Cuchaule
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Saffron bread for the Bénichon, with its pot of mustard.
The Cuchaule opens the Bénichon feast, even before the broth. It is a big round of brioche-style bread, slightly flattened, with a glossy brown crust scored in a lattice of diamonds; inside, the crumb is golden yellow, fine and soft. That yellow comes from saffron. You spread it with butter, then with the mustard made specially for the feast, mild, sweet and spiced, before the long procession of dishes begins.
Its dough brings together wheat flour, whole milk, butter, sugar, salt, egg yolks, yeast and saffron. Since 2018 its name has been protected: to be called Cuchaule, it must be baked on Fribourg soil, with Fribourg wheat, milk, butter and eggs. Only the saffron comes from elsewhere, as not enough of it is grown locally. It is only the second bread in Switzerland to win this protection.
Its history is a long one. An arbitration document from 1558, kept in the Fribourg archives, already mentions it under the name “cussiole”, without saying what it contained; saffron, then sold by apothecaries, was still a luxury. Recipes only name it from the 19th century onwards, and by around 1850 the brioche was already part of the festive menu. For a long time it was baked only for the Bénichon; today you can find it all year round, even in small portions to eat in the street.
Its name comes from the canton’s dialect, kûchola, which is traced back to the Latin for “cooked” and for “little ball”.
Sources: Wikipedia, “Cuchaule” and “Bénichon”.
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