Oille facts for kids

Oille is a traditional French soup that is thought to be an early version of another famous French dish, pot-au-feu. It's a hearty meal made with different kinds of meats and vegetables cooked together.

What is Oille?

Oille is a very old French dish, often described as a type of potée. A potée is a thick soup or stew, usually cooked in a single pot. Oille is special because it combines various meats and many vegetables, making it a filling and nutritious meal.

Where Does the Name "Oille" Come From?

The name oille might come from the Spanish dish olla podrida, which is also a rich stew. However, it's more likely that the name comes from the French word oule. In southwestern France, an oule is a special earthenware pot used for cooking. This suggests that the dish was named after the pot it was cooked in!

Many beautiful pot-à-oille (tureens, which are serving bowls for soup) can be seen in museums today. Some of these are very fancy, showing that people from all parts of society, rich or poor, enjoyed oille. The ingredients would change depending on what people could afford.

Types of Oille

There were mainly three kinds of oille known in France:

• Grand-oille: This was a very old soup, popular around the time of Louis XIII, a king of France. It was also known as Ouille-en-pot and was mentioned in letters by Madame de Maintenon, an important lady in the French court.
• Olla podrida: This is actually a Spanish dish. For a time in France, it was a special rule that this dish had to be served to important Spanish visitors.
• Oille-moderne à la française: This means "modern oille in the French style," which was a newer version of the dish.

How Oille Was Made

An old recipe for oille shows just how rich and complex this dish could be. It included:

• Meats: Chicken and pigeons (often stuffed and tied up), beef, and veal.
• Vegetables: Onions, parsnips, carrots, turnips, leeks, purslane, orach, and chard.

All these ingredients were simmered slowly together for about five hours. Simmering means cooking gently just below boiling point.

After cooking, thin slices of lightly toasted bread were placed at the bottom of a large serving bowl called a tureen. This was heated until the bread started to stick slightly to the bottom. The cooked birds were then carefully taken out of the soup and placed on top of the bread. Finally, the rest of the soup was strained (meaning the liquid was separated from the solid bits) and poured over the birds and bread. The remaining cooked meat and vegetables were usually not served with this part of the dish.

See also

In Spanish: Oille para niños