French Culinary Expression: LIVING LIKE A COQ EN PÂTE
The origin and first meaning of this expression which appeared in the 17th century, “to be or to live like a rooster in dough ”, turn out to be somewhat embarrassing.
Littré evokes a rooster fattened with force to be eaten quickly and cites the existence of the expression "cock in the basket" with the same meaning.
Le Robert des expressions argues that there would be a cross between the "cock in the basket", "cock of luggage" which was transported to the market with the greatest care, and the meat which was laid in a bed of dough to constitute pies that would provide well-being to whoever ate them...
But wouldn't an expression noted by Duneton, dated from the middle of the 17th century, open up another path? given that "she is good at putting into dough" was then said of a fat and fat person, can we not suppose, to explain our "cock in dough", that the expression applied, ironically, to someone big and fat (good for putting into dough) who, like the rooster in a dominant position in the barnyard, made everyone admire his plumpness?
