able to enjoy a high level of income. “Those who have not lived in the eighteenth century, before the Revolution, do not know the sweetness of living” Talleyrand Service en Confusion Writer and food historian Barbara Ketcham Wheaton, in her magnificent tome, ‘Savoring the past: The French Kitchen and Table from 1300 to 1789’, (first published in 1996) notes the following: In French medieval cuisine, banquets were common among the aristocracy. Multiple courses would be prepared and then served all at once, this was known as ‘service en confusion’. The sauces were highly seasoned, with thick, heavily flavored mustards used. Pies were the crust more as a container than a part of the dish itself. Ingredients were highly seasonal and preserved items were common, especially in winter. Meats were salted or smoked, whilst spices, salt (and brine) were used to preserve greens, whilst root vegetables were preserved in honey. Pigeon and squab were delicacies and game such as venison, boar, hare, rabbit, and fowl were considered luxuries. Kitchen gardens provided herbs, many of which are rarely seen and never used today. Vinegar and Verjus were used in preparing sauces as were sugars, (for the very rich) and honey. For the most aristocratic of banquets, presentation was very important and food colours would be extracted from natural ingredients and used to create bright and unusual displays whilst gold and silver leaf would be applied with egg whites. “One of the grandest showpieces of the time was roast swan or peacock sewn back into its skin with feathers intact, the feet and beak being gilded. Since both birds are stringy, and taste unpleasant, the skin and feathers could be kept and filled with the cooked, minced and seasoned flesh of tastier birds, like goose or chicken.” The most celebrated French chef of the Middle Ages was known as Taillevent, who began his career as a ‘kitchen boy’ in 1326. He rose to the position of chef to the Dauphin, son of John II and when the Dauphin became King Charles the V of France in 1364, Taillevent was his chief chef. Taillevent worked in numerous royal kitchens during the 14th century. His first position was as a kitchen boy in 1326. He was chef to Philip VI, then the Dauphin who was the son of John II. The Dauphin became King Charles V of France in 1364, with Taillevent as his chief cook. His career spanned sixty-six years, and his tombstone represents him holding a shield with three marmites, (cooking pots) on it. When Catherine de Medici came to France in the 1540s, many culinary influences from her native Italy became incorporated into French cuisine. During her reign as Queen and then Queen Mother of France (three of her sons became King of France), the dinners she hosted were legendary and helped move French cuisine forward in history. Fine tableware and glassware became important features of dining as did the use of color. The Age of Catherine de Medici, saw the incorporation of new produce into French culinaria, both from the Mediterranean and for the first time the New World. Louis XIV French food came into its own as a definable and desirable cuisine in the 17th century, in great part because of Louis XIV’s majestic charisma and the glamour and opulence of Versailles. Now the French were eating with forks as utensils and during this “siècle des Lumières” (the Enlightenment) cuisine became a subject of intellectual debate and informed writing within France: ‘food was now being described as an art form and discussed in terms of harmony, chemistry, and spirituality’. La Varenne François Pierre de la Varenne was a Burgundian and the foremost member of a group of French chefs who codified French cuisine in the age of King Louis XIV. The others were Nicolas Bonnefon, Le Jardinier François, and François Massialot. The seventeenth century saw a culinary transformation take place in France which carried its gastronomy into the modern era. The heavy use of imported and expensive spices was replaced in favour of natural flavours and locally foraged or farmed ingredients. Middle Eastern spices such as saffron, cinnamon, … Read more

