A map of France can be drawn one of two ways. The administrative way, with departments, regions, and prefecture seats precisely indicated. Or the gastronomic way, where each territory's cuisine holds strong before fading into the influences of a neighboring territory. This mapping, while much more subtle recounts French history as much as any border-ridden map. A country's cuisine tells the story of its people. Its ingredients, dishes, and tastes, express the history of a people and come to define France's regional identities.
Many dishes have forged France's culinary glory, and a lot of these dishes were handed down from past generations, where mothers and wives fed their families with economical, easy-to-find ingredients. The port city of Marseilles has its bouillabaisse, the pastoral Alps boast cheese and cold cuts dishes, made with ingredients that could keep during their rude winters. And perhaps no regional dish has come to represent French cooking better than the classic quiche Lorraine. With its few, simple ingredients and easy-as-pie preparation, quiche Lorraine livens up any meal, giving it a French twist without all the culinary expertise normally associated with la cuisine française.
A Few Rules for an Authentic Quiche Lorraine
Like all recipes that have been passed down through generations, no two recipes create the same quiche lorraine. However, some true Lorraines hold firm to a few ideas when it comes to their hallmark dish. While many reputable cookbooks and local brasseries call to replace half, and sometimes all, of the cream with milk, many true quiche defenders cry heresy at this attack on the quiche's richness. And to lay it on even thicker, many Lorraines specify that the cream should be stiff crème fraîche, not liquid cream. Of course, any of these ingredients will work and just as the Lorraine people, this dish adapts itself over time. Just in the last century, Lorraine was German, French, German again, and most recently, French. Its people have changed nationalities without changing houses and seen their national language flip-flop with each border shift, but the constant quiche remains steadfast.
Some recipes call for shredded cheese—swiss, gruyère, or emmental. Again, these ingredients should never find their way into a true quiche Lorraine, but as with any recipe, let your taste guide you.
A Touch of History
But where did the quiche Lorraine originate? In Lorraine, yes, but why? The word "quiche" comes from the German "kuchen," meaning cake. Given the history of the region, it isn't surprising that Germany had such influence in Lorraine kitchens. Those administrative borders disappear and the gastronomic ones begin fading in again.
In fact, as far back as 1550, quiches regaled the royal court in Nancy, but the quiche Lorraine that we know today only goes as far back as the 19th century. Here's a delicious and simple recipe for an authentic quiche Lorraine.
Authentic Quiche Lorraine Recipe
Ingredients:
- Filo dough or 1 pie crust
- 3 eggs
- 30 cl /10 fl oz cream
- 200 g/7 oz lardons or thick cut smoked bacon, cut into small pieces
- salt and pepper
Preparation
- Place the pie crust or filo dough in a pie plate. Poke the bottom and sides with a fork to prevent puffing during baking.
- Break the eggs into a bowl and beat them.
- Add the lardons or bacon and the cream. Mix well.
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Pour this mix into the pie crust.
- Bake at 220°C /430°F for 20-25 minutes, until the top of the quiche is browned.
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