Saint Martin and the geese

November 11 is approaching. A special day for many: everyone rejoices at the armistice concluded in 1918, carnival enthusiasts at the official start of the crazy times and gourmets at the Saint-Martin goose. But what does saint Martin have to do with a roast goose?

Everyone knows the story of Martin de Tours. A member of the Roman army, he shared his coat with a beggar. The people of Tours wanted Martin to be their bishop but he hid in a goose enclosure because he did not consider himself worthy of this position. Unfortunately, the chatter of the geese gave him away. So much for the legend.

Other explanations are much more likely. For example, the annual rent paid by farmers to their feudal lords happens to be on St. Martin's Day. This rent was paid in kind, usually a goose.

But the origin could also be found in the fact that it was the start of Lent before Christmas and that people rushed to treat themselves to one last festive roast.

In restaurants in Germany, St. Martin's goose is usually only present on the menu for a short time.

This is also the case at the Schwarzmatt hotel-restaurant in Badenweiler in southern Baden-Württemberg. For chef Oliver Mewes, who worked for several years with Claus-Peter Lumpp, the 3-star chef at the Bareiss restaurant in Baiersbronn, it goes without saying to offer a St. Martin's goose: tradition is also part of the gastronomic restaurant.

Many of the approximately 4 million geese served in Germany come from Eastern Europe. But not the Saint-Martin geese which end up on the plates of Schwarzmatt. Here, Oliver Mewes pays particular attention to quality: “Our geese come from Klosterhof Knäpple in Ostrach on Lake Constance, a traditional goose farm for over 30 years. The geese are raised free-range and fed exclusively with pasture grass and oats from their own production. For the geese menu, we selected the chicks which were then raised for our house."

The menu includes also fresh lamb's lettuce with bacon and crackers - or velouté of parsley root and lemongrass -, crispy Saint-Martin goose straight from the oven, with stuffed baked apple, red cabbage and potato dumpling. fondue, pumpkin cakes with nougat ice cream.
Then, a digestive walk in the gardens of the Badenweiler thermal park is a must!

Click to know the recipe for a classic Saint-Martin goose.