Fit For A King

With February a month to consider planting bare-rooted fruit trees, Sue Bradley discovers the history of an old French cultivar thought to have been enjoyed by the Sun King

- Sue Bradley

Louis XIV was the longest-reigning monarch in European history, having sat on the throne for 72 years between 1643 and 1715.

The lavish Palace of Versailles is one of the visual reminders of the Sun King’s tenure, fresh fruit and vegetables for which were produced in the Potager du Roi nearby.

Louis is known to have been especially fond of pear, which would have been used in recipes such as La Tourte à la chair de Poire (tart with pear flesh) and it’s likely that one of the 50 cultivars grown for his table was Catillac, which dates back to the early 17th century and has stood the test of time, although is not commonly grown nowadays.

These pears have a red-yellow skin, are fairly large and have a delicious flavour. Unlike many modern varieties, they tend not to be eaten fresh and require a certain amount of slow poaching or cooking to make them fit for a king.