1 00:00:01,280 --> 00:00:04,320 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff You Missed in History Class, a production 2 00:00:04,360 --> 00:00:13,400 Speaker 1: of I Heart Radio. Hello, and welcome to the podcast. 3 00:00:13,480 --> 00:00:18,520 Speaker 1: I'm Holly Fry and I'm Tracy Vie Wilson. Listen, Tracy. 4 00:00:19,040 --> 00:00:22,800 Speaker 1: We have really had some downers lately, some murders. Yeah, 5 00:00:23,280 --> 00:00:27,640 Speaker 1: not the most fun topics going on. Last week's recording 6 00:00:27,640 --> 00:00:31,880 Speaker 1: session was particularly grim, which is great because this week 7 00:00:31,880 --> 00:00:34,480 Speaker 1: we've kept it pretty late. We both have been promising 8 00:00:34,680 --> 00:00:37,080 Speaker 1: some more fun stuff, which we are delivering on. I 9 00:00:37,120 --> 00:00:39,839 Speaker 1: went marching right back to eponymous food because to me, 10 00:00:39,880 --> 00:00:42,559 Speaker 1: it's the gift that keeps on giving. It's fun. There 11 00:00:42,560 --> 00:00:45,760 Speaker 1: are weird side streets you can go down. It kind 12 00:00:45,760 --> 00:00:50,199 Speaker 1: of hits all of my curiosity points, and so far 13 00:00:50,280 --> 00:00:52,440 Speaker 1: I have not discovered a murder involved in any of 14 00:00:52,440 --> 00:00:56,560 Speaker 1: the food. So today we are going to cover a 15 00:00:56,760 --> 00:01:00,639 Speaker 1: super yummy comfort food from Italy and two ishes with 16 00:01:00,880 --> 00:01:03,120 Speaker 1: a lot of debate as to their origin. One of 17 00:01:03,160 --> 00:01:06,039 Speaker 1: them is associated with the U. S. East Coast and 18 00:01:06,120 --> 00:01:09,160 Speaker 1: one on the West coast. All of them, in my opinion, 19 00:01:09,680 --> 00:01:14,120 Speaker 1: are delicious. If you think there's nothing quite so delicious 20 00:01:14,160 --> 00:01:18,560 Speaker 1: and comforting as a giant bowl of fettuccini alfredo, I 21 00:01:18,600 --> 00:01:21,240 Speaker 1: sure love it. We'll talk more about that on Friday. 22 00:01:21,800 --> 00:01:25,200 Speaker 1: You're not alone. Although if you were to order this 23 00:01:25,319 --> 00:01:29,160 Speaker 1: by name in Italy, people might give you an odd look. 24 00:01:29,560 --> 00:01:32,480 Speaker 1: This dish would normally show up on menus in Italy 25 00:01:32,640 --> 00:01:39,800 Speaker 1: as fettuccini al treplo, the fettuccini with three butters. You 26 00:01:39,920 --> 00:01:45,160 Speaker 1: might see this as fettuccini albero or fettuccini a la crema. 27 00:01:45,480 --> 00:01:47,880 Speaker 1: And the beauty of this one is really as simplicity. 28 00:01:48,560 --> 00:01:51,040 Speaker 1: The story of its origin is known really well. This 29 00:01:51,160 --> 00:01:54,200 Speaker 1: starts with a family with a husband cooking for his wife. 30 00:01:54,640 --> 00:01:57,600 Speaker 1: In nineteen o eight, Alfredo de la Leo was working 31 00:01:57,600 --> 00:02:00,040 Speaker 1: at the family restaurant that was a little Trittoria and 32 00:02:00,120 --> 00:02:03,680 Speaker 1: Piazza Rossa in Rome, run by his mother Angelina, and 33 00:02:03,800 --> 00:02:06,200 Speaker 1: night was a very big year for de la Leo 34 00:02:06,280 --> 00:02:09,560 Speaker 1: because he and his wife Inez had their first child, Armando. 35 00:02:10,320 --> 00:02:12,600 Speaker 1: But as the story goes, after Armando was born and 36 00:02:12,720 --> 00:02:15,160 Speaker 1: as was very sick, she was quite weak. She had 37 00:02:15,160 --> 00:02:19,520 Speaker 1: no appetite, and Alfredo understandably was very worried about his wife, 38 00:02:20,240 --> 00:02:23,280 Speaker 1: so the restaurant tour tried to make her something that 39 00:02:23,320 --> 00:02:27,200 Speaker 1: would appeal to her palate and stimulate her appetite. And 40 00:02:27,520 --> 00:02:31,280 Speaker 1: give her some energy, maybe a tall order. He made 41 00:02:31,280 --> 00:02:34,680 Speaker 1: a bowl of fettuccini and then added in butter and parmesan, 42 00:02:35,000 --> 00:02:38,480 Speaker 1: and then, according to the Delileo family legend, he prayed 43 00:02:38,520 --> 00:02:41,360 Speaker 1: to one of the patron saints of mothers, which was St. Anne, 44 00:02:41,840 --> 00:02:44,840 Speaker 1: and then presented his wife with this dish and told 45 00:02:44,840 --> 00:02:46,440 Speaker 1: her that if she did not like it, he would 46 00:02:46,440 --> 00:02:50,280 Speaker 1: eat it. He did not get to eat it. Not 47 00:02:50,400 --> 00:02:53,000 Speaker 1: only didn't as love it. She thought that her husband 48 00:02:53,120 --> 00:02:55,760 Speaker 1: should add it to the restaurant's menu, and he did, 49 00:02:56,240 --> 00:02:58,399 Speaker 1: and thus one of the yummiest foods of all time 50 00:02:58,520 --> 00:03:01,400 Speaker 1: was born. So the was surely not the first time 51 00:03:01,440 --> 00:03:05,079 Speaker 1: that somebody had combined pasta, butter, and parmesan. But there 52 00:03:05,080 --> 00:03:08,160 Speaker 1: were some aspects of Alfredo's version that were a little 53 00:03:08,200 --> 00:03:12,639 Speaker 1: different than other Italian dishes that have similar ingredients. We'll 54 00:03:12,680 --> 00:03:15,400 Speaker 1: talk about that secret in just a moment, uh and 55 00:03:15,639 --> 00:03:19,000 Speaker 1: some other aspects of his dish that would have separated 56 00:03:19,040 --> 00:03:23,119 Speaker 1: it from those other precursors. Alfredo opened his own restaurant 57 00:03:23,120 --> 00:03:26,400 Speaker 1: in nineteen fourteen in Via della Scrofa, and he simply 58 00:03:26,480 --> 00:03:29,280 Speaker 1: called it Alfredo, and he continued to build on the 59 00:03:29,320 --> 00:03:32,520 Speaker 1: success that he had already achieved and his reputation for 60 00:03:32,600 --> 00:03:36,760 Speaker 1: exceptionally delicious pasta. He also started to get the attention 61 00:03:36,760 --> 00:03:40,280 Speaker 1: of hungry diners from well outside of Rome, as wealthy tourists, 62 00:03:40,440 --> 00:03:44,400 Speaker 1: some very notable started to visit his place. A lot 63 00:03:44,520 --> 00:03:47,720 Speaker 1: of travelers from the United States landed in Alfredo's during 64 00:03:47,760 --> 00:03:51,160 Speaker 1: a tour of Europe in the early years of his restaurant. 65 00:03:51,360 --> 00:03:55,560 Speaker 1: Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford famously visited Alfredo's restaurant on 66 00:03:55,600 --> 00:03:58,760 Speaker 1: their honeymoon that was in n and they loved it 67 00:03:58,840 --> 00:04:01,880 Speaker 1: so much they reported eight their every single day that 68 00:04:01,920 --> 00:04:06,160 Speaker 1: they were in Rome. Prohibition in the US contributed to 69 00:04:06,240 --> 00:04:09,040 Speaker 1: a bump in tourism in the nineteen twenties as American 70 00:04:09,040 --> 00:04:12,240 Speaker 1: tourists sought out vacation destinations where they could get a 71 00:04:12,320 --> 00:04:17,360 Speaker 1: drink with their meals. In nine seven, Alfredo was knighted 72 00:04:17,520 --> 00:04:21,000 Speaker 1: for the excellence of his beettettini, and an interview Delai 73 00:04:21,040 --> 00:04:23,600 Speaker 1: Leo gave to a journalist at the time, he said 74 00:04:23,640 --> 00:04:26,640 Speaker 1: this was because he always used the very best ingredients 75 00:04:26,680 --> 00:04:29,640 Speaker 1: to make his pasta, even in the most difficult times. 