Les Marmites d’Escalade

Shop window in Geneva

November 16, 2014

I recently visited friends in Geneva and learned a piece of Genevois history as told through chocolate and marzipan. The Swiss are known for their chocolate and one of the first places we stopped on our walk through Geneva was a chocolatier. My friend pointed out les marmites – soup pots or cauldrons formed in chocolate – and told me we would be seeing these everywhere as the city prepared for la Fête de l’Escalade.

As the story goes, in 1602 the Duke of Savoy launched an attack on Geneva. His men began to scale the walls (in French this is called l’escalade) and were thwarted by Mère Royaume, a mother who lived just above the gates. She took a cauldron of hot soup and poured it on the attackers. The cauldron fell on the head of one of the attackers and killed him. The subsequent noise alerted the citizens who came to the defense of the city.*

Marmites d'escalade of different sizes on display
Marmites d’escalade of different sizes on display

To celebrate the victory, shops around Geneva sell these marmites. You can find them mass produced and sold in markets but the chocolatiers have the more elaborate ones, some quite large. You can watch the labor intensive process to hand make these marmites here (you may want to silence the music).

Boxes of marmites d'escalade
Boxes of marmites d’escalade displayed in a chocolatier
Marmites d'escalade of different sizes on display
Marmites d’escalade of different sizes on display

Each marmite proudly displays the Genevan coat of arms and are festooned with red and yellow ribbons. Inside each pot are marzipan vegetables and candies wrapped in the red and gold of Geneva. These wrapped candies are like mini versions of British crackers so I had to remove the little explosive popper in order to bring the marmite home with me.

Interior of the marmite
The inside of the marmite is filled with marzipan vegetables and chocolates.
Marzipan vegetables and chocolates
Marzipan vegetables and chocolates from the inside of the marmite

On December 11/12, in addition to public celebrations which include a parade, songs, and even a road run, each family gets to eat their marmite. The youngest member is given the honor of smashing the cauldron while reciting, “Ainsi périssent les ennemis de la République!” which translates as, “Thus perish the enemies of the Republic!”

I was quite taken with the story and it’s one I’ll remember. I’m loath to smash my little marmite but I know it won’t keep forever. I guess I’ll have to plan another trip around this time of the year.

My own little marmite d'escalade

Special thanks goes to my dear friend Michelle who introduced me to Geneva, the story of the marmite, and provided many of the pictures.

*Many of these details on the history came from Wikipedia.

You May Also Like…

Where to Eat: Dim Sum

Where to Eat: Dim Sum

I have many fond memories of going to dim sum - many with my popo, who managed to order everything as we walked to our...

Day Tripping to Hilo

Day Tripping to Hilo

I recently took a day trip to Hilo on the Big Island of Hawaii for work and managed to sneak in a few things between...

Cruising in Alaska

Cruising in Alaska

We just returned from our first ever cruise and our first ever trip to Alaska. As someone who gets queasy looking at a...

0 Comments

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *