FV 029 : Gâteau à la Broche – the Cake on a Spit!

Transcript

Vocab List

Questions

Buy Full Notes

In this episode of French Voices, we’re going to gather around the fireplace the South of France, in the Pyrenees! As you warm up, learn about a very unusual cake, the gâteau à la broche (literally "cake on the spit"). This is a local specialty which I only discovered around two years ago in "Qui sera le prochain grand patissier?", an excellent French patisserie competition on TV. This very unique cake was presented by Bernard Laqueyrie, the man who contributed to revive the tradition of gâteau à la broche. Bernard has accepted to share his story and the history of the gâteau à la broche with you. Check out the photos in the show notes of the episode, you’ll see that the cake is very unusual both because of its shape and because of the way it is made – a work of patience and good resistance to heat!

Episode Timeline

[04 min 42 sec] Gâteau à la broche: origins

[07 min 00 sec] How the cake is made

[10 min 03 sec] What the cake looks like

[13 min 16 sec] A work of patience

[14 min 30 sec] Reviving a tradition

[16 min 18 sec] Bernard’s story: how he learnt to make the gâteau à la broche

[18 min 43 sec] Technical challenges to bring the cake-making to a commercial level

[20 min 00 sec] Authentic vs industrial

[21 min 00 sec] Where to see the cake being made

[22 min 00 sec] A French baking contest show

[24 min 19 sec] What Bernard does outside of baking

Links & Resources

Website: http://www.argeles-pyrenees.com/terroir/terroir-artalens-laqueyrie.html

Bernard et Christiane Laqueyrie - Route du Hautacam - 65400 Artalens-Souin

Did you like this podcast? You can support my work by leaving a review on iTunes. Your kind words warm my heart and also help me be found by more passionate learners of French. Merci beaucoup!

Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes and never miss a new episode!

Photos: Courtesy of Bernard Laqueyrie