76 00:04:30,360 --> 00:04:34,160 Speaker 1: Quote during the war, he said, I found a way. 77 00:04:34,800 --> 00:04:38,279 Speaker 1: He was not especially secretive about what made his way 78 00:04:38,320 --> 00:04:42,640 Speaker 1: of dressing fettuccini special, saying quote double quantity of butter 79 00:04:42,760 --> 00:04:47,160 Speaker 1: and cheese and well mixed. That is my secret. Yes, 80 00:04:47,240 --> 00:04:51,039 Speaker 1: so his secret was just more more of the fatty 81 00:04:51,080 --> 00:04:54,040 Speaker 1: things that make it delicious. We'll also talk about how 82 00:04:54,080 --> 00:04:56,080 Speaker 1: he made his noodles, which is a little different too. 83 00:04:56,920 --> 00:04:58,919 Speaker 1: Alfredo was really really proud of the name that he 84 00:04:58,920 --> 00:05:02,600 Speaker 1: had made for himself and of his dedicated and impressive patrons, 85 00:05:02,720 --> 00:05:07,000 Speaker 1: noting in that interview quote, kings, princes, ministers have eaten here. 86 00:05:07,320 --> 00:05:10,160 Speaker 1: The Crown Prince of Sweden is one of my patrons. 87 00:05:11,000 --> 00:05:14,440 Speaker 1: The journalist conducting the interview, Alice Wrote wrote of his 88 00:05:14,560 --> 00:05:18,479 Speaker 1: table side manner quote, people go to Alfredo's not only 89 00:05:18,520 --> 00:05:21,520 Speaker 1: to eat his delicious fetacchini, but to see him prepare it. 90 00:05:21,680 --> 00:05:24,360 Speaker 1: After it has been cooked, a waiter brings it from 91 00:05:24,360 --> 00:05:27,800 Speaker 1: the kitchen. Alfredo approaches with a spoon and fork, as 92 00:05:27,800 --> 00:05:31,880 Speaker 1: though advancing to a sacrificial right. He poises fork and 93 00:05:31,960 --> 00:05:35,240 Speaker 1: spoon aloft esthetically, and then begins to mix into the 94 00:05:35,240 --> 00:05:38,680 Speaker 1: fetaccini a generous supply of the best butter and grated 95 00:05:38,760 --> 00:05:43,080 Speaker 1: parmesan cheese. But even beyond disclosing his double the butter 96 00:05:43,160 --> 00:05:47,240 Speaker 1: and cheese secret Alfredo gave Row the entire recipe for 97 00:05:47,360 --> 00:05:51,320 Speaker 1: his fetacchini noodles as well. Here it is quote, Sift 98 00:05:51,400 --> 00:05:54,440 Speaker 1: upon the mixing board a kilo of fine white flour, 99 00:05:55,000 --> 00:05:57,280 Speaker 1: make a hole in the center of the mound of flower, 100 00:05:57,400 --> 00:06:01,520 Speaker 1: and into this breaks seven eggs. Then, with your hands, 101 00:06:01,720 --> 00:06:04,919 Speaker 1: never with a spoon, gradually worked the flour into the 102 00:06:04,920 --> 00:06:08,599 Speaker 1: eggs until no more can be assimilated. Then add a 103 00:06:08,640 --> 00:06:11,479 Speaker 1: tumbler of water and a dash of salt, and gradually 104 00:06:11,560 --> 00:06:15,920 Speaker 1: need the entire mixture into a smooth paste. Work it thin, 105 00:06:16,120 --> 00:06:19,200 Speaker 1: and when all is perfectly smooth, roll it into a 106 00:06:19,240 --> 00:06:22,960 Speaker 1: thin sheet. Then cut the paste in narrow strips a 107 00:06:23,000 --> 00:06:25,800 Speaker 1: third of an inch wide. This is enough for eight 108 00:06:25,880 --> 00:06:31,320 Speaker 1: persons served abundantly, or nine served cocy cosy enough. He 109 00:06:31,400 --> 00:06:35,839 Speaker 1: recommended boiling his homemade noodles for exactly eight minutes and 110 00:06:35,920 --> 00:06:39,320 Speaker 1: leaving them damp instead of draining them dry. He said 111 00:06:39,360 --> 00:06:41,440 Speaker 1: that he used an eighth of a pound of butter 112 00:06:41,800 --> 00:06:44,400 Speaker 1: for each individual serving. That's half a stick of butter, 113 00:06:45,000 --> 00:06:50,040 Speaker 1: and quote an ample sprinkling of parmesan cheese. Finest quality 114 00:06:50,080 --> 00:06:53,159 Speaker 1: of the utmost importance, according to De la Leo, is 115 00:06:53,240 --> 00:06:56,040 Speaker 1: mixing the butter, cheese, and noodles, so every noodle is 116 00:06:56,120 --> 00:06:59,719 Speaker 1: evenly coated. Yeah, for anybody that hasn't made pasta, that 117 00:07:00,040 --> 00:07:02,760 Speaker 1: amount of eggs is a lot. It means that your 118 00:07:02,760 --> 00:07:06,080 Speaker 1: noodles are very, very rich in flavor. And an eighth 119 00:07:06,080 --> 00:07:08,320 Speaker 1: of a pound of butter a half stick of butter 120 00:07:08,400 --> 00:07:12,080 Speaker 1: is a lot to put in one survey. Uh. That 121 00:07:12,200 --> 00:07:15,880 Speaker 1: same year that that rite up appeared again. That was uh, 122 00:07:15,960 --> 00:07:18,040 Speaker 1: and it was in numerous papers because it was picked 123 00:07:18,120 --> 00:07:21,720 Speaker 1: up and syndicated. Alfredo also received a very lavish gift 124 00:07:22,080 --> 00:07:25,720 Speaker 1: from Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford, a solid gold spoon 125 00:07:25,800 --> 00:07:28,160 Speaker 1: and fork set that were modeled after the ones he 126 00:07:28,280 --> 00:07:31,480 Speaker 1: used to toss his fedaccini for guests. On the handle 127 00:07:31,480 --> 00:07:34,840 Speaker 1: of one was engraved to Alfredo, the King of the Noodles, 128 00:07:34,880 --> 00:07:40,000 Speaker 1: Mary Pickford July. The other had the exact same inscription, 129 00:07:40,080 --> 00:07:43,320 Speaker 1: but had Fairbanks his name instead of Pickford's, and according 130 00:07:43,360 --> 00:07:46,240 Speaker 1: to the official history of the family restaurant, those words 131 00:07:46,240 --> 00:07:49,240 Speaker 1: were quote read by every famous person who had the 132 00:07:49,280 --> 00:07:54,920 Speaker 1: honor to taste the Mesto fedccini. Mesto sisim means most majestic, 133 00:07:55,040 --> 00:07:56,480 Speaker 1: and that is the name of the dish. On the 134 00:07:56,520 --> 00:08:02,320 Speaker 1: menu even today, Lave miss Sissimo fedaccini. Alfredo Alfredo and 135 00:08:02,360 --> 00:08:06,400 Speaker 1: his delicious pasta started getting mentions in international papers that 136 00:08:06,560 --> 00:08:10,000 Speaker 1: drew even more visitors. Before the nineteen twenties were over, 137 00:08:10,200 --> 00:08:14,200 Speaker 1: restaurateur and writer George Rector had included the recipe for 138 00:08:14,280 --> 00:08:18,600 Speaker 1: Alfredo Delileo's famed dish in his cookbook, The Rector Cookbook. 