The history of poule au pot – a French national dish

A classic French meal fit for a king – and everyone else. Discover the rich history of Poule au pot – a French national dish.

You’ll be pushed to find a French person today who would passionately declare poule au pot as the country’s national dish. Thanks to France’s presence on the world’s culinary stage, its 650 Michelin-star restaurants as well as its controversial love of McDo, the country’s tastes have evolved in various directions. And yet, this simple and somewhat beige chicken-in-broth maintains its antiquated status, a tribute to the country’s rustic cuisine long before it became known for its culinary reputation.

The history of poule au pot – a royal tale

The story of poule au pot starts in Pau, in southwestern France, a city famous for this chicken dish and as the birthplace of its alleged originator, le Bon Roi Henri – otherwise known as Henry VI, King of France for 21 years bridging the 16^th and 17^th centuries. Good King Henry has gone down in history for his benevolence. It turns out this has partially been propaganda, indoctrinating school children throughout the years with cartoons of his friendly kind character. Every winter, Pau celebrates “La Poule au Pot est reine” (The chicken in a pot is queen), with history lessons focusing on this good king. What children possibly aren’t taught is that his other nickname was “le Vert Galant” – the Old Charmer – thanks to his womanising ways.

In the mid-1500s, the War of Religion tore the country apart as the Huguenots struggled for their right to worship after years of brutal suppression. Henry of Bourbon was the heir to the Kingdom of Navarre which occupied lands on either side of the Pyrenees. The family were Huguenots and thanks to tactical marriage alliances, a brilliant victory in battle, and a little assassination, he was crowned Henry VI in 1589. Immediately he granted the Huguenots freedom to worship, then later converted to Catholicism, bringing peace, albeit for a short time, to France.

For this and many of his progressive policies, he has been upheld as one of France’s best, most popular monarchs, particularly when compared to his infamous descendants. He modernised and restored cities, promoted education and the arts, supported domestic agriculture, and – most importantly, at least to this topic – endorsed cooking chicken.

In Pau, chicken was a common food source – accessible and cheap. And, after years of war and famines, Good King Henry famously said:

“God willing, I will ensure that every last ploughman in my kingdom has the means to ensure that, once a week, he has a chicken in his pot.”

His goal was to restore the well-being of his people, starting with democracy via their stomachs, and he allegedly imposed that poule au pot be known as the national dish, a stroke of marketing genius for his legacy.

Fake news?

However… Good King Henry may or may not have actually said this iconic line. The quoted text was written 50 years after his death, which brings into question why his generosity over poule au pot stands the test of time.

This particular text was called Histoire du Roy Henry le Grand and was written in 1661 by Hardouin de Péréfixe, future Archbishop of Paris and tutor to Henry’s grandson, Louis XIV. Hardouin’s purpose was to show Louis what an exemplary king his grandfather was so he could emulate the same consideration for the people. So, was the quote true, or was it fabricated as a gentle nudge for the current king to learn from example? Allegedly it wasn’t until the 20^th century when progress in poultry farming meant the whole population had access to chicken – even though 100 years prior, Louis XVIII adopted and garnished this phrase with “every Sunday” – a clear case of misinformation, all to promote the monarchy’s eternal closeness to its people! And the appropriation doesn’t end there. In 1928, the US Republican Party won the election with the slogan “A Chicken in Every Pot”.

Even so, what we can gather from Good King Henry’s words – if he did in fact say them – was his aim to restore the country’s wealth and self-sufficiency by promoting agriculture. This he did, as farming was revived, with the famous line “Ploughing and grazing are the two breasts of France,” said by his finance minister tasked with its reorganisation.

A French national dish

But with all this historical cachet, what even is poule au pot? It is chicken stewed with root vegetables in a light broth. Ideally you want a flavourful chicken that’s lived a bit of life or a female (une poule). Traditionally, the chicken is stuffed – with bacon, sausage, the giblets, and breadcrumbs – then poached in broth made with a clove-studded onion and other vegetables on hand, possibly carrots, turnips, and leeks, until the meat falls from the bone.

“Taste it and become convinced of King Henry the Fourth’s solicitude for the well-being of the peasants of France” – Babet, 19^th century cookery book author

In 1893, cookery book author Babet famously wrote, “It is a succulent dish too much neglected in these days, when dainty living is tending to replace the rustic cooking of the good old days.” And that, I suppose, is what this dish’s history is all about, beyond the political propaganda – fuelling the stomach, bringing communities together, and eating from the bountiful land. With advents in culinary progress, both the good and bad, this taste of real unadulterated home cooking could become lost, so maybe we should learn from Good King Henry and proudly hold poule au pot up as the country’s national dish.

Try this dish at home, recipe for classic poule au pot from the Ferrandi School of Culinary Arts on The Good Life France website.

Ally Mitchell is a blogger and freelance writer, specialising in food and recipes. She lives in Toulouse and writes at: NigellaEatsEverything.