The World’s Classic Dishes: A Taste of History

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It was probably one of these that led to the invention of the dish that eventually became known as Baked Alaska, a meringue topping and a cake base that insulate an ice cream center from the heat of the oven.

Chateaubriand

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Originally a method of cooking meat, but today a specific cut, steak called chateaubriand ways named for Francois Rene, viscount of Chateaubriand who fled from France soon after the Revolution. After exploring the United States, Rene returned to Europe and in 1822 was appointed ambassador to Britain.

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It was while he was living in London that his chef, Montmireil, devised a method of preserving the tenderness of a steak during cooking by placing it between two lesser pieces of meat. The chef duly named the dish for his employer.

Coquilles Saint-Jacques

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In French this is the term for scallops; and although coquille means shell, why Saint-Jacques? Legend has it that the body of Saint Jacques was being carried by sea from Joppa (Jaffa today) to Galicia, in northwest Spain. As the boat passed the Portuguese village of Bonzas, a marriage ceremony was taking place onshore. When the horse the bridegroom was riding was frightened and dashed into the sea, the saint’s companions saved the groom from drowning. In gratitude the groom converted to Christianity on the deck of the vessel.

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When he returned to shore, the groom found that his clothes were covered with scallop shells. And so, when the groom converted the other villagers to Christianity, they ever after used the scallop shell as the symbol of Saint Jacques.

Mayonnaise

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The origin of mayonnaise is one of the most disputed in culinary history. The French duke of Mayenne is one of the first to whose name it was attached, allegedly as early as 1589.

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Another version claims that it was discovered by the French marshal Richelieu. After seizing Fort St.-Philippe at Mahon, Minorca, on June 28, 1756, Richelieu celebrated his victory with a feast. Since no butter or cream was available on the island, his chef made a dressing from eggs and oil. When the recipe was taken back to France, it became known as sauce mahonnaise.

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Some historians even place the origin in the town of Bayonne, in southwest France, claiming that it was once known as bayonnaise. The truth may be simpler: it may be derived from the French verb manir, “to stir,” or perhaps from moyeu, an Old French word meaning the yolk of an egg.

Oysters Rockefeller

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A dish created by billionaire John D. Rockefeller? Not exactly. Jules Alciatore of Antoine’s restaurant in New Orleans devised these elaborately stuffed oysters in 1899. A customer proclaimed the dish “as rich as Rockefeller”- and thus it acquired its name.

Praline

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Cesar de Choiseul, the count of Plessis-Praslin, led the French Army against Spain in 1650 and devoted his life to royal service. Yet he is remembered not so much for his military achievements as for the fact that his chef prepared a confection composed of sugar and almonds. It became known as praslins, and ultimately as praline.

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The Siege that gave Birth to the Croissant: Although commonly thought of as French, croissants were, in fact, first made in Austria. In 1683 Vienna was under siege from the Turks. Working through the night, Viennese bakers heard the Turks tunnelling beneath the city, raised the alarm – and thus prevented a Turkish victory. To commemorate the occasion, the bakers devised the croissant, basing the shape on the crescent moon of the Turkish flag.

Bottom: An 18th century engraving celebrating the liberation of Vienna.

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