Updated on October 30, 2024
A tasty pancake, a few drops of Grand Marnier and the strike of a match: everyone knows "crêpe Suzette", but whatthey don't know is that the recipe was invented by chance in Monaco, at the Café de Paris Monte-Carlo.
At the end of the 19th century, the Prince of Wales, later to become King of Edward VII of England, was a frequent and enthusiastic visitor of Monaco; it is in fact thanks to him that many royals and well-padded wallets followed suit and came to Monaco!
Whilst having lunch one day at the Café de Paris Monte-Carlo, Chef Carpentier was preparing pancakes with a liqueur when suddenly the contents of the frying pan burst into flames. The Prince of Wales was enchanted by the spectacle and asked the chef what the recipe was called.
Caught off guard but coming quickly to his senses, the chef admitted that the recipe had been invented for the occasion but suggested off the cuff that the pancakes be called "princely crêpes".
In a gesture of gallantry, the Prince of Wales proposed that they be named after the charming young woman he had invited to lunch, whose name was Suzette.
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