2023-11-11 21:39:54
War mainly leaves dramatic traces, but sometimes it leaves surprising traces. This is the case for Viennese coffee which became Liège coffee. Indeed, Liège coffee is a story of resistance and it dates back to the First World War.
The Battle of Fort Loncin
In August 1914, Germany attacked Belgium. The German offensive began in Liège on the night of August 5 to 6, 1914. “and everywhere, they are pushed back”indicates Fernand Moxhet, president of the Fort de Loncin safeguarding front. “But then,” he said, “the order is given to the third division of the army to retreat towards Brussels, so the army frees up intervals between the effort, so the Germans take advantage of it. They infiltrate and enter Liège. The goal is not to take Liège but to come into contact with the French.”.
To do this, we must defeat the twelve Liège forts. So the Germans bomb relentlessly. Several forts eventually surrendered. But that of Loncin resisted for ten days before the Germans ended up using their secret weapon: the big Bertha, an enormous cannon. An 800 kg shell would then be enough to destroy the fort. “It will literally lift the entire fort before it falls back and collapses”explains Fernand Moxhet.
Word of mouth in coffee
Despite everything, this resistance will give the French time to mobilize their army. So propaganda takes over the story. This story is making its way to the terraces of Parisian cafes.
In honor of this resistance, “we reworked the coffee to no longer call it the Viennese coffee but the Liège coffee”, says Thierry Marée, the owner of the establishment “Le bistrot d’en Face”, in Liège, whose Liège coffee has been awarded an award. His recipe? “A coffee with coffee extract, whipped cream and péket, since we are in Liège.”
Behind the history of the Liégeois café lies the story of the first victory of the Allies in the Great War.
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