What's a "trou"?
The "trou" is a hole and old.
It used to be believed that drinking a little strong alcohol in the middle of a meal helped digestion. The Latin poet Terence (2nd century BC) already practiced this. In the 19th century, this habit of making a "hole" in the meal to allow the rest of the food to pass through became the norm, and you couldn't have a festive meal without a hole in the meal. The organizer would bring out his or her own production, and this was a way of having it tasted and praised (even when it wasn't good). The most famous is the trou normand, but there are others.
A glass of rum for the Creole hole. Image chosen by monsieurdefrance.com: Image by Felix Wolf from Pixabay
When are we going to do the hole in Normandy?
Originally, until the end of the last century, it consisted of drinking a glass of regional hard liquor neat. Since then, ice has been added to give it a fresher taste and to lessen the effect of the alcohol. It is traditionally served between the two "meats", i.e. in the middle of the meal. It has long been proven that it doesn't help digestion, but the tradition has stuck.
How do you serve it?
It's as simple as this: a small port glass if you're offering it "cul-sec", or a large champagne glass into which you pour a little of your chosen spirit and then add a scoop of ice . As far as possible, the ice should match the alcohol served. We always use sorbet.
Which Trous for which regions?
The trou normand was always accompanied by drinking songs, in other words, naughty songs. Cigarettes were also offered. Image chosen by monsieurdefrance.com: Gallica.fr / BNF.
Trou Normand
Apple and calvados ice cream.
Trou Lorrain
Mirabelle plum ice cream and Mirabelle plum brandy
Trou Alsacien
Marc de Gewurtztraminer lemon ice cream ;
Trou Bourguignon
Ice cream (your choice...) and marc de Bourgogne
Trou Champagne
Ice cream (your choice of grapefruit or apple) andchampagne marc or ratafia
A trou normand featured on a menu from the 1900s. Source de monsieurdefrance.com : Périgueux, Médiathèque Pierre Fanlac, Pellisson_34r_a via gallica.fr / BNF
Trou Charentais
Melon and cognac ice cream
Trou Creole
Pineapple and rum ice cream
Trou Gascon
Apple and armagnac ice cream
Trou Berrichon
Pear ice cream and pear brandy.
WARNING: alcohol is strictly forbidden to minors. Alcohol abuse is dangerous for your health. Drink in moderation.
