flipLe café noir de l'écrivain
Le café noir de l'écrivain
Why this dish? Zola imposed on himself a worker's discipline: a quota of pages each day. Black coffee, the preferred stimulant of 19th-century writers and journalists, accompanied his long, hardworking sessions on Les Rougon-Macquart.
A strong black coffee, finely ground and infused in simmering water — no milk or frills, to keep the mind alert.
Writing is a convict's labor, and coffee is its whip. Every morning, before setting to my task — for I imposed my pages like a worker his day — I took my coffee very black, very strong, which kept my mind alert. No frills: finely ground coffee, simmering water, and that honest bitterness that drives away the mists of sleep. It is by this black flame that I burned my nights to build, stone by stone, all my Rougon-Macquart.
- •Roasted coffee beans — a good measure (base, bitterness)
- •Spring water — simmering (infusion)
- •Sugar lump — optional (to sweeten if desired)
Le café noir de l'écrivain
A strong black coffee, finely ground and infused in simmering water — no milk or frills, to keep the mind alert.
Why this dish? Zola imposed on himself a worker's discipline: a quota of pages each day. Black coffee, the preferred stimulant of 19th-century writers and journalists, accompanied his long, hardworking sessions on Les Rougon-Macquart.
Writing is a convict's labor, and coffee is its whip. Every morning, before setting to my task — for I imposed my pages like a worker his day — I took my coffee very black, very strong, which kept my mind alert. No frills: finely ground coffee, simmering water, and that honest bitterness that drives away the mists of sleep. It is by this black flame that I burned my nights to build, stone by stone, all my Rougon-Macquart.
Ingredients (period version)
- Roasted coffee beans — a good measure (base, bitterness)
- Spring water — simmering (infusion)
- Sugar lump — optional (to sweeten if desired)
Ingredients
- Freshly ground coffee (fine grind) — 2 heaped spoons (bitterness and aroma)
- Simmering water (90-95 °C) — 200 ml (infusion)
- Sugar — to taste (optional)
Method
- Grind the coffee finely, just before brewing, to preserve all the aroma.
- Bring the water to a simmer (do not boil, which would burn the coffee).
- Pour the water over the coffee in a filter or plunger pot, let steep for 4 minutes.
- Serve very black and strong, in a small cup — sugar on the side for those who wish.
How it was made : In the 19th century, coffee had become the drink of intellectuals, literary cafés, and night owls. It was often prepared strong, using a filter coffee pot (like the Belloy type) that appeared at the beginning of the century, and it punctuated writers' long working days.
The contemporary twist : Serve it as a very short espresso “ristretto” in a black cup placed on an open manuscript — the bitterness of labor, contemporary version.
Émile Zola · Charactorium
