History

The dish belongs to the Marne town of Sainte-Menehould. Legends say Charles VII ate trotters there in 1435, and that in 1730 a clumsy cook left them to cook all night; a local tradition based on a story by Camille Desmoulins holds that Louis XVI was caught at Varennes because he lingered over them. In 18th-century cookbooks such as Menon's (1739), à la Sainte-Menehould meant a cooking broth or marinade used for poultry, fish and trotters, not a sauce; the long boil is what lets the whole trotter be eaten, bones included.

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Common allergens: Gluten, Eggs, Mustard

Make it at home

Yield Serves 4Hands-on 30 minTotal 5 hrDifficulty Intermediate

Ingredients

  • 4 pig's trotters, cleaned, each tied in muslin or bound with string
  • 1 onion stuck with 2 cloves, 2 carrots, 1 bouquet garni
  • 250ml dry white wine
  • 60g melted butter
  • 2 tbsp Dijon or Reims mustard
  • 100g dried breadcrumbs
  • Salt and black pepper

Method

  1. Put the bound trotters in a pan with the onion, carrots, bouquet garni and wine, cover with water and simmer very gently for 4 hours, topping up with hot water.
  2. Let them cool in the broth, then drain and unwrap them carefully, keeping them whole.
  3. Brush the trotters with mustard and melted butter and roll them in the breadcrumbs.
  4. Grill under a hot grill for about 10 minutes, turning, until crisp and golden.

Tip from the editors. Binding the trotters before the long simmer keeps them in shape; serve with mustard and a green salad dressed sharply.

Where to eat pied de porc à la sainte-menehould

Pied de porc à la Sainte-Menehould in Reims

Featured by TableJourney as a signature dish of Reims. See where to eat Pied de porc à la Sainte-Menehould in Reims or the Reims signature dishes guide.

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