Table setting of Provence

Author: Qiao Lu Zheng Zhiren Photography
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-02-01
Features: Strongly recommended by Peter Mayle, author of the Provence series, inviting you to personally experience the joy of delicious Provencal cuisine. When mentioning Provence, one inevitably thinks of vast purple lavender fields swaying in the sunlight, vineyards and small wineries brimming with rich grapes, a dazzling array of various spices, and of course, the hearty and warm local customs depicted by British author Peter Mayle in his works. In this blessed land favored by God, everything is enchanting and intoxicating. And the author of this book—Qiao Lu—is a Frenchman who grew up immersed in Provence culture from a young age. A lover of food, he even owned a seaside restaurant on the French Riviera. This book begins with a friend visiting the author in Provence and records the story of Qiao Lu guiding his friend to discover and explore the local customs, traditions, and Mediterranean cuisine of Provence over twelve months. The main text, written in an essay style, is interspersed with introductions to the origins of various dishes and recipes, allowing readers to enjoy the joy of cooking Provencal delicacies while reading. Perhaps you don’t have the opportunity to live in Provence, but through this book, you can experience the charming warmth of Southern France together. The book is printed in full color and features a stylish design, allowing you to enjoy delicious food while immersing yourself in a foreign atmosphere!
01 May
01 Mai
Even Napoleon praised it
Napoleon Bonaparte, do you know him? He was a French general and emperor about two hundred years ago. When I mentioned Napoleon, I prepared Poulet Marengo for lunch. I told my Chinese friend. My Chinese friend looked at me puzzled, clearly having no idea what I was talking about. I continued, Poulet Marengo is a method of cooking chicken, a dish with over two hundred years of history, dating back to Napoleon’s time, when he was a man who loved fine food and wine. Without my Chinese friend having any mental preparation for the impending culinary journey to Provence, I had already launched into an elaborate story about the dish.
Napoleon was famously picky. In 1800, Napoleon the general was fighting the Austrians, and they met near Marengo, an Italian village. At the time, when an army occupied a region, they would raid local farmhouses for all their food to feed the soldiers. These coarse foods were enough to sustain the soldiers, but Napoleon the general loved well-cooked meals and fine wine. On the night after the Battle of Marengo, Napoleon was starving—he was starving! He wanted to celebrate his victory properly, and grilled beef was no longer satisfying his appetite. Napoleon the general craved a properly prepared dinner. So his chefs used all the cooking ingredients they could find in the area to cook a chicken. It was June 14, 1800.
By the time I finished the story of Napoleon, we had already arrived home—it was noon.
May Recipe
Poulet Marengo Ingredients:
1 chicken (about 1 kilogram 200 grams), cut into pieces
200 ml olive oil
30 g butter
40 g flour
200 ml dry white wine
200 ml chicken broth
200 g mushrooms, cut into pieces
1/2 can of peeled tomatoes
30 g shallots, finely chopped
1 tablespoon parsley (persil, or also known as flat-leaf parsley), chopped
Salt and pepper