139 00:08:19,440 --> 00:08:22,640 Speaker 1: All that press, plus the cachet of having movie stars 140 00:08:22,680 --> 00:08:26,800 Speaker 1: tout the dishes as exceptional mint that soon everybody wanted 141 00:08:26,800 --> 00:08:31,280 Speaker 1: to try fetacchini. Alfredo and Delileo definitely leaned into his 142 00:08:31,360 --> 00:08:34,680 Speaker 1: public persona and his growing fame. He really understood that 143 00:08:34,720 --> 00:08:37,560 Speaker 1: showmanship was part of growing his business, and if you 144 00:08:37,600 --> 00:08:40,440 Speaker 1: do an image search for him online, you're likely going 145 00:08:40,480 --> 00:08:43,319 Speaker 1: to pretty quickly find photos of him feigning to feed 146 00:08:43,360 --> 00:08:46,280 Speaker 1: guests his fetacchini by the handful. That was sort of 147 00:08:46,320 --> 00:08:48,360 Speaker 1: part of a stick that he developed as a table 148 00:08:48,400 --> 00:08:51,640 Speaker 1: side show of having your noodles dressed. It looks a 149 00:08:51,640 --> 00:08:53,560 Speaker 1: little squirrely to me to have someone like with a 150 00:08:53,600 --> 00:08:58,520 Speaker 1: fistful of fetacchini's, But even so, it was really always 151 00:08:58,559 --> 00:09:01,440 Speaker 1: always about the food. As he told a reporter quote, 152 00:09:01,640 --> 00:09:05,600 Speaker 1: I've always been more interested in perfect cooking than anything else. 153 00:09:06,120 --> 00:09:10,160 Speaker 1: In ninety three, the tourist trade had evaporated thanks to 154 00:09:10,240 --> 00:09:14,160 Speaker 1: World War Two, Alfredo decided to retire. He handed the 155 00:09:14,200 --> 00:09:17,840 Speaker 1: restaurant off to his son Armando, whose birth catalyzed the 156 00:09:17,880 --> 00:09:21,600 Speaker 1: invention of this famous dish. Armando took on the moniker 157 00:09:21,640 --> 00:09:24,760 Speaker 1: Alfredo the Second as the business passed to him. In 158 00:09:24,880 --> 00:09:28,680 Speaker 1: ninety six, the Via della scroll for a restaurant was 159 00:09:28,720 --> 00:09:31,520 Speaker 1: sold to two members of the staff. But just a 160 00:09:31,520 --> 00:09:34,400 Speaker 1: few years later, in nineteen fifty, Alfredo the first day 161 00:09:34,400 --> 00:09:37,679 Speaker 1: Alfredo the Second had another restaurant, this time called Il 162 00:09:37,760 --> 00:09:41,000 Speaker 1: Vero Alfredo the Real Alfredo, and they opened it in 163 00:09:41,040 --> 00:09:45,320 Speaker 1: Piazza Augusto Rempert. That restaurant is where you can order 164 00:09:45,600 --> 00:09:48,440 Speaker 1: most majestic fettuccini, and it is still there and still 165 00:09:48,520 --> 00:09:51,520 Speaker 1: run by the family. It is currently run by Alfredo 166 00:09:51,600 --> 00:09:55,120 Speaker 1: the first grandson and granddaughter Armando, who goes by Alfredo 167 00:09:55,200 --> 00:09:58,360 Speaker 1: the third, and it is Deli Leo. The Via della 168 00:09:58,400 --> 00:10:02,160 Speaker 1: Scrofa location is also still open. Those two restaurants are 169 00:10:02,200 --> 00:10:05,680 Speaker 1: kind of competitors. You may have noticed the dish, as 170 00:10:05,840 --> 00:10:09,440 Speaker 1: originally made by Alfredo, was really simple, just butter and 171 00:10:09,520 --> 00:10:12,120 Speaker 1: cheese and that's not typically how you would make it. 172 00:10:12,160 --> 00:10:14,680 Speaker 1: If you looked up the recipe today, particularly here in 173 00:10:14,679 --> 00:10:18,560 Speaker 1: the US, most recipes you'll find we'll probably have heavy 174 00:10:18,600 --> 00:10:20,760 Speaker 1: cream in them, but that was never part of the 175 00:10:20,760 --> 00:10:24,480 Speaker 1: original version, and this is simply due to differences in 176 00:10:24,800 --> 00:10:28,839 Speaker 1: ingredient availability. As fedaccini Alfredo caught on in the US, 177 00:10:28,960 --> 00:10:32,120 Speaker 1: it just didn't quite have that delicious richness that it 178 00:10:32,160 --> 00:10:35,160 Speaker 1: had in Italy. And there were a few reasons for one. 179 00:10:35,400 --> 00:10:38,280 Speaker 1: Alfredo de la Leo, as we said, made his fedacchini 180 00:10:38,320 --> 00:10:41,640 Speaker 1: from scratch, and his recipe had more egg than most, 181 00:10:41,800 --> 00:10:44,320 Speaker 1: using a hand ground wheat flour, and that gave it 182 00:10:44,400 --> 00:10:48,319 Speaker 1: this layered, deep flavor. Additionally, the butter he was using 183 00:10:48,400 --> 00:10:50,920 Speaker 1: was richer than what would normally be available in most 184 00:10:51,000 --> 00:10:55,839 Speaker 1: North American grocery stores. And of course the cheese. Alfredo 185 00:10:56,040 --> 00:10:59,920 Speaker 1: was using parmesanio reggiano. It's parmesan cheese. But just as 186 00:11:00,080 --> 00:11:03,480 Speaker 1: champagne is a sparkling wine from the Champagne area in France, 187 00:11:03,920 --> 00:11:07,680 Speaker 1: parmegiano reggiano can only come from particular parts of Italy. 188 00:11:08,160 --> 00:11:11,360 Speaker 1: Its ingredients are specific and it must have been aged 189 00:11:11,400 --> 00:11:15,080 Speaker 1: for between one and three years, so to approximate the 190 00:11:15,160 --> 00:11:18,360 Speaker 1: richness of flavor of all of those ingredients. Fans of 191 00:11:18,400 --> 00:11:22,880 Speaker 1: Alfredo's dish outside of Italy added other ingredients, just why 192 00:11:22,960 --> 00:11:26,760 Speaker 1: we have heavy cream usually in American versions. And today 193 00:11:26,840 --> 00:11:30,120 Speaker 1: it's actually pretty simple to acquire Parmesiano riggiano in a 194 00:11:30,160 --> 00:11:33,960 Speaker 1: grocery store in the US. You'll also find garlic on 195 00:11:34,000 --> 00:11:37,000 Speaker 1: the list of ingredients and Alfredo sauce. But that's something 196 00:11:37,040 --> 00:11:41,600 Speaker 1: that Alfredo Dlalio would be really lived about. In ninett 197 00:11:41,960 --> 00:11:44,760 Speaker 1: an article appeared in papers across the US under the 198 00:11:44,760 --> 00:11:49,000 Speaker 1: title cooks in Rome denied garlic is Italy's favorite. This 199 00:11:49,120 --> 00:11:52,760 Speaker 1: quoted several prominent Italian chefs and restaurateurs who were just 200 00:11:52,880 --> 00:11:56,319 Speaker 1: beyond irritated that there was a rumor that Italians ate 201 00:11:56,400 --> 00:12:00,319 Speaker 1: copious amounts of garlic. He insisted that garlic did not 202 00:12:00,600 --> 00:12:03,400 Speaker 1: come within a mile of his signature dish, and of 203 00:12:03,440 --> 00:12:06,720 Speaker 1: the rumor itself, he said, quote, it's a lopsided ragout 204 00:12:06,800 --> 00:12:09,760 Speaker 1: and has to stop. Alfredo de la Leo died of 205 00:12:09,760 --> 00:12:12,160 Speaker 1: a heart attack in ninety nine at the age of 206 00:12:12,200 --> 00:12:16,880 Speaker 1: seventy seven, and in the US National Fertuccini Alfredo Day 207 00:12:16,920 --> 00:12:20,200 Speaker 1: is celebrated on February seven. We are going to move 208 00:12:20,240 --> 00:12:23,240 Speaker 1: on to a dish that's often associated with brunch, but 209 00:12:23,320 --> 00:12:25,440 Speaker 1: before we do that, we'll have a minute and pause 210 00:12:25,559 --> 00:12:37,360 Speaker 1: for a sponsor break. The next epon hymous food we're 211 00:12:37,360 --> 00:12:40,319 Speaker 1: covering is a little tricky because it's not clear exactly 212 00:12:40,360 --> 00:12:42,959 Speaker 1: for whom it is named, although there are many contenders. 