La Petite Chinoise : LPC

I had always thought that “Shepherd’s Pie” originated from England… well, until very recently, when I mentioned that “Shepherd’s Pie” is one of the very few good English dishes enjoyed worldwide. My two French friends glared me down and there was a very very very long icy silence. In that longest minute of my life, I thought I might turn into stone.

As the story goes, in 1565, the Spanish explorer and conqueror Gonzalo Jiminez de Quesada took the potato home to Spain in lieu of the gold he did not find in South America. Potatoes quickly became a staple on Spanish ships when it was discovered that sailors who ate potatoes did not have scurvy.

The potato was soon carried in to Italy, England, France, Germany, Belgium, Austria, but was considered weird and poisonous. In Besançon, France, an edict was made stating that the potato transmitted leprosy and banned everyone from eating it. The cultivation and consumption of the potato failed after this edict.

It wasn't until the early 18th century that potato cultivation became widespread across Europe. Antoine-Augustin Parmentier (1737-1763), a French military and botanist, fueled this development by persuading Louis XVI (1754-1793) to cultivate potatoes. Parmentier planted potatoes in part of the royal gardens, heavily guarded by troops, which naturally, roused the curiosity of the people. The peasants decided that whatever that was so heavily guarded must be good. Parmentier gave the troops a night "off duty" and that allowed peasants to steal the potatoes for cultivation in their own fields. The peasants served the cooked potatoes up with butter and milk, making them unrecognizable from the raw tuber they had stolen.

It was also said that Marie Antoinette loved potatoes. She often pinned potato flowers in her hair and that started the trend among ladies of that era, to wear flowers in their hair and bosoms.

BUT! (heh heh... there is always a "but": Maybe it was the cold icy stares and the absolute truth as it was presented?) I was still unconvinced of their story, so I went on and did some detective work.

Shepherd's pie may have very well been invented in Northen England or Scotland. Perhaps with the French's help later on? I know this is a bold statement to make and I might be stoned to death, but I'll take the chance anyway. There is a recipe for a "Sherpher's Pye" that dates back to 1886 by a frugal shepherd's wife who was looking to serve leftover lamb (hence the name "shepherd"!).

In the US, "cottage pie" is a shepherd's pie made with ground beef and have have corn in place of green peas. A similar dish made with fish is called -no prizes for guessing- "fish pie" or "fisherman's pie".

I'm not sure when exactly the mashed potatoes à la Parmentier made it on the Shepherd's Pie, but it sure is the best of both worlds and always a crowd pleaser. Won't you agree?