The promise of Henri IV remains engraved in the memories
Bon Ravaillac shortened the king’s life and the promise was not kept. But it remained engraved in the memory of the French, who brought it out to Louis XVI at the time of the French Revolution, saying “Finally the hen in the pot will be put. We can at least assume so. Because, for two hundred years it has been promised to us. We have not ceased to pluck it”.
It must be said that Henri IV knew what he was talking about since the hen in the pot is from Béarn and that is where the good king grew up, not far from the castle of Pau where he was born. And it’s still a regional specialty in Béarn. Where we take the famous Gascon chicken, black, which is cooked in beef broth, then stuffed and served with vegetables.
– Credits: Luc OLIVIER Creative – n°: 986904258
Recipe :
If you want to have a hen on the pot on Sunday as Henri IV wanted, you need:
- 1 plump hen,
- 800 grams of carrots,
- 300 grams of turnips,
- 4 leeks,
- an onion studded with cloves,
- a little thyme, pepper, salt.
The way
- You peel the vegetables.
- You put the hen in a large pot and cover it with water.
- You bring to a boil and skim.
- You add the vegetables (by folding the leeks otherwise it won’t fit!) the onion, the thyme, the salt and the pepper. Not too much you will rectify afterwards.
- Cover and cook gently for 2½ hours. The chicken skin should come off.
- Then you serve the broth that you have degreased, and the hen surrounded by its vegetables.
French cuisine has a few legendary recipes, such as poule au pot, but above all it’s a lot of heart.