213 00:12:43,440 --> 00:12:46,000 Speaker 1: But we can tell you for certain that eggs Benedict 214 00:12:46,160 --> 00:12:49,080 Speaker 1: is not named for Benedict Arnold, even though that seems 215 00:12:49,080 --> 00:12:52,679 Speaker 1: like a pretty common misconception that people make. Although there 216 00:12:52,720 --> 00:12:56,880 Speaker 1: are many many variations on this dish, the base recipe 217 00:12:56,920 --> 00:13:01,040 Speaker 1: for eggs Benedict calls for Canadian bacon and poached eggs 218 00:13:01,679 --> 00:13:04,199 Speaker 1: sitting on top of the two split halves of an 219 00:13:04,200 --> 00:13:08,280 Speaker 1: English muffin, with a generous drizzle of hollandaise sauce to 220 00:13:08,280 --> 00:13:11,040 Speaker 1: top that all off. So before we get into the 221 00:13:11,080 --> 00:13:14,240 Speaker 1: debates over who eggs Benedict is named for, let's talk 222 00:13:14,240 --> 00:13:17,240 Speaker 1: first about hollandaise, just to get that out of the way. 223 00:13:17,520 --> 00:13:20,400 Speaker 1: Hollandaise sauce, or a sort of proto version of it, 224 00:13:20,480 --> 00:13:24,000 Speaker 1: dates back at least to the mid seventeenth century. In 225 00:13:24,080 --> 00:13:28,360 Speaker 1: the cookbook Li Cuisinier Francois Francois Pierre de la Verne 226 00:13:28,520 --> 00:13:32,360 Speaker 1: gives the basic recipe, although his lax lemon juice. In 227 00:13:32,400 --> 00:13:35,760 Speaker 1: a recipe for asparagus in a sweet sauce, he writes, 228 00:13:36,240 --> 00:13:40,240 Speaker 1: make a sauce with very fresh butter, a little vinegar, salt, nutmeg, 229 00:13:40,320 --> 00:13:43,240 Speaker 1: and an egg yolk to thicken the sauce, being careful 230 00:13:43,360 --> 00:13:47,440 Speaker 1: that that doesn't turn as an aside. This is from 231 00:13:47,480 --> 00:13:50,960 Speaker 1: the Terence Scully translation of that cookbook. There are others 232 00:13:50,960 --> 00:13:53,720 Speaker 1: that may have slightly different wording because the translation is 233 00:13:53,720 --> 00:13:57,240 Speaker 1: just a little different. Uh Today, a hollandaise would include 234 00:13:57,320 --> 00:14:00,760 Speaker 1: lemon juice and perhaps even cayenne pepper, but it was 235 00:14:00,800 --> 00:14:05,800 Speaker 1: probably around even before that. That name. Hollandaise means Dutch sauce, 236 00:14:05,880 --> 00:14:08,800 Speaker 1: and it's believed by some to have traveled to France 237 00:14:08,920 --> 00:14:12,080 Speaker 1: via Hugueno who were returning to their home country after 238 00:14:12,160 --> 00:14:15,480 Speaker 1: having been exiled. There's a difference of opinion on that 239 00:14:15,600 --> 00:14:20,040 Speaker 1: last point, though. The sauce is sometimes attributed to Normandy 240 00:14:20,280 --> 00:14:24,320 Speaker 1: as the place of origin and to the town Isigny specifically. 241 00:14:24,920 --> 00:14:27,400 Speaker 1: The town is known for its butter, and you can 242 00:14:27,400 --> 00:14:30,720 Speaker 1: find the same recipe listed in some places as Sauce 243 00:14:30,920 --> 00:14:34,560 Speaker 1: isign Yee. It became known as Hollandaise thanks to prior 244 00:14:34,640 --> 00:14:38,440 Speaker 1: podcast subject august Escoffier, who listed it in his book 245 00:14:38,440 --> 00:14:42,320 Speaker 1: as the fifth mother sauce, although his predecessor and another 246 00:14:42,400 --> 00:14:45,760 Speaker 1: podcast subject, Marie Antoine Karem, had also used it and 247 00:14:45,800 --> 00:14:48,960 Speaker 1: called it that Karem did not listed as a mother sauce. 248 00:14:49,640 --> 00:14:52,760 Speaker 1: One possible reason for the change in name to Hollandaise 249 00:14:52,800 --> 00:14:54,840 Speaker 1: sauce may have been as simple as the change of 250 00:14:54,960 --> 00:14:58,120 Speaker 1: butter sauce from using butter that was made and is 251 00:14:58,160 --> 00:15:00,080 Speaker 1: an yee to butter that was made in Hollo and 252 00:15:00,760 --> 00:15:03,720 Speaker 1: so getting back to eggs Benedict. One claim to the 253 00:15:03,800 --> 00:15:08,200 Speaker 1: name origin of the dish is stockbroker Lemuel Benedict. Benedict 254 00:15:08,320 --> 00:15:11,000 Speaker 1: was successful and a ladies man, and a bit of 255 00:15:11,040 --> 00:15:13,560 Speaker 1: a dandy when it came to his appearance. He was 256 00:15:13,640 --> 00:15:16,040 Speaker 1: not a man who buried himself in work and laid 257 00:15:16,040 --> 00:15:19,040 Speaker 1: low in his downtime. He was from a wealthy and 258 00:15:19,120 --> 00:15:22,520 Speaker 1: conservative family, a family which did not appreciate the fact 259 00:15:22,560 --> 00:15:24,640 Speaker 1: that lem was kind of a New York party person, 260 00:15:25,200 --> 00:15:28,840 Speaker 1: very outgoing with the very flamboyant style. If you've ever 261 00:15:28,840 --> 00:15:32,000 Speaker 1: seen photos of wealthy folks out in the cold wearing 262 00:15:32,000 --> 00:15:35,400 Speaker 1: a raccoon skin coat limb was one of those. He 263 00:15:35,480 --> 00:15:38,520 Speaker 1: also allegedly carried a cane that had a flask built 264 00:15:38,560 --> 00:15:41,880 Speaker 1: into it, so no surprise based on that description, Lemuel 265 00:15:41,880 --> 00:15:45,120 Speaker 1: Benedict had a reputation for a fun waite. Staff in 266 00:15:45,120 --> 00:15:48,160 Speaker 1: the restaurants that he frequented loved him because he tipped 267 00:15:48,200 --> 00:15:51,680 Speaker 1: really generously. He was seen about town with a variety 268 00:15:51,720 --> 00:15:54,680 Speaker 1: of beautiful dates, and sometimes all of that party and 269 00:15:54,760 --> 00:15:57,840 Speaker 1: caught up to him in the form of an epic hangover. 