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Île-de-France
Breakfast for night workers, a hangover cure for night owls: the "gratinée des Halles" fed the neighbourhood that never slept, between midnight and eight in the morning.
Traditional dish from Île-de-France.
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For a long time, soupe à l'oignon had rather a poor reputation. Made with onions — an easy-to-grow and therefore cheap vegetable —, broth, beef juices and bread, it was regarded as food for the poor: the Romans had already dubbed it "the soup of the poor". The basic recipe, as found across several French regions, has been documented in France since at least the 17th century.
Its reputation changed thanks to a legend associated with Louis XV: the king, awoken by hunger one night in his hunting lodge, supposedly improvised a soup using the onions, butter and champagne he had to hand. A version considered more plausible by culinary historians attributes the dish's popularisation instead to his father-in-law, Stanislas Leszczynski, duc de Lorraine: having tasted the soup at an inn in Champagne, he reportedly wished to learn the recipe before introducing it to the court of Versailles.
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It was in the Halles district, established as a food market in the 12th century and known over the centuries as "the Belly of Paris", that soupe à l'oignon found its Parisian acclaim. The neighbourhood then moved to the rhythm of its night workers, an incessant ballet of merchants, porters and clerks crossing paths from nine in the evening to eight in the morning.
For these workers finishing their night of hard graft, a quick, cheap meal was essential: soupe à l'oignon, with its broth, onions, butter and bread, was the perfect example. But to revive those under the greatest physical strain, local restaurateurs came up with the idea in the 19th century of adding a generous layer of grated cheese — gruyère, though scarcely Parisian — before placing it under the grill. The dish, rechristened "gratinée des Halles", established itself within a few years on the tables of all the surrounding restaurants, from Le Pied de Cochon to La Tour de Montlhéry, by way of La Poule au Pot or Chez Barrette. An invigorating breakfast for the workers of Les Halles, a hangover cure for night owls finishing their evening in the neighbourhood, a hearty and affordable meal for the destitute: throughout the 20th century, the gratinée accompanied the district's nightlife.
Appearance
A golden, grilled crust of grated cheese — traditionally gruyère — entirely covering the bowl and the slice of bread submerged in the broth.
Taste
The melted cheese brings its robust flavour, while the slow-cooked onions develop a caramelised sweetness that mellows the beef broth.
Texture
Beneath the crust of grilled cheese that cracks then stretches, the broth-soaked bread turns meltingly soft, in contrast with the onions, which remain tender.
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The gratinée is eaten piping hot, straight from the grill, with the crust of cheese still stringy. Although the great market of Les Halles has since relocated to Rungis, several establishments in central Paris carry on the tradition — such as Au Pied de Cochon, the first Parisian establishment permitted to open 24 hours a day, where soupe à l'oignon gratinée remains one of the most frequently ordered dishes. In the very same neighbourhood, Le Cochon à l'Oreille claims to serve the capital's best gratinée des Halles today. Other Parisian brasseries have made it one of their specialities, far from Les Halles: the Bistrot des Vosges near the Place des Vosges, the Bouillon Pigalle with its budget-friendly menu, and the Terminus Nord, opposite the Gare du Nord. Historically served as an invigorating breakfast for night workers and as a hangover cure for night owls, it is enjoyed today at any time of day, lunch or dinner included.
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