Throughout France's culinary history, there have been many chefs who loved what they did and took French cuisine to new heights. However, there was one chef who became famous precisely for his desire to leave the kitchen, where he excelled, and become an actor.
The cook's name is Cyprien Ragueneau and he was born in 1608 in Paris. Since his parents owned an inn, it was only natural that he would enter the restaurant business and open a food shop at 149 Rue Saint-Honoré. Since he was an excellent cook, he managed to accumulate quite a few famous clients, including Richelieu, who was very fond of his liver pâté. Cyprien was a book lover and an amateur poet, and as such he extended his patronage to poets Paris The poor, to whom he gave free food in exchange for a song or even a rhyme or two. One day, Molière came to his shop and following this meeting, Cyprien was captivated by the magic of the theater and decided to close the business and join Molière's troupe despite the opposition of his family. However, to his great regret, Cyprien did not excel in acting as he excelled in cooking and slowly began to receive smaller and smaller roles. Eventually, Cyprien deteriorated in the hierarchy of the troupe to the point that his last role was to blow out the candles at the end of the play. Seven disappointments and nothing Cyprien died in Lyon in 1654.
Although he died penniless and forgotten, Cyprian managed to leave behind both a theatrical and a culinary legacy. Theatrically, he left behind his daughter Ariragno (1639-1727), who joined him in the company of Molière Initially as a maid. Molière noticed her comic talent and began to give her increasingly larger roles until she became the most important comic actress in his company. In 1672 she married the actor Charles de la Grange and continued to appear with him in the “Comédie Française”. Her acting career lasted until 1692 and Marie, who managed to accumulate a pension of 1000 livres, a handsome sum for that time, decided to retire and move to Paris where she died at the age of 87.
Another character who would give eternal life to the memory of Cyprien Ragonno was Ercole Sabignan Cyrano de Bergerac (1619-1655). Cyrano de Bergerac, who became famous in his lifetime as a soldier and poet, often stayed at Ragonno's shop and was one of his best friends. About 250 years later, the playwright Edmond Rostand (1868-1918) read the turbulent life story of Cyrano de Bergerac and decided to create a play based on his life while "gluing" a giant nose to the character (apparently the real Cyrano's nose was only slightly longer than average). The play, which was first performed in 1897 and became a huge success and was subsequently translated into many languages and later even filmed several times (the most famous version was created in 1990 and stars Gérard Depardieu). Thanks to this show, we were able to receive the recipe for Schlaragneau's almond torte (his only surviving recipe), because it is presented to the viewer in rhyme:
Whip in bold curls
Number of eggs.
Mix with a whisk tic-tac
Lemon juice is delicious,
Then mix
In sweet almond milk.
Spread with dough – internally –
the pattern
The cake will be created.
Watch the side with marmalade
And now in the overflow and pouring
Drizzle your whipped cream.
To the structure within which –
And from the oven in dances
Coming out golden and lovely –
Almond torte cakes!
(Translated by Dori Parnes)
enjoy your meal!
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