One of the most notorious meals in the history of French gastronomy

Some readers will balk at the concept of eating horsemeat, such is its taboo status among British carnivores. However, in France l’hippophagie was legalised by the government in 1866, prior to which it was already widely consumed – notably in Paris where the high cost of living prevented many working-class citizens from affording pork and beef.

While la viande de cheval is still available in selected specialist butchers (une boucherie chevaline) and some supermarkets, it accounts for only 0.1% of total meat consumption in France (2022 figures, with pork accounting for 37.6%, chicken 26.5%, and beef 26.1%).

However, if you want to explore France’s startling historic fondness for the consumption of the taboo or the downright unimaginable, we need to head back to Christmas 1870, when the most eye-watering, if not mouth-watering, array of exotic meats was on the menu.

With Prussian soldiers besieging a freezing and hungry Paris, food was at a premium, so locals ate what they could find. The capital’s 70,000 horses were slaughtered, before dogs and cats were also consumed. The Opéra Garnier was transformed into a giant store cupboard, stocking 219 tonnes of flour, 25,000 eggs, canned goods and salted meats. Some 150,000 sheep and 2,000 pigs were kept under a watchful eye in the Bois de Boulogne and the Jardin du Luxembourg.

For chefs accustomed to preparing dishes for the city’s fine diners, these were dire times requiring drastic measures. So one chef, Alexandre Choron at the Café Voisin (261 rue Saint-Honoré) served one of the most notorious meals in the history of French gastronomy.

His eclectic menu included stuffed donkey’s head, elephant consommé, ‘English-style’ roast camel, kangaroo stew, roast bear chops with sauce au poivre, cat accompanied by rats (!), terrine of antelope with truffles, and haunch of wolf in venison sauce. 

Accompaniments included the more orthodox porcini à la bordelaise and peas with butter, while Gruyère cheese was served before a dessert of rice pudding with jam. Despite the turbulent times, the dinner was washed down with some of the finest wine vintages of the era: Mouton Rothschild 1846, La Tour Blanche 1861, Romanée Conti 1858, chilled Bellanger champagne and a Grand Porto 1827.

Let us never again under-appreciate turkey and sprouts at Christmas!

Gadget inspector

Vosges always in vogue with a classic Noël nappe 

A top-quality table cloth with a festive motif will last a lifetime. This elegant 100% cotton damask (jacquard) nappe (tablecloth) – made in the Vosges region by Garnier Thiebaut, a high-end fabric maker since 1833 – features garlands and wreaths decorated with pomegranates adorned like Christmas baubles.

Price, €177. 

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Organic fleur de sel from beneath the Pyrenees

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