Cordon bleu

Name

The French term cordon bleu is translated as "blue ribbon". According to Larousse Gastronomique cordon bleu "was originally a wide blue ribbon worn by members of the highest order of knighthood, L'Ordre des chevaliers du Saint-Esprit, instituted by Henri III of France in 1578. By extension, the term has since been applied to food prepared to a very high standard and by outstanding cooks. The analogy no doubt arose from the similarity between the sash worn by the knights and the ribbons (generally blue) of a cook's apron."

History

The origins of cordon bleu as a schnitzel filled with cheese are in Brig, Switzerland, probably about the 1940s, first mentioned in a cookbook from 1949. The earliest reference to "chicken cordon bleu" in The New York Times is dated to 1967, while similar veal recipes are found from at least 1955.

There is a nice story told about the actual origin of the recipe a large group of people had a reservation at a Restaurant in Brig (Switzerland). By coincidence a second, similar sized group showed up at the restaurant claiming to have made a reservation too. As this happened in the early 19th century the cook was not able to find an adequate amount of meat for both groups in such short time. She had then the brilliant idea to take the available meat, cut it into schnitzels, slicing these into a butterfly shape and filling them with ham and cheese before breading and frying, so that the amount of meat she had available was enough for both groups. The owner of the restaurant was so happy about the idea that he offered her 'the cordon bleu' (the blue ribbon) a french metaphor for an excellent cook. The modest lady answered that she does not need a blue ribbon, but that 'cordon bleu' would be a nice name for her creation. As the Italian say, 'se non e vero, e ben trovato' (even if it is not true, it is well conceived).

Variants

There are many variations of the recipe, all of which involve a cutlet, cheese, and meat. A popular way to prepare chicken cordon bleu is to butterfly cut a chicken breast, place a thin slice of ham inside, along with a thin slice of a soft, easily melted cheese such as Swiss. The chicken breast is then rolled into a roulade, coated in bread crumbs and then deep fried. Other variations exist with the chicken baked rather than fried.

Other common variations include omitting the bread crumbs, wrapping the ham around the chicken, or using bacon in place of ham.

A variant popular in the Asturias province of Spain is cachopo, a deep-fried cutlet of veal, beef or chicken wrapped around a filling of Serrano ham and cheese. In Spain, the version made with chicken is often called san jacobo.

In largely Muslim-populated countries, the halal versions of chicken cordon bleu are also popular, such that the chicken is rolled around beef or mutton instead of pork product.