Alexandre Étienne Choron facts for kids
Alexandre Étienne Choron (born in Caen, France, in 1837 – died in 1924) was a famous French chef. He was the head chef at the well-known restaurant Voisin in Paris. Choron is best known for inventing a special sauce called Choron sauce. This sauce is a type of béarnaise sauce made richer with tomato paste.
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Eating During the Siege of Paris
Choron became famous for the food he served during the Siege of Paris. This siege began on September 19, 1870, when Prussian forces surrounded the city. During this difficult time, people in Paris had very little food. They even had to eat animals like cats, dogs, and rats to survive.
Wealthy people, however, did not want to eat these common animals. So, fancy restaurants like Voisin still had many customers. As food supplies ran low, these restaurants had to get creative. Chef Choron at Voisin started serving dishes made from exotic animals.
The Legendary Christmas Menu of 1870
For the Christmas meal in 1870, Choron created a truly legendary menu. Most of the food came from animals kept at the Jardin d'acclimatation, which was one of Paris's zoos.
The menu included:
- Stuffed head of donkey
- Elephant consommé (a clear soup)
- Roasted camel
- Kangaroo stew
- Bear shanks roasted in pepper sauce
- Wolf in deer sauce
- Cat with rat
- Antelope in truffle sauce
The wines served with this meal were also very special. They included Mouton-Rothschild 1846, Romanée-Conti 1858, and Château Palmer 1864.
Elephant Dishes Become Famous
Choron became especially well-known for his elephant dishes. These included Trompe d’éléphant in sauce chasseur (elephant trunk in hunter's sauce) and Éléphant bourguignon (elephant stew).
After the elephants from the Jardin d'acclimatation were used for the Christmas dinner, two more elephants were eaten. These were Castor and Pollux from Paris's jardin zoologique. They were served at Voisin on December 31, 1870.
In early January, an elephant from the Jardin des Plantes (Paris's botanical garden) was also sent to be butchered. Chef Choron bought this elephant for his restaurant. He paid 15 francs per pound for the meat. By January 13, Voisin had run out of elephant meat. They then started serving horse meat instead. The siege finally ended two weeks later.
See also
In Spanish: Alexandre Étienne Choron para niños
