Quiche

The history of the quiche is that of a small and simple dish that defies borders, the name “quiche” (or ouiche in Middle-Ages French), which appeared in France in 1805 in the History of Nancy by Linnois comes from the language of our beloved brethren across the Rhine where the word “Kuchen” simply means cake.

Table of Contents

• Ingredients for 6 people
• Preparation

Lorraine, as all regions of France, has its recipes of “terroir”. These are simple recipes and ingredients that were found in the times when they  had little means, therefore using products of the farm and the village. At that time, the quiche was made from dough, eggs, lean smoked bacon and cream. It is also clear that the quiche was made without cheese, all the quality of a good quiche residing in the choice of a “cream of choice.”

It was only later, when this recipe from Lorraine extended its standard beyond its borders, that the dough was replaced by short pastry, sometimes fluff pastry and sometimes appeared cheese and pork.

Witnessing the vicissitudes of the history of Europe, we find the first traces of this miraculous cake in 1586. The Duke of Lorraine, Charles III, was a regular consumer, if one believes the book by Philippe de Rarécourt, Maître d’Hôtel of the Duke, which was concerned about the deficit aggravated by the excessive consumption of quiches.

We owe the current form of this wondrous pie to Vincent de la Chapelle (grandfather of Don Bonapasta, PhD es-Quiche), Cook for Stanislas, Duke of Lorrain whoe became king of Poland on April 11, 1736.

Stanislas never resided in Nancy, and led a lavish lifestyle in the castles of the Dukes of Lorraine in Luneville, Commercy or Malgrange where he stuffed himself with quiches. It is said that the philosopher Voltaire was his friend, and he intended to dazzle his contemporaries.

He wanted Nancy to be one of the most beautiful cities in Europe, but when Stanislas died in 1766, Lorraine was annexed to France and Nancy lost its rank of capital, quiche spreaded out in the kingdom of France.

While the Quiche Lorraine assured his posterity, immortalized the dough, eggs, crème in the royal history of France, the name of this pie plump and friendly began to infiltrate our daily lexicon to become an abusive invective directed to those commonly well-behaved young people of the suburbs, and can be heard in the city where echoes these insults “old quiche”, “I’m too quiche” expressions in which the name of the dish connotes the ingenuity of a stunned person who would be a little tart.

Ingredients for 6 people

•  pastry, short pastry or fluff pastry or savoury dough
• Grated cheese: 150 to 200 g (according to taste).
• Whole eggs: 2
• Egg yolks: 2
• Bacon 200 g to 250 g (according to taste).
• Cream: 30 cl
• pepper
• grated nutmeg

Preparation

1 – Sear lightly the bacon in a skillet over high heat.

3 – Add the bacon and stir a little.

4 – Season lightly with nutmeg and pepper and according to taste.

5 – Lay the pastry in the pie dish previously buttered and floured.

6 – Prick with a fork the pastry bottom

7 – Pour the mixture over the pastry.

8 – Sprinkle with cheese.

Preheat the oven 5 minutes at 200 degrees. Bake for about 30 minutes at 200 degrees (7). Monitor quiche during cooking.

Bon appétit!