270 00:15:58,600 --> 00:16:02,040 Speaker 1: According to the Lemue Little Benedict version of the Eggs 271 00:16:02,040 --> 00:16:06,680 Speaker 1: Benedict origin story, one morning in he sat down for 272 00:16:06,720 --> 00:16:09,880 Speaker 1: breakfast at the Waldorf Hotel, and he was feeling the 273 00:16:09,880 --> 00:16:13,840 Speaker 1: previous night's indulgence, and so he ordered a variety of 274 00:16:13,840 --> 00:16:17,800 Speaker 1: breakfast items, buttered toast, two poached eggs, and some bacon, 275 00:16:18,360 --> 00:16:23,800 Speaker 1: and also a picture of hollandaise sauce. I've paused because 276 00:16:23,840 --> 00:16:25,960 Speaker 1: I'm just thinking about how if I had a hangover, 277 00:16:26,040 --> 00:16:32,640 Speaker 1: this is not at all what would help me. Once 278 00:16:32,840 --> 00:16:35,760 Speaker 1: Lemuel had been brought his order, he said to have 279 00:16:35,760 --> 00:16:38,520 Speaker 1: assembled the items into two stacks and then poured the 280 00:16:38,520 --> 00:16:41,960 Speaker 1: sauce over them. So, according to this tale, he invented 281 00:16:42,000 --> 00:16:46,920 Speaker 1: this himself at his table. When Oscar Stirky, the major 282 00:16:47,000 --> 00:16:50,160 Speaker 1: d of the hotel, saw what the stockbroker had put together, 283 00:16:50,560 --> 00:16:52,880 Speaker 1: he duplicated that in the kitchen and found it to 284 00:16:52,920 --> 00:16:57,080 Speaker 1: be delightful, so subbing out an English muffin instead of 285 00:16:57,080 --> 00:16:59,880 Speaker 1: the toast, and Canadian bacon or ham instead of bacon 286 00:17:00,480 --> 00:17:03,840 Speaker 1: that went on to the menu. That version of the 287 00:17:03,840 --> 00:17:07,359 Speaker 1: origin story was repeated by The New Yorker on December eleven, 288 00:17:07,560 --> 00:17:11,040 Speaker 1: ninety two, in an article written by Thomas Dormus and 289 00:17:11,080 --> 00:17:15,000 Speaker 1: Russell Maloney that was simply titled Benedict. At that point, 290 00:17:15,080 --> 00:17:18,760 Speaker 1: Lemuel Benedict was still alive. He had married an opera 291 00:17:18,760 --> 00:17:21,320 Speaker 1: singer named Carrie Bridewell in nineteen o eight. He had 292 00:17:21,359 --> 00:17:24,240 Speaker 1: known all manner of famous and important people, and according 293 00:17:24,280 --> 00:17:27,240 Speaker 1: to the New Yorker quote, Benedict's has been a full 294 00:17:27,320 --> 00:17:31,040 Speaker 1: and happy life. He gave an interview for it as well, 295 00:17:31,080 --> 00:17:33,120 Speaker 1: and he died the year after that article came out 296 00:17:33,440 --> 00:17:37,119 Speaker 1: in three at the age of seventy six. He apparently 297 00:17:37,200 --> 00:17:40,880 Speaker 1: never transitioned over to the English muffin version of eggs Benedict. 298 00:17:40,920 --> 00:17:44,040 Speaker 1: He always preferred toast, and in that article about him 299 00:17:44,040 --> 00:17:46,800 Speaker 1: in the New Yorker. He gave the quote English muffins 300 00:17:46,800 --> 00:17:49,560 Speaker 1: are unpalatable, no matter how much they are toasted or 301 00:17:49,600 --> 00:17:57,040 Speaker 1: how they are served. Disagree. Uh. There is of course 302 00:17:57,080 --> 00:17:59,520 Speaker 1: a different story to how this dish got its name. 303 00:18:00,040 --> 00:18:04,480 Speaker 1: In article ran in Bonapaty about the dish, and in 304 00:18:04,600 --> 00:18:08,639 Speaker 1: that story there's a couple Mr and Mrs La gram Benedict, 305 00:18:08,800 --> 00:18:11,560 Speaker 1: for whom the dish is allegedly named. In this case, 306 00:18:11,640 --> 00:18:14,879 Speaker 1: this was invented at Delmonico's. That's a restaurant Lemuel was 307 00:18:14,920 --> 00:18:19,520 Speaker 1: said to have visited frequently. But this attribution actually predates 308 00:18:19,560 --> 00:18:23,440 Speaker 1: the Lemuel Benedict story by about thirty years, and this 309 00:18:23,560 --> 00:18:27,000 Speaker 1: version is one which Delmonico's continues to assert is true. 310 00:18:27,440 --> 00:18:31,680 Speaker 1: In the Delmonico's head cheft, Bill Olivia told her reporter quote, 311 00:18:31,880 --> 00:18:34,119 Speaker 1: what I know is simply that Mr and Mrs La 312 00:18:34,160 --> 00:18:37,560 Speaker 1: Grand Benedict came all the time. They had eaten everything 313 00:18:37,600 --> 00:18:39,520 Speaker 1: on the menu, and they were tired of the menu, 314 00:18:39,720 --> 00:18:43,400 Speaker 1: and they asked the brothers to create something new. In 315 00:18:43,440 --> 00:18:45,800 Speaker 1: this version of the story, the chef at the time, 316 00:18:45,920 --> 00:18:49,280 Speaker 1: Charles Ranhofer, conferred with the brothers who owned the restaurant 317 00:18:49,359 --> 00:18:52,560 Speaker 1: and they all came up with this dish. So rand 318 00:18:52,600 --> 00:18:57,399 Speaker 1: Hoffer had published a cookbook in titled The Epicure in 319 00:18:58,160 --> 00:19:01,879 Speaker 1: this had an eggs Benedict recipe in it, although it 320 00:19:01,960 --> 00:19:06,120 Speaker 1: was called eggs Alla Benedict. That recipe reads quote cuts 321 00:19:06,160 --> 00:19:09,760 Speaker 1: some muffins and halves cross wise, toast them without allowing 322 00:19:09,800 --> 00:19:13,800 Speaker 1: to brown. Then place a round of cooked ham an 323 00:19:13,800 --> 00:19:16,560 Speaker 1: eighth of an inch thick and of the same diameter 324 00:19:16,640 --> 00:19:19,800 Speaker 1: as the muffins on each half heat in a moderate oven, 325 00:19:19,920 --> 00:19:22,720 Speaker 1: and put a poached egg on each toast to cover 326 00:19:22,840 --> 00:19:26,560 Speaker 1: the whole with hollandaise sauce. Yeah, and that the spelling 327 00:19:26,640 --> 00:19:28,920 Speaker 1: of that, in case she couldn't hear, is different. It's 328 00:19:28,960 --> 00:19:31,200 Speaker 1: not Benedict with a T on the end, but Benedict 329 00:19:31,400 --> 00:19:33,240 Speaker 1: d I c K is the end of the name. 330 00:19:33,359 --> 00:19:36,840 Speaker 1: So that only muddles the story a bit more. For 331 00:19:36,920 --> 00:19:39,840 Speaker 1: a long time, a very long time, Lemuel Benedict's family, 332 00:19:40,000 --> 00:19:44,520 Speaker 1: primarily his cousin's son, Jack Benedict, really advocated for Lemuel 333 00:19:44,600 --> 00:19:47,800 Speaker 1: to be recognized as the originator of the dish. Jack 334 00:19:47,840 --> 00:19:51,040 Speaker 1: Benedict also operated a restaurant in Colorado for a while 335 00:19:51,160 --> 00:19:54,760 Speaker 1: called LC Benedict Restaurant in Tavern and he offered both 336 00:19:54,880 --> 00:19:57,600 Speaker 1: Lemuel's version of the dish with bacon and toast and 337 00:19:57,800 --> 00:20:01,280 Speaker 1: Oscar's version with ham in an English FM. So here's 338 00:20:01,280 --> 00:20:05,200 Speaker 1: a tidbit for a little extra intrigue. Those two stories 339 00:20:05,240 --> 00:20:09,720 Speaker 1: share more DNA than it initially appears. Oscar Sharkey worked 340 00:20:09,760 --> 00:20:13,360 Speaker 1: at Delmonico's as a waiter before moving on to the Waldorf, 341 00:20:13,400 --> 00:20:16,160 Speaker 1: and it's believed that he and Charles Ranhoff are worked 342 00:20:16,240 --> 00:20:19,760 Speaker 1: together for at least some period of time, So it 343 00:20:19,840 --> 00:20:22,679 Speaker 1: could have been a recipe that he already knew or 344 00:20:22,680 --> 00:20:25,879 Speaker 1: that he remembered once he saw Lemuel Benedict put something 345 00:20:25,960 --> 00:20:29,840 Speaker 1: similar together. We'll never really knew. Sharkey, who may be 346 00:20:30,000 --> 00:20:33,120 Speaker 1: the subject of a future episode, never confirmed or denied 347 00:20:33,240 --> 00:20:36,560 Speaker 1: the Lemuel version of the story during his lifetime. Yeah, 348 00:20:36,560 --> 00:20:39,400 Speaker 1: that four year is the key one where there's both 349 00:20:39,440 --> 00:20:45,240 Speaker 1: the Delmonico's recipe book and the invention at the Waldorf. 