A malakoff is a ball of

fried cheese Fried cheese is a dish of cheese that is fried in oil. Fried cheese can be dipped in a batter before frying, and can be pan-fried or deep fried. It can be served as an appetizer or a snack. Fried cheese is a common food in Brazil and the Dominic ...

typically found in

western Switzerland Romandy (french: Romandie or )Before World War I, the term French Switzerland (french: Suisse française) waalso used german: Romandie or , it, Romandia, rm, Romanda) is the French-speaking part of western Switzerland. In 2020, about 2 milli ...

, more specifically in the villages of Eysins, Begnins,

Bursins Bursins is a municipality in the district of Nyon in the canton of Vaud, Switzerland. History Bursins is first mentioned in 1011 as ''Bruzinges''. In a record that was written before 1031 it was mentioned as ''Brucins''. Geography Bursins has ...

Luins Luins is a municipality in the district of Nyon in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland. History Luins is first mentioned in 1115 as ''Luins''. Geography Luins has an area, , of . Of this area, or 74.9% is used for agricultural purposes, while ...

, and

Vinzel Vinzel () is a municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the district of Nyon District, Nyon in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Vaud in Switzerland. Geography Vinzel has an area, , of . Of this area, or 67.0% is used for agricultural ...

(where it is also called “Vinzel beignet”) on the shores of

Lake Leman , image = Lake Geneva by Sentinel-2.jpg , caption = Satellite image , image_bathymetry = , caption_bathymetry = , location = Switzerland, France , coords = , lake_type = Glacial la ...

. The name comes from the

Battle of Malakoff The Battle of Malakoff (french: Bataille de Malakoff, russian: Бой на Малаховом кургане) was a French attack against Russian forces on the Malakoff redoubt and its subsequent capture on 8 September 1855 as a part of the ...

, the dish itself having been invented by

Swiss mercenaries The Swiss mercenaries (german: Reisläufer) were a powerful infantry force constituted by professional soldiers originating from the cantons of the Old Swiss Confederacy. They were notable for their service in foreign armies, especially among th ...

during the siege of Sevastopol.

History

Interior of a malakoff At the time of the

Crimean War The Crimean War, , was fought from October 1853 to February 1856 between Russia and an ultimately victorious alliance of the Ottoman Empire, France, the United Kingdom and Piedmont-Sardinia. Geopolitical causes of the war included the de ...

(1853-1856), English and French troops in whose ranks many Swiss were fighting found themselves immobilized in front of the city of

Sebastopol Sevastopol (; uk, Севасто́поль, Sevastópolʹ, ; gkm, Σεβαστούπολις, Sevastoúpolis, ; crh, Акъя́р, Aqyár, ), sometimes written Sebastopol, is the largest city in Crimea, and a major port on the Black Sea ...

, which was defended in particular by Fort Malakoff. General

Aimable Pélissier Aimable-Jean-Jacques Pélissier, 1st Duc de Malakoff (6 November 179422 May 1864), was a Marshal of France. He served in Algeria and elsewhere, and as a general commanded the French forces in the Crimean War. Biography Pélissier was born at Ma ...

had zigzag trenches dug to allow an approach to the fort safe from Russian artillery. During the period, legend says the soldiers fried slices of cheese in a pan or simply warmed them around a campfire. However, the daily rations of the soldiers of the Swiss Legion did not include cheese and no written source has confirmed the legend. After an eleven-month siege, the fort was taken in September 1855 and its capture led to the fall of Sevastopol and the

Treaty of Paris Treaty of Paris may refer to one of many treaties signed in Paris, France: Treaties 1200s and 1300s * Treaty of Paris (1229), which ended the Albigensian Crusade * Treaty of Paris (1259), between Henry III of England and Louis IX of France * Trea ...

on March 30, 1856. According to oral tradition, on returning home, many Swiss from

Geneva Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...

and the

La Côte La Côte () is part of the sloping Lake Geneva () north shore, stretching from Nyon to Lausanne in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland. Known for its vineyards, the area has views towards the high Alps across the lake. Communes * Mies *Coppet *Fo ...

would occasionally gather to taste slices of cheese fried in a pan in butter, accompanied by bread and many pitchers of white wine. In memory of the assaults on the famous Sebastopol tower, this famous cheese-based dish was named after the fort and called malakoff. The modern recipe for malakoffs arose from an occasion between 1880 and 1891 when a young couple from

, Jules and Ida Larpin, were in the service of

Prince Napoléon-Jérôme Bonaparte Prince Napoléon Joseph Charles Paul Bonaparte (9 September 1822 – 17 March 1891), usually called Napoléon-Jérôme Bonaparte or Jérôme Bonaparte, was the second son of Jérôme, King of Westphalia, youngest brother of Napoleon I, and ...

at the

Prangins Prangins () is a municipality in the district of Nyon in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland. It is located on Lake Geneva. History Prangins is first mentioned around 1135-85 as ''Prengins''. Following the fall of the Second French Empire, Prince N ...

villa. Napoleon was hosting a reception attended by veterans of the Crimean War when Mrs. Larpin, always on the lookout for novelty in the culinary arts and at the request of the prince who wanted to honor his guests, served as a starter an adapted version of malakoffs in the form of a slice of cheese coated with pastry, fried and cooked in butter.

Serving

Malakoffs are sometimes served as an

hors d'oeuvre An hors d'oeuvre ( ; french: hors-d'œuvre ), appetiser or starter is a small dish served before a meal in European cuisine. Some hors d'oeuvres are served cold, others hot. Hors d'oeuvres may be served at the dinner table as a part of the m ...

. Traditionally, malakoff was served in the form of sticks while Vinzel beignets were more like balls of grated cheese on bread and then fried, but the distinction has become less clear in recent years, with many establishments now serving spherical malakoffs.

References

Swiss cuisine Cheese dishes {{Switzerland-cuisine-stub

History

Serving

See also

References