Omelette de la mère Poulard facts for kids
The Omelette de la mère Poulard is a very special omelette from France. It was created by a woman named Anne Boutiaut Poulard, also known as Mother Poulard, in the 1800s. You can find it in Mont Saint-Michel, a famous island in France. This omelette is served at her restaurant, La Mère Poulard, and other places on the island. Many people say it's one of the most famous omelettes in the world! It's a big reason why tourists visit Mont-Saint-Michel, which is the second most-visited place in France after Paris. Kings, queens, presidents, and celebrities have all enjoyed this unique dish. It's truly a food symbol of Mont-Saint-Michel.
Contents
How the Famous Omelette Was Created
Annette Boutiaut Poulard created this special omelette. It became a famous dish in the Mont-Saint-Michel area of Normandy, France. In 1873, Mother Poulard and her husband ran an inn on the island. The ocean tides made it hard to know when travelers would arrive. This made it tricky to plan meals for guests.
So, Mother Poulard created the omelette to solve this problem. It was a quick appetizer that could be made fast. This meant guests had something to eat while waiting for their main meal. Over time, the omelette became a well-known food symbol of Mont-Saint-Michel. By 1932, almost every restaurant in the city had it on their menu.
How the Omelette is Made
There are different ideas about how to make this omelette. Some people say you should beat the egg yolks and whites separately. Then, you fold them together. But Mother Poulard herself said something simpler. She told someone she "took the eggs and beat them as they were."
To cook it, butter or a creamy sauce called crème fraîche is put into a hot copper pan. The pan goes into a hot oven until the butter melts. Then, the egg mixture is added. The pan is then placed over a wood-fired flame to cook.
Mother Poulard once shared her simple recipe:
Monsieur Viel,
Here is the recipe for the omelette: I break some good eggs in a bowl, I beat them well, I put a good piece of butter in the pan, I throw the eggs into it, and I shake it constantly. I am happy, monsieur, if this recipe pleases you.—Annette Poulard
In 2019, a cooking writer named Felicity Cloake suggested whisking whole eggs very fast for four minutes. She said they should become "almost like a mousse." Then, you pour them into a hot, oiled pan. An old story from 1897 describes Mother Poulard breaking a dozen eggs into boiling fat. She would shake them, hold them over the fire for a minute, and then fold them onto a dish.
Enjoying the Omelette
The finished omelette is rolled onto a plate. It can be served plain or with different toppings. People say it has a light smell of wood smoke.
In Mother Poulard's time, the omelette was part of a meal that always included the same foods. This meal had ham, fried sole fish, saltmarsh lamb chops with potatoes, roast chicken, salad, and dessert. Before World War I, this whole meal cost 2.50 old francs.
As of 2017, the omelette cost about €34 at La Mère Poulard. This was considered a very high price for an omelette in France. By 2018, the restaurant was using 450,000 eggs each year to make these famous omelettes!
Why the Omelette is So Famous
This omelette is known as one of the most famous in the world. It is a major tourist attraction in Mont-Saint-Michel, just like the Mont Saint Michel Abbey. Mont-Saint-Michel is one of the most visited places in France, second only to Paris. Many important people have eaten this omelette. This includes kings and queens from Europe and Japan, presidents from the United States and France, British prime ministers, and famous people like writer Ernest Hemingway and fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent.
There's a fun superstition about the omelette and French presidents. The saying goes, "Omelette tu mangeras, président tu seras" which means "eat the omelette, and president you will become." It started with a politician named Georges Clemenceau. He visited Mont-Saint-Michel but didn't eat the omelette, and he lost his election.
Later, Charles de Gaulle, Georges Pompidou, and François Mitterrand all ate the omelette before they won their elections. Édouard Balladur visited but didn't eat it because he arrived late, and he lost to Jacques Chirac, who did eat the omelette. In 2007, Nicolas Sarkozy started his successful election campaign from Mont-Saint-Michel and made sure to eat the omelette.