350 00:20:45,440 --> 00:20:49,399 Speaker 1: Uh So it's a little fuzzy. There is, though, also 351 00:20:49,600 --> 00:20:53,080 Speaker 1: a third and much older possible attribution of the name. 352 00:20:53,880 --> 00:20:57,600 Speaker 1: Pietro Orsini, better known as Pope Benedict the thirteen was 353 00:20:57,640 --> 00:21:00,280 Speaker 1: said to have been put on a dietary regiment of 354 00:21:00,320 --> 00:21:04,199 Speaker 1: toast and eggs because of chronic digestive issues, and he 355 00:21:04,320 --> 00:21:06,600 Speaker 1: is said to have added a lemon based sauce to 356 00:21:06,640 --> 00:21:11,720 Speaker 1: the otherwise rather boring dish. This version, devised during the 357 00:21:11,760 --> 00:21:14,040 Speaker 1: time that Benedict the thirteen was head of the Catholic 358 00:21:14,119 --> 00:21:18,359 Speaker 1: Church that was from seventeen thirty, is of course lacking 359 00:21:18,359 --> 00:21:22,080 Speaker 1: the delicious bacon or ham component, and was like Lemuels 360 00:21:22,160 --> 00:21:26,000 Speaker 1: on toast instead of English muffins. This was probably not 361 00:21:26,080 --> 00:21:30,320 Speaker 1: called eggs Benedict either, and sodent only. The word brunch 362 00:21:30,680 --> 00:21:34,560 Speaker 1: first appeared in print in eight and a Hunter's Weekly 363 00:21:34,720 --> 00:21:38,439 Speaker 1: article in which author Guy Berenger made a case for 364 00:21:38,520 --> 00:21:42,200 Speaker 1: a meal that offered an alternative to the usual traditions 365 00:21:42,200 --> 00:21:46,840 Speaker 1: of early breakfasts or heavy Sunday dinners. Advocated that brunch 366 00:21:47,000 --> 00:21:51,800 Speaker 1: was quote cheerful, sociable, and inciting. It is talk compelling. 367 00:21:52,119 --> 00:21:54,440 Speaker 1: It puts you in a good temper. It makes you 368 00:21:54,480 --> 00:21:58,119 Speaker 1: satisfied with yourself and your fellow beings. It sweeps away 369 00:21:58,200 --> 00:22:02,560 Speaker 1: the worries and cobwebs of the week. This article was 370 00:22:02,600 --> 00:22:05,520 Speaker 1: printed with a ps that read quote beer and whiskey 371 00:22:05,560 --> 00:22:09,719 Speaker 1: are admitted as substitutes for tea and coffee. Berenger might 372 00:22:09,760 --> 00:22:12,679 Speaker 1: be shocked at just how heavy brunch menus have become 373 00:22:12,800 --> 00:22:15,080 Speaker 1: over the years. But the timing of this article and 374 00:22:15,119 --> 00:22:17,879 Speaker 1: the timing of the Lemuel Benedict's story being so close 375 00:22:17,920 --> 00:22:22,320 Speaker 1: together might explain how the egg dish became such a 376 00:22:22,400 --> 00:22:27,200 Speaker 1: brunch standard. April sixt is incidentally Eggs Benedict Day. I'm 377 00:22:27,200 --> 00:22:29,200 Speaker 1: gonna market on my calendar, and you better believe I'm 378 00:22:29,240 --> 00:22:33,680 Speaker 1: making some. You can have it all woo, and I will. 379 00:22:33,760 --> 00:22:37,200 Speaker 1: When we come back, we will cover another eponymous food. 380 00:22:37,240 --> 00:22:39,880 Speaker 1: It is a salad and involves some seafood, and we'll 381 00:22:39,920 --> 00:22:42,480 Speaker 1: do that right after we pause to hear from the sponsors. 382 00:22:42,480 --> 00:22:54,439 Speaker 1: To keep stuff you missed in history class. Going next 383 00:22:54,520 --> 00:22:58,359 Speaker 1: up is another food with a hotly contested origin story, 384 00:22:58,440 --> 00:23:02,000 Speaker 1: and that is crab louis. You might see it spelled 385 00:23:02,160 --> 00:23:04,359 Speaker 1: like Louis with an S or Louie with an E, 386 00:23:04,680 --> 00:23:06,639 Speaker 1: but it is the same dish with either spelling, and 387 00:23:06,680 --> 00:23:09,840 Speaker 1: it is pretty much always pronounced crab louie. It starts 388 00:23:09,880 --> 00:23:12,080 Speaker 1: with a bed of iceberg lettuce, and on top of 389 00:23:12,119 --> 00:23:17,160 Speaker 1: that is usually a combination of tomato, hard boiled eggs, asparagus, 390 00:23:17,240 --> 00:23:19,880 Speaker 1: and crab. Some people also like to have lemon wedges, 391 00:23:20,280 --> 00:23:23,320 Speaker 1: but the crab is dressed in Louie dressing, and that 392 00:23:23,480 --> 00:23:27,240 Speaker 1: is where the magic happens. One very popular but now 393 00:23:27,320 --> 00:23:32,080 Speaker 1: defunct San Francisco restaurant, so Laria's Grill described the crab 394 00:23:32,160 --> 00:23:35,359 Speaker 1: and dressing preparation this way, quote take meat of crab 395 00:23:35,560 --> 00:23:39,400 Speaker 1: in large piece, and dress with the following one third mayonnaise, 396 00:23:39,560 --> 00:23:43,640 Speaker 1: two thirds chili sauce, small quantity chopped English chow chow, 397 00:23:44,080 --> 00:23:49,080 Speaker 1: a little Worcester sauce, and minced tarragon, shallots and sweet parsley, 398 00:23:49,240 --> 00:23:53,000 Speaker 1: season with salt and pepper, or keep on ice chow 399 00:23:53,119 --> 00:23:55,639 Speaker 1: chow if you don't know, that's a pickled relish. It 400 00:23:55,800 --> 00:23:58,280 Speaker 1: is fairly certain that Crab Louis popped up on the 401 00:23:58,320 --> 00:24:01,119 Speaker 1: West Coast, because it is his storyally been made with 402 00:24:01,280 --> 00:24:03,880 Speaker 1: Dungeoness crab, which comes from the waters off the west 403 00:24:03,920 --> 00:24:07,840 Speaker 1: coast of North America, but exactly where it started depends 404 00:24:07,880 --> 00:24:11,560 Speaker 1: on whose story you believe. There are several, although these 405 00:24:11,600 --> 00:24:14,320 Speaker 1: ones mostly lack the level of details some of our 406 00:24:14,359 --> 00:24:17,879 Speaker 1: other food origin stories include. So the first version we're 407 00:24:17,880 --> 00:24:20,720 Speaker 1: gonna look at is the Washington State origin. There are 408 00:24:20,720 --> 00:24:24,119 Speaker 1: two versions set there. One is pretty easily disproven with 409 00:24:24,160 --> 00:24:27,119 Speaker 1: a quick fact check so that one claims that crab 410 00:24:27,160 --> 00:24:31,840 Speaker 1: Louis existed in Seattle before nineteen o four. That data 411 00:24:31,920 --> 00:24:35,560 Speaker 1: is used in a story that Enrico Caruso, the Operatic Tenor, 412 00:24:35,880 --> 00:24:39,000 Speaker 1: visited Seattle on tour that year and eight at the 413 00:24:39,000 --> 00:24:43,560 Speaker 1: Olympic Hotel. Sometimes this is told with the Olympic Club 414 00:24:43,880 --> 00:24:47,439 Speaker 1: as the location. In this story, he was served crab 415 00:24:47,480 --> 00:24:50,560 Speaker 1: Louis and then immediately was enamored of it. He said 416 00:24:50,600 --> 00:24:53,040 Speaker 1: to have kept ordering more and more of it until 417 00:24:53,040 --> 00:24:56,480 Speaker 1: the kitchen ran out of ingredients. But the problem is 418 00:24:56,520 --> 00:24:59,240 