Gigot bitume
{{Short description|French dish of lamb}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2021}}
{{Expand French|topic=cult|Gigot bitume|date=December 2019}}
A {{lang|fr-FR|gigot bitume}} (asphalt leg of lamb) is a leg of lamb prepared by wrapping the meat in kraft paper and placing it in a bath of hot asphalt. This preparation method is traditionally used in France to celebrate the completion of the structural portion of construction projects or public works.[https://www.ouest-france.fr/region/normandie_detail_-Le-gigot-bitume-acheve-le-chantier-_8618-1565888_actu.Htm Le « gigot bitume » achève le chantier], publié le 27 septembre 2013, ouest-france.fr.[https://www.leparisien.fr/villejuif-94800/villejuif-le-specialiste-du-gigot-bitume-face-aux-cameras-de-petitrenaud-16-12-2016-6464697.php Villejuif : le spécialiste du « gigot bitume » face aux caméras de Petitrenaud], publié le 16 décembre 2016, leparisien.fr.[https://www.lemoniteur.fr/article/le-gigot-bitume-la-marque-de-fabrique-du-btp-14877757 Le gigot-bitume : la marque de fabrique du BTP], publié le 6 juillet 2011, lemoniteur.fr.
A recipe for the dish, {{lang|fr-FR|gigot cuit dans le goudron}}, appears in the 1900 cookbook {{lang|fr-FR|La Vraie cuisine pratique: Les potages, les poissons, le bœuf, le veau, l'agneau, le mouton, le porc, la volaille, le gibier}} ("True Practical Cuisine: Soups, Fish, Beef, Veal, Lamb, Mutton, Pork, Poultry, Game")
{{quote|This is a strange cooking method that can be put to good use by workers. I give the recipe as it was passed on to me. In a hot boiler of asphalt, when paving the ground, immerse a leg of lamb wrapped in very strong paper. With the assistance of a stone attached to one end, it will be pulled into the middle of the tar. One hour of cooking gives the meat a particularly excellent flavor. Salt when removed from the heat.}}
Usage of this cooking method by asphalt workers, in particular, has existed since the end of the 19th century.
In Val-de-Travers in western Switzerland, a similar tradition exists where a ham is cooked in asphalt (Jambon cuit dans l’asphalte).{{Cite web |last=Heddi |date=2015-08-26 |title=Culinary Travel: Ham Cooked in Asphalt |url=https://cuisinehelvetica.com/2015/08/26/ham-cooked-in-asphalt/ |access-date=2024-02-05 |website=CUISINE HELVETICA |language=en-US}}