Le Siege de Paris (siege cookery pamphlets)
- Year
- 1870-1871
- Era
- 19th century
- Origin
- France · Europe
- Language
- French
- Category
- Wartime/Austerity
Issued during the Prussian siege of Paris in the winter of 1870–71, these ephemeral French pamphlets recorded the extraordinary culinary improvisations forced upon a blockaded capital, including recipes and bills of fare featuring rat, dog, cat, horse, and animals slaughtered from the Jardin des Plantes menagerie. Together they constitute a rare documentary record of siege gastronomy and the limits of haute cuisine under famine conditions.
Cooking from this book
Salmis de rat à la Robert
Signature dishFew dishes capture the desperation of besieged Paris more vividly than this salmis of rat, prepared in the style of a classic game stew. As Prussian forces cut off supplies through the winter of 1870 to 1871, Parisians turned to sewer rats, horses, dogs, and eventually the slaughtered elephants and other beasts of the Jardin des Plantes. The siege pamphlets recorded such expedients with a peculiar mix of bravado, dark humour, and culinary pride.
An editorial note on a dish associated with this book, written for The Coquinist. It is not a reproduction of the book's recipe.
