 |
| Image courtesy of Pixabay |
Sleuths seeking the origin of omelets can't say for sure who invented the omelet. Some food historians trace the dish to the Persian Empire and others to Ancient Rome. Ovemele was the name of a Roman dish of egg sweetened with honey. A 17th century French cookbook uses a similar word:aumelette. By the 18th century omelette became the standard spelling in France and Britain, though the word is shortened to omeletin American English.
The dish is a favorite of HerculePoirot, Agatha Christie’s detective with the egg-shaped head. In her story, “The Third Floor Flat,” he declares, “Me, I have a passionfor the omelettes.” He even gives an omelet cooking lesson in Mrs.McGinty’s Dead (1952). He is stuck at a guesthouse, having to eat foodprepared by Maureen Summerhayes, his landlady and possibly the worst cook inEngland. Her name comes up in a later book, CatAmong the Pigeons (1959), when her nephew says, “Aunt Maureen makessmashing omelettes.” The detective sighs with satisfaction and says, “ThenHercule Poirot has not lived in vain. It was I who taught your Aunt Maureen tomake an omelette.”
An omelette is part of the mysteryin Strong Poison (1930) by DorothySayers. The book opens with Harriet Vane on trial for thearsenic poisoning of her lover, Philip Boyes. In summing up the evidence, the judge describes in his deadpan voice the preparation of the dessert omelette thevictim ate shortly before dying: “Four eggs were brought to the table in theirshells, and Mr. Urquhart broke them one by one into a bowl, adding sugar from asifter. Then he handed the bowl to Mr. Boyes...Philip Boyes then beat the eggs andsugar together, cooked the omelette in the chafing-dish,filled it with hot jam...” After his recipe recital ends, the judge makes the point that no one who ate the omelet or any part of the dinner becameill except for Philip Boyes. This seemed to prove that he wasn't poisoned atthe table, but earlier by Harriet Vane. One trial spectator, Lord Peter Wimsey,disagrees and is determined to prove her innocent.
 |
| My well-thumbed copy of Strong Poison |
Omelet moments appear in books by the writers on Mystery Lovers’ Kitchen. In Maddie Day’s new mystery, No Grater Crime, a mushroom omelet proves fatal. Watch this space on Friday, September 10, when Maddie will share a recipe for the Kitchen Sink omelet that her sleuth Robbie often makes.
In Leslie Budewitz's Spice Shop series, Matt is clueless about food when he’s hired, then teaches himself to make an omelet by watching the Jacques Pepin video over and over until he gets it. And in Leslie Karst’s book, Dying for a Taste, sleuth Sally reminisces about her aunt teaching her the French technique for making an omelet, the best one she’dever eaten.
Julia Child introduced Americans to French cooking, and you’ll findher omelette recipe on this blog, along with other recipes for omelets:
What's your favorite omelet? Leave a comment about it.
YOU CAN STILL ENTER YESTERDAY'S GIVEAWAY!
Scroll down to Around the Kitchen Table and leave a comment there for a chance to win books by Molly MacRae, Cleo Coyle, Maddie Day, Lucy Burdette, and me.
👇
Maya Corriganwrites the Five-Ingredient Mysteries featuring café manger Val and her live-wire grandfather solving murders in a Chesapeake Bay town. Maya lives in a Virginia suburb of Washington, D.C. Before writing crime fiction, she taught American literature, writing, and detective fiction at Northern Virginia Community College and Georgetown University. Whennot reading and writing, she enjoys theater, travel, trivia, cooking, and crosswords.
Visit her websiteto sign up for her newsletter. One subscriber wins a book each time a newsletter goes out. Check out the easy recipes, mystery history and trivia, and a free culinary mystery story on the website.
👇
