The history of this celebration starts in France when, according to legend, Napoleon and his army were traveling though the South of France. They rested in the town of Bessiers, where the local innkeeper treated Napoleon with an omelette. The meal was such a delight, that the next day Napoleon ordered to gather all eggs in the town and cook the same omelette for the army. Thus the tradition to feed all the poor of the town at Easter was born.
In 1984, the members of the Abbeville’s Chamber of Commerce attended the Easter Omelette Festival in Bessiers and they had a chance to taste that dish. They fell in love with the festival, and later they decided to organize the same celebration back at home. Moreover, celebrating Omelette Festival in Abbeville would help bring the city closer to its French heritage. Later Abbeville joined the sisterhood of towns in different countries around the world (Belgium, Argentina, France and Canada) that also celebrate the omelette!
Each year foreign representatives of the countries come to Abbeville to take part in the celebration of giant omelette in Abbeville. It’s cooked with 5,000 eggs, 6 1/2 gallons of milk, 50 pounds of onions, 75 bell peppers, 2 gallons of parsley, 4 gallons of onion tops, 52 pounds of butter, 3 boxes of salt, 2 boxes of black pepper and 15 pounds of crawfish tails. The foreign chefs participate in the ceremony of cooking the giant omelette which is later distributed for free among the visitors of the festival.
Don’t think, that the giant omelette is the only thing to see and to taste at the celebration. It’s also full of other different events, including official mass, poker run, bicycle ride challenge, antique car show and procession of chefs.
