I reached my grolle

 

My first grole was served by my landlord when I'd been in Switzerland only a couple of months back in 1990. 

I was intrigued when he set the contents of a wooden bowl on fire, which was quickly extinguished by putting the top on. 

We handed the grole from person to person as they sipped from their own spout never setting the grole down. At the time I didn't have enough French to ask about it.

I eventually learned and found my own to use at the end of a dinner party.

What is a grole? It is a carved, wooden bowl with a small lid and multi spouts. They come from the Savoy in France and the Aosta Valley in Italy.

When I moved in 2003, I gave mine away and then regretted it. I've looked for another, but I couldn't remember the name.

Then when we were in Annecy, France this week, there were several in a window. Although I'm not given to sudden purchases, there was no way I was not going to buy it. I probably will have to wait until the end of the pandemic to use it. 

Here's the recipe:

• Boil a cup of coffee per person and pour it into the grole.
• Pour a small glass of a liquor per person, brandy, rum, cognac, orange on top of the coffee.
  
• Sprinkle sugar around the edge.
• Light the alcohol and let it burn until all the sugar is burned.
  
• Cover the grole to put out the flame..
  

There are other methods described on the internet. Use the words friendship cup in your search.

I've seen alternative spelling for grol, groll, grolle.