The year: 52 B.C. The scene: The Battle of Gergovia, in modern-day Auvergne, France, between the Romans, led by Julius Caesar, and the Gallic people, led by Vercingetorix. The day before the battle, the story goes, Vercingetorix sent a rooster to Caesar as a warning about the bravery and fierceness of the French troops he was about to face. A few hours later, Caesar invited Vercingetorix over for dinner. On the menu? Vercingetorix’s valiant rooster, chopped up and cooked in wine. Or so goes perhaps the most famous legend behind coq au vin—literally “rooster in wine”—an iconic French dish from the country’s rustic cooking repertoire. As with many classic recipes, coq au vin’s origins are debated, and they fuel many legends. Perhaps a less dramatized explanation for the dish is that it was originally developed by resourceful French cooks to tenderize the tough meat of older roosters. Coq au vin …
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