DID YOU KNOW?
What a pleasure it is for me to offer you this traditional recipe from a region of French-speaking Switzerland that is very dear to me: the Broye vaudoise!
Perhaps because I live in this region, but above all because this recipe symbolizes everything I like about our gastronomy: the terroir and traditions. This recipe is very rare. In fact, it's generally passed down from mother to daughter, and each of these family recipes is better than the one next door!
Did you know that this recipe has been part of Switzerland's culinary heritage since the 15th century, in 1458 to be precise? Marking the end of the winter solstice, which was widely perceived as a period of deprivation, the Brandons were an opportunity to
celebrate "Renewal" and the abundance that was missing from the table. And so it was with dancing in the squares of Moudon and Payerne. In this way, young people met and the elders exchanged news while keeping an eye on the young!
And so the time came for the carnival, the brandons, the end of which was marked by the setting on fire of a large figure symbolizing the "Bonhomme hiver" (Winter Man)! Made of straw and wood, he looks more like a scarecrow than anything else! However, back in the day, it was also used to burn all those putrid, foul-smelling leftovers still lying around in the pantries!
One last thing: the word "Brandons" means torches that were set alight to keep the party going later than usual!
