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ProbableNamed from the place

chicken Marengo

noun · first attested 19th century

Napoleon's cook almost certainly did not improvise it on the battlefield.

A braise of chicken with tomato, garlic, and wine, classically garnished with fried eggs and crayfish.

Spinetta Marengo·Italy

44.8855°N 8.6775°E · Q748210

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Record

Relationship
Named from the place
Confidence
ProbableThe conventional story is likely, with caveats.
Attested
19th century
Part of speech
noun

Explanations here are written for this atlas. Dictionary text is not copied; the sources are linked so the claim can be checked.

How it traveled
  1. Step 1

    Spinetta Marengo

  2. In English

    chicken Marengo

The entry

The dish commemorates the French victory at Marengo in Piedmont in June 1800, and legend has the chef Dunand scavenging a chicken, tomatoes, and river crayfish for his hungry commander. Tomatoes were barely used in French cooking then and the recipe appears in print only decades later, so the battlefield tale looks retrofitted.

Italy

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