Le Réveillon de Noël

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In France, the main Christmas meal is a gracious and arranged affair held on Christmas Eve. The meal is a splendid feast of the finest foods accompanied by great wines and will stretch on until after midnight. According to the French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs: Many of today’s Christmas traditions originated in the Middle East and were introduced to France by the Romans. Reims was the site of the first French Christmas celebration when (in 508) Clovis and his 3,000 warriors were baptized on Christmas Day. Charlemagne received the crown from the hands of Pope Leo III on Christmas Day in 800. In 1100, Godefroy de Bouillon’s successor, his brother Baudouin, was crowned in the basilica of Saint Mary of Bethlehem. Later, King Jean-le-Bon founded the Order of the Star in honor of the manger; it remained in existence until 1352. In 1389, French crowds shouted Noël! Noël! in welcoming Queen Isabeau of Bavaria to the capital. Thus Christmas gradually became both a religious and secular celebration. Christmas in France is a family holiday, a religious celebration, and an occasion for merry-making. The first tree in France was said to have been presented as ‘the holy tree of Christmas’ in the city of Strasbourg in 1605. It was decorated with artificial colored roses, apples, sugar, and painted hosts, and symbolized the apple tree in the garden of Eden. Another custom is that of the nativity scene and the manger, (la crèche) which are believed to have originated in the 12th century, in the form of liturgical drama. The popular manger was introduced in Avignon by Saint Francis of Assisi between 1316 and 1334, and after the revolution, it was popular to display a crèche or ‘nativity’ in homes for Christmas. Christmas fairs are a popular and colorful tradition in France and the most famous Christmas market in Europe is held annually in Strasbourg, the capital of Alsace, and dates back to 1570. For five weeks this historic city on the border of France and Germany becomes the “Christmas capital of Europe” and turns into one giant magical decoration. The history of the Fair actually began in the 14th century when it was called St. Nicholas Fair. In 1570, under pressure from the Reformation, the name of the Catholic saint was replaced with the name of the Christ child. Since then, the Fair has been called Christkindelsmärik. The twelve squares of Strasbourg host hundreds of festively decorated wooden chalets. Souvenirs and local delicacies, Christmas decorations, handicrafts, and other festive utensils are all sold here and it is a wonderful opportunity to taste traditional Alsatian cuisine, much of it cooked right there in the streets. Twelve Christmas markets are open all across the city: Christkindelsmärik itself on Broglie Square and other Christmas markets on the Cathedral, Castle, and Crow squares. The Gutenberg Square hosts a Swiss village; the Station Square is an arts and crafts market. All the streets hold small themed artisanal fairs. The Kleber square is very festive thanks to its elegantly decorated fir tree brought straight from the mountains. Every year a particular country is invited to be an honorary guest at the Strasbourg Fair. Craftsmen, chefs, and winemakers thus introduce the visitors to the customs of their country. A special cultural program includes film projections, dancing, and folk music performances. Before the 18th century, le réveillon de Noël was divided into two meals: people ate a light supper before midnight Christmas Mass, and then indulged in a “fat” supper at 3 am that would last for hours. Réveillon, as the name suggests is a decadent affair, and the finest dishes and wines will be served: after an aperitivo of Champagne friends and family will enjoy oysters, smoked salmon, lobster, foie gras, and possibly caviar all accompanied by an appropriate white wine, perhaps a Chablis Grand Cru. For soup, there’s velouté de châtaignes, a creamy chestnut soup made with winter vegetables, whose name means “velvet.” This will be followed by the traditional Christmas Turkey, with chestnuts and a superb stuffing and a cured, Christmas ham may also be served. Of course, there will be a glorious selection of cheese and the option of salads. It’s not a true Réveillon without a visually stunning and delicious Yule log and Marrons glacés, (candied chestnuts), macarons, Pain d’épices, or gingerbread may also find its way onto the table.

Le Réveillon de la Saint-Sylvestre – New Year Eve

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“Pleasure without champagne is purely artificial.” Oscar Wilde On New Year’s Eve, Saint-Sylvestre, réveillon, is the French New Year’s eve party, usually held with family and friends it can be anything from a soiree at home or a gala ball full of costumes, glamour and dancing. This is France we are talking about and so, of course there is a magnificent meal of many courses, much wine and much revelry that must continue until well past midnight and well into the New Year’s Day. Champagne flows throughout the evening; there may be other fine wines with the food and brandy as the digestive, but the feast will begin with Champagne on arrival and Champagne to ring in the New Year at midnight. At 8 pm, the president of the French republic addresses the people of France on television, with the presidential greeting “Les voeux présidentiels”. This speech is broadcast from the Élysée Palace-the official residence of the French President and the French equivalent of the White House. During this presidential greeting, the president takes stock of the past year and expresses his political vision and his wishes for the future of France. In French culture people will not start whishing everyone a happy New Year, “Bonne Année” until after midnight, never before. However, they may then go on to wish everyone a happy New Year and “best wishes”, (meilleurs Voeux) for the rest of the week! The exception is the president, who wishes his people a happy New Year during the presidential speech well before midnight. Celtic druids believed in mistletoe’s mystical power to bring good luck and ward off evil, in France on New Year’s eve the tradition is to kiss under the mistletoe, “S’embrasser Sous le Gui” which is believed to bring good luck to both participants. At Midnight amidst all the cries of Bonne Année and the general cacophony people will begin kissing everyone around them. A ‘faire la bise’ is to give a kiss on the cheek and it is sometimes one or two on each cheek depending on what part of France you come from. The ancient Babylonians are believed to have been the first people to make New Year’s resolutions some 4,000 years ago. In France it is customary to make resolutions about health, career, romance, travel and all manner of ambitions for the twelve months ahead. New Year’s gifts called “Les étrennes” are given out during the first week of the New Year as a way to show gratitude to those people who serve us, are staff or simply take care of us throughout the year, sometimes this is in the form of cash and not dissimilar to the little ‘red pockets’ stuffed with money for Chinese New Year. Another lovely French tradition at this time of year, (although mostly in the north) is the giving of ‘gaufre seche de nouvel ans’, cute little dried waffles offered to children in the neighbourhood or friends who drop by to wish you a happy New Year. The highlight, is of course the magnificent dinner one can look forward to on New Year’s Eve; a traditional French New Year’s le réveillon, (wakening) menu will involve an exceptional presentation of the classic French dishes: charcuterie, terrines, foie gras, Truffles, escargot, oysters, scallops, smoked salmon, shrimps, sea urchin, game, cheeses and dessert. This will be accompanied by a selection of appropriately matched fine wines throughout the feast. The meal and the revelry will stretch on past midnight but, the celebration of the New Year will continue on for several days, until the 6th of January. The Epiphany marks the end of the celebrations and the feasts of réveillon; how else should we expect the French to acknowledge the occasion but with the baking of a cake!? The traditional ‘King’s Cake’, the famous ‘Galette des Rois’.