Speaker 1: that Crusoe was not in Seattle in nineteen o four, 419 00:24:59,280 --> 00:25:03,280 Speaker 1: he actually ever performed there. This version, though, doesn't offer 420 00:25:03,320 --> 00:25:06,879 Speaker 1: any clues as to where the name would have come from. 421 00:25:06,920 --> 00:25:10,880 Speaker 1: The second Washington State version places crab Louie's origin about 422 00:25:10,920 --> 00:25:16,080 Speaker 1: two hundred seventy miles east of Seattle in Spokane, Washington. There, 423 00:25:16,240 --> 00:25:19,600 Speaker 1: the Davenport Hotel opened in nineteen fourteen, and it had 424 00:25:19,720 --> 00:25:22,600 Speaker 1: crab Louis on the menu when it opened. That was 425 00:25:22,720 --> 00:25:26,240 Speaker 1: named for the owner, Llewellyn Louis Davenport, who moved to 426 00:25:26,240 --> 00:25:30,240 Speaker 1: the Spokane Falls area from San Francisco in eighteen eighty nine. 427 00:25:30,960 --> 00:25:34,359 Speaker 1: The Davenport, incidentally, is also still around, although it is 428 00:25:34,400 --> 00:25:36,760 Speaker 1: now the Historic Davenport and it's part of a bigger 429 00:25:36,800 --> 00:25:40,200 Speaker 1: hotel group, and they still serve crab Louis and they 430 00:25:40,280 --> 00:25:43,600 Speaker 1: keep their dressing recipe a secret to this day. San 431 00:25:43,640 --> 00:25:47,000 Speaker 1: Francisco is a fairly serious claim to the invention of 432 00:25:47,000 --> 00:25:50,639 Speaker 1: this crab salad with pink dressing. A menu from a 433 00:25:50,680 --> 00:25:54,440 Speaker 1: restaurant called Burge Frank's Old Poodle Dog from nineteen o 434 00:25:54,560 --> 00:25:57,560 Speaker 1: eight had crab leg A Lla Louie on the menu. 435 00:25:58,280 --> 00:26:01,119 Speaker 1: It got the name from the chef Fluis Coutard, and 436 00:26:01,119 --> 00:26:04,199 Speaker 1: then Coutart had actually died before the restaurant opened, so 437 00:26:04,320 --> 00:26:07,440 Speaker 1: this was probably named in honor of him to keep 438 00:26:07,440 --> 00:26:11,480 Speaker 1: the public associating his established name on the San Francisco 439 00:26:11,560 --> 00:26:15,480 Speaker 1: food scene with this new eatery. But calling the Old 440 00:26:15,560 --> 00:26:19,080 Speaker 1: Poodle Dog Knew is not entirely accurate. So the Old 441 00:26:19,080 --> 00:26:22,080 Speaker 1: Poodle Dog was a sort of phoenix from the Ashes story. 442 00:26:22,320 --> 00:26:25,240 Speaker 1: There had been a Poodle Dog restaurant before the earthquake 443 00:26:25,280 --> 00:26:27,359 Speaker 1: and fires of nineteen o six, which we have talked 444 00:26:27,359 --> 00:26:31,200 Speaker 1: about on the show. Before. Burget Frank's Old Poodle Dog 445 00:26:31,280 --> 00:26:34,480 Speaker 1: was a joint venture of several restauranturs who had lost 446 00:26:34,520 --> 00:26:38,159 Speaker 1: their businesses in the fire. Louis Quittard had made a 447 00:26:38,280 --> 00:26:41,159 Speaker 1: name for himself as the head chef at Frank's Rotisserie, 448 00:26:41,880 --> 00:26:44,960 Speaker 1: the other burned restaurants that had been reborn in this 449 00:26:45,000 --> 00:26:49,320 Speaker 1: collaborative effort where the Bourget and the Poodle Dog. Another 450 00:26:49,359 --> 00:26:52,600 Speaker 1: San Francisco restaurant also laid claim to the invention of 451 00:26:52,640 --> 00:26:56,000 Speaker 1: crab Louis, and that was so Lari's grill. That's the 452 00:26:56,080 --> 00:26:58,720 Speaker 1: one that we mentioned at the beginning of this segment. 453 00:26:59,359 --> 00:27:02,639 Speaker 1: The year nine teen ten is sometimes mentioned here, but 454 00:27:02,680 --> 00:27:04,880 Speaker 1: the first time we can prove it was served there 455 00:27:04,920 --> 00:27:08,080 Speaker 1: was in nineteen fourteen, regardless though that link to Louis 456 00:27:08,119 --> 00:27:11,280 Speaker 1: Guitard would have been already established at that point. Yes, 457 00:27:11,359 --> 00:27:15,200 Speaker 1: so that seems a little late. Uh. Food historian Erica J. Peters, 458 00:27:15,240 --> 00:27:18,680 Speaker 1: who wrote the book San Francisco, a Food History, gave 459 00:27:18,720 --> 00:27:21,800 Speaker 1: a talk at the San Francisco Public Library and Feen 460 00:27:21,920 --> 00:27:25,200 Speaker 1: about the origins of crab Louis. You can actually find 461 00:27:25,200 --> 00:27:28,119 Speaker 1: that online. She talked about Louis Coutard and the belief 462 00:27:28,160 --> 00:27:31,040 Speaker 1: that he had actually started using chili sauce with creamy 463 00:27:31,080 --> 00:27:35,000 Speaker 1: mayonnaise to dress crab way back at Frank's rotisserie, even 464 00:27:35,040 --> 00:27:37,959 Speaker 1: before the earthquake and fires, although that dish was not 465 00:27:38,080 --> 00:27:41,640 Speaker 1: yet named for him. Then. In nineteen nineteen, another San 466 00:27:41,680 --> 00:27:47,199 Speaker 1: Francisco chef, Victor Herzler, wrote the Hotel St. Francis Cookbook 467 00:27:47,960 --> 00:27:51,040 Speaker 1: in that he included a variation on crab Louis, which 468 00:27:51,040 --> 00:27:54,639 Speaker 1: he called crab a la Louise. His recipe directs cooks 469 00:27:54,640 --> 00:27:58,360 Speaker 1: to quote use small fancy fish plates or salad plates 470 00:27:58,880 --> 00:28:01,879 Speaker 1: lay on each plates. Slices of the white hearts of 471 00:28:02,040 --> 00:28:06,200 Speaker 1: firm heads of lettuce lay on top. Some canned Spanish 472 00:28:06,200 --> 00:28:10,119 Speaker 1: pimentos using the brilliant red variety, which is sweet. On 473 00:28:10,240 --> 00:28:12,919 Speaker 1: top of this placed the crab meat, taking care not 474 00:28:13,000 --> 00:28:16,760 Speaker 1: to break it too small. Overall poor French dressing made 475 00:28:16,760 --> 00:28:21,560 Speaker 1: with tarragon vinegar well seasoned with freshly ground pepper. That 476 00:28:21,680 --> 00:28:25,159 Speaker 1: version obviously switches out chili sauce for pimentos, which is 477 00:28:25,200 --> 00:28:29,679 Speaker 1: probably why Hurzler shifted the name to Louise instead of Louis. 478 00:28:30,280 --> 00:28:33,480 Speaker 1: An earlier variation, published in the pan Pacific Cookbook in 479 00:28:33,600 --> 00:28:37,560 Speaker 1: nineteen fifteen, to coincide with the Panama Pacific International Exposition, 480 00:28:38,240 --> 00:28:41,800 Speaker 1: made another switch out. That one calls for ketchup instead 481 00:28:41,800 --> 00:28:46,960 Speaker 1: of chili sauce. There's another contender here, though, that is Portland, Oregon. 