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Burgundy
On the banks of the Saône and the Doubs, fishermen called "pôchoux" those who poached their day's catch in local white wine — pôchouse remains this simple, generous river dish, born in Verdun-sur-le-Doubs.
Traditional dish from Burgundy.
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Pôchouse emerged between the 16th and 17th centuries, at the confluence of the Saône and the Doubs, near Verdun-sur-le-Doubs. Watermen, raftsmen and fishermen — the "pôchoux" in the local dialect — would stop there to sell their cargo, replenish their provisions and share simple dishes prepared with their catch and white wine from neighbouring Bourgogne vineyards. Designed to make the most of the river's bounty without wasting anything, this everyday meal takes its name both from the cooking technique — pocher, meaning to cook at a gentle simmer in a liquid — and from these boatmen-fishermen of the valley, the "pêchoux".
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From Verdun-sur-le-Doubs, pôchouse spread throughout the valley. The gastronome Curnonsky recorded seven towns where the dish was prepared, including Beaune, Chalon and Dijon. Even today, pôchouse remains associated with the Dijon area as much as the Pays de Gray in Haute-Saône — a sign that the dish did not remain confined to its birthplace alone, but spread along the Saône and the Doubs, between Bourgogne and Franche-Comté.
Since 1949, the Confrérie des Chevaliers de la Pôchouse has watched over this tradition from Verdun-sur-le-Doubs, where it brings its members together every year for a festive chapter entirely dedicated to the dish.
Appearance
Chunks of river fish — firm-fleshed pike, pike-perch or perch, alongside fattier eel and tench — coated in a pale, velvety sauce, served over garlic bread croutons.
Taste
A sauce made with white Bourgogne wine, often an aligoté, which brings a touch of acidity and fruitiness to the whole, heightened by bacon, butter, garlic and onion.
Texture
Contrast between the firm flesh of the lean fish and the richer, melting flesh of the eel and tench, bound together by a butter-thickened sauce.
the river fish (pike, pike-perch or perch, eel, tench) are cleaned and cut into chunks.
lardons, onions and garlic are gently fried with a bouquet garni.
the cooking liquid is thickened with beurre manié (butter and flour) to achieve a smooth sauce that coats the fish.
the dish is served over buttered, garlic-rubbed bread croutons, coated with the sauce.
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Pôchouse is best enjoyed piping hot, served directly over its garlic croutons, which soak up the white wine sauce. It is accompanied by a dry white wine from Bourgogne — often the same aligoté used for cooking, sometimes a fuller-bodied chardonnay —, served chilled, in keeping with the tradition of restaurants established along the Saône and the Doubs.
Pôchouse carries no official quality mark. Its recognition rests on a living tradition rather than formal specifications: the Confrérie des Chevaliers de la Pôchouse, founded in 1949 and registered in Verdun-sur-le-Doubs, has perpetuated the dish for over seventy years through its chapters.
Brotherhood
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