The History of Coq Au Vin

My simplified recipe for Coq Au Vin

This is just a short snip it on the history of this wonderful dish,

First of all the Coq in Coq Au VIn means Rooster not Chicken!

While this may have started out as a dish to use the
old rooster that finally retired after making lots of baby chickens,
the meat would be very tough, so it would be braised or stewed
a long time to tenderize it.

Also there are very few roosters compared to hens.
Today you would almost always get a chicken instead.

There is another reason though that this dish has a significance
as being called Coq Au Vin,

Very few people probably understand why the rooster is the symbol of France.

The rooster, known as "Le Coq Gaulois" in French,
has been associated with France for centuries.
One reason for this is its historical significance during the Roman era.
In Latin, "gallus" means both "rooster" and "inhabitant of Gaul,"
which was the Roman name for the region that includes present-day France.
The rooster became a symbol of the people of Gaul and their independent spirit.

Another cool thing about Coq Au Vin, is that when it is prepared traditionaly it is garnished with rooster comb

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Here is another bit of history.

Julia Child cooking Coq Au VIn
one of her episodes of "The French Chef" on PBS back in the 60's

My simple recipe for Coq Au VIn

For Nerds;
This is a nice writing from 1913 from Culinary writer, Edward Richardin's
first encounter with Coq Au Vin, that was cooked from a recipe handed down
in the 1500's

There is no more delicious pleasure than wandering through the small towns and large towns of our central and south-western provinces. In these somewhat lost corners of the old rancid, we are poorly housed. I agree that, generally, we are well fed there. It is a compensation. Cooking has always been one of the main coquetry of Gallic housewives; with us, the tradition of succulent dishes is passed down from mother to daughter. Here is a recipe that I picked up on the summit of Puy-de-Dome. The restaurateur at the inn at the Temple of Mercure made me eat a “coq au vin.” I I am delighted. I called the “operator” and asked her to tell me her secret; he went to get a notebook dating from the 16th century, and I copied the following lines in it:

"The true and wonderful reception of the "coq au vin", as it was imagined and perfected by the late master Bertrand, who ran a hostelry under the name of "Mercure Gallois", at the time of the good king Henry, who wanted order his subjects to put the chicken in the pot on Sundays and holidays.

Therefore, when you want to cook the "coq au vin", you must take a Jenet de Limagne chicken, and, having nimbly killed it, cut it into six quarters; then, in a coquemare or earthenware pot, brown over the fire half, together three ounces of lean and firm pork bacon, cut in the shape of playing dice, an ounce and a half of fresh butter, plus some small onions.

As soon as the ingredients have returned, throw the said chicken into your shell and stuff it with a clove of finely chopped garlic, add a bunch of parsley and other fragrant plants like thyme and bay leaf, without forgetting morels or mushrooms; tenés covered over high heat, so that everything is a nice burp color, similar everywhere, then remove the cover and gently remove the excess fat. What if, then, you have a finger of old brandy, or even Armagnac, sprinkle the chicken with ycelle, then flambes. And on top of everything, sprinkle a pint of good old wine, preferably from the region of Chanturgue, and when then the chicken, spices, wine sauce are cooked to perfection, serve hot, coated with melted butter mixed with fine fleur of white wheat.

"Follow these prescriptions to the letter. You will tell me about them. I have tried some myself (because I pride myself on being, in my time, a fairly good master chef. I declare, without false modesty , that my "coq au vin" was a great success. Needless to add that chicken or hen can be substituted for the rooster...But the rooster, on the menu, looks better. By eating the "rooster to wine" we think of Chantecler! Adolphe Brisson."
--- The Art of Eating Well , Edmond Richardin [Editions D'Art et de Litterature:Paris] 1913 (p. 34-5)

[1938]
"Coq au vin (from an old recipe).--Cut a young Limagne chicken into six quarters. In an earthenware pot, brown in 45 g of butter, 90 g of lean bacon, size in and small onions. When they have returned, throw the chicken quarters, a finely chopped garlic clove, a bouquet garni, morels or mushrooms into your pot. Brown covered over high heat, uncover, degrease. Sprinkle with "a finger of good brandy, flambé and sprinkle half a liter of old Auvergne wine over the whole thing. After cooking over a high heat, take out the chicken, sprinkle it with its sauce made with Beurre Manie."
--- Larousse Gastronomique , Prosper Montagne [Librarie Larousse:Paris] 1938 (p. 354)