482 00:28:47,400 --> 00:28:51,440 Speaker 1: In Lve, the Portland Council of Jewish Women's Neighborhood cookbook 483 00:28:51,680 --> 00:28:55,320 Speaker 1: featured a recipe for crab Louis. This one just had lettuce, 484 00:28:55,520 --> 00:28:59,440 Speaker 1: hard boiled eggs and crab meat, and the Louis dressing 485 00:28:59,520 --> 00:29:02,360 Speaker 1: is a little of frint. That is three tablespoons of oil, 486 00:29:02,840 --> 00:29:06,680 Speaker 1: one tablespoon of vinegar, half a tablespoon of ketchup, two 487 00:29:06,720 --> 00:29:10,520 Speaker 1: tea spoons of Worcestershire sauce, paprika salt, and a tad 488 00:29:10,560 --> 00:29:14,680 Speaker 1: of English mustard. Fame chef and cookbook author James Beard 489 00:29:14,720 --> 00:29:18,440 Speaker 1: believed that the dish probably wasn't invented in Portland, but 490 00:29:18,640 --> 00:29:21,560 Speaker 1: it was at its finest in Portland at a restaurant 491 00:29:21,560 --> 00:29:24,880 Speaker 1: called The Bohemian that he frequented, and he included this 492 00:29:24,960 --> 00:29:27,240 Speaker 1: dish in his cookbook Or Derves and Kind of Bays, 493 00:29:27,360 --> 00:29:30,280 Speaker 1: as well as subsequent books, making little tweaks to the 494 00:29:30,320 --> 00:29:35,320 Speaker 1: recipe each time. So the earliest written evidence for crab 495 00:29:35,360 --> 00:29:39,280 Speaker 1: Louie's origin does indeed seem to be San Francisco. In 496 00:29:39,320 --> 00:29:42,560 Speaker 1: the nod to Louis guitar, but the dish spread and 497 00:29:42,640 --> 00:29:46,240 Speaker 1: popularity really quickly in the early nineteen hundreds. How he 498 00:29:46,280 --> 00:29:50,080 Speaker 1: found a nineteen fifteen newspaper ad for a Thanksgiving feast 499 00:29:50,120 --> 00:29:54,280 Speaker 1: in Bakersfield, California, almost three hundred miles south of San Francisco, 500 00:29:54,760 --> 00:29:57,240 Speaker 1: which featured Crab Louis Is one of its offerings. So 501 00:29:57,360 --> 00:30:00,040 Speaker 1: by that time that was well known enough to he 502 00:30:00,120 --> 00:30:05,040 Speaker 1: considered a draw for holiday customers that was incidentally at 503 00:30:05,040 --> 00:30:09,360 Speaker 1: the St. Francis Cafe, different apparently from the Hotel St. 504 00:30:09,400 --> 00:30:13,480 Speaker 1: Francis in San Francisco, though the proprietor was named Louis Allen. 505 00:30:14,080 --> 00:30:19,600 Speaker 1: There's so many Louis. There are also some theories that 506 00:30:19,680 --> 00:30:22,480 Speaker 1: you'll see that it was actually named for Louis the 507 00:30:22,520 --> 00:30:26,320 Speaker 1: fourteenth because of his exceptional love of food, but we 508 00:30:26,360 --> 00:30:29,000 Speaker 1: don't have any evidence that it actually exists in them 509 00:30:29,280 --> 00:30:32,400 Speaker 1: or that anybody named it specifically after him. I did 510 00:30:32,400 --> 00:30:36,320 Speaker 1: not find any sort of international or national day that's 511 00:30:36,320 --> 00:30:39,040 Speaker 1: Crab Louis Day, but that seems like a horrible oversight 512 00:30:39,120 --> 00:30:45,800 Speaker 1: on on the world's first. Every day is Crab Louis Day. Um. 513 00:30:45,840 --> 00:30:47,960 Speaker 1: I love talking about food. I have so many things 514 00:30:48,000 --> 00:30:50,080 Speaker 1: to talk about in the behind the scenes on this one, 515 00:30:50,720 --> 00:30:53,840 Speaker 1: including an idea I had while we were reading. But 516 00:30:54,400 --> 00:30:56,200 Speaker 1: before we do that, I'm gonna do a listener mail. 517 00:30:56,320 --> 00:30:59,040 Speaker 1: And this is from our listeners, Zach, who writes high 518 00:30:59,040 --> 00:31:01,760 Speaker 1: there and Happy New Year. I loved y'all's recent episode 519 00:31:01,800 --> 00:31:05,200 Speaker 1: about snowflake photography. While listening to it, I remembered an 520 00:31:05,200 --> 00:31:08,040 Speaker 1: odd book of water crystal photos on my art shelf, 521 00:31:08,240 --> 00:31:10,400 Speaker 1: but I couldn't recall if it was by Bentley or not. 522 00:31:11,240 --> 00:31:13,160 Speaker 1: Then when I went to have a look, it was 523 00:31:13,240 --> 00:31:15,680 Speaker 1: so much weirder than I remembered that I've felt I 524 00:31:15,720 --> 00:31:18,400 Speaker 1: had to share it with you. These are photos taken 525 00:31:18,440 --> 00:31:22,320 Speaker 1: of individual water crystals formed after being exposed to various 526 00:31:22,320 --> 00:31:27,240 Speaker 1: stimuli such as music, semi plausible and abstract concepts such 527 00:31:27,280 --> 00:31:31,080 Speaker 1: as beauty, truth, et cetera. Somehow, I think this whole 528 00:31:31,120 --> 00:31:34,600 Speaker 1: concept fits rather nicely into Bentley's worldview. I can almost 529 00:31:34,600 --> 00:31:37,800 Speaker 1: imagine him writing about this project in a scientific magazine. 530 00:31:38,200 --> 00:31:41,000 Speaker 1: I'm attaching a few pictures for your enjoyment. Also one 531 00:31:41,040 --> 00:31:44,880 Speaker 1: of my cats, Johnny, is seventeen and an operatic countertenor, 532 00:31:44,960 --> 00:31:48,320 Speaker 1: among many other professions. Here he is reading Sherlock Holme 533 00:31:48,400 --> 00:31:52,320 Speaker 1: stories there's another cat, Ruby and intrepid tripod Tabby. She 534 00:31:52,360 --> 00:31:54,960 Speaker 1: does not like to have her picture taken. I hope 535 00:31:55,000 --> 00:31:57,840 Speaker 1: y'all are having a lovely holiday season and that two 536 00:31:57,880 --> 00:32:01,280 Speaker 1: starts off with ease. Thanks for keeping the podcast going, Zach, 537 00:32:01,320 --> 00:32:04,640 Speaker 1: thank you so much because one adorable kiddies, but too, 538 00:32:04,960 --> 00:32:06,920 Speaker 1: This is very cool and I think you're right. I 539 00:32:06,960 --> 00:32:10,760 Speaker 1: think Bentley would be delighted as heck over these strangely 540 00:32:10,960 --> 00:32:17,040 Speaker 1: stimulated ice crisp um. It kind of reminds me of 541 00:32:17,080 --> 00:32:20,719 Speaker 1: the experiment that you we have all probably seen pictures 542 00:32:20,720 --> 00:32:24,760 Speaker 1: of online at various points where spiders were given various 543 00:32:24,800 --> 00:32:29,720 Speaker 1: different um drugs or stimulants and then they did their webs. 544 00:32:29,800 --> 00:32:32,520 Speaker 1: It's like that, except it's ice. Uh, there's no actual 545 00:32:32,560 --> 00:32:36,160 Speaker 1: animal involved of any kind. But it's very fascinating. If 546 00:32:36,240 --> 00:32:38,560 Speaker 1: you would like to write to us with fascinating things 547 00:32:38,680 --> 00:32:41,200 Speaker 1: or just mundane things that you think might be interesting 548 00:32:41,240 --> 00:32:43,520 Speaker 1: to us, that's cool. You can do that at History 549 00:32:43,560 --> 00:32:46,440 Speaker 1: Podcast at iHeart radio dot com. You can also find 550 00:32:46,480 --> 00:32:49,320 Speaker 1: us on social media as Missed in History, and you 551 00:32:49,360 --> 00:32:51,640 Speaker 1: can subscribe to the podcast on the I heart radio 552 00:32:51,680 --> 00:32:59,880 Speaker 1: app or anywhere you listen to your favorite shows. Stuff 553 00:32:59,880 --> 00:33:01,840 Speaker 1: you Missed in History Class is a production of I 554 00:33:02,000 --> 00:33:05,400 Speaker 1: heart Radio. 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