Ortolan, eels, XXL hamburger… Five cult sequences from the cook

His good nature, his banter, his South-West accent and his very rich cuisine will remain engraved in the memory! Marie-Thérèse Ordonez, known as Maïté, died on the night of Friday December 20 to Saturday December 21, at the age of 86. Here are five sequences that made her an icon of local gastronomy on television (and sometimes also of animal abuse).

The Landes version of the hamburger

“You will be entitled to a new recipe, which you will not find in cookbooks,” immediately launches Micheline Banzet-Lawton, her sidekick in La cuisine des mousquetaires on France 3. And Maïté presents the Landes version and XXL hamburger made with country bread, duck gizzards, strips of duck breast and hot foie gras. “Not nourishing, but not bad,” she comments on the air. A nice snub to the fast-food cuisine that was emerging in France!

Ortolan tasting

This sequence has thrilled generations of viewers! We see our beloved Maïté tasting an ortolan, a small bird that François Mitterand was fond of. “Something we shouldn't do and which isn't very pretty, I start to grab him and suck his behind,” explains the famous cook. Sensitive souls, refrain!

Washing aprons

The small screen star Maïté has also appeared in advertisements. In this Bonux advert, this lover of duck fat and generous butter extols the merits of Bonux detergent which manages to get rid of the grease and blood stains that dot her aprons. And for a small fee! “It doesn’t say “woodcock” here! », she exclaims, pointing to her forehead. Mythical!

The massacre of the eels

Maïté and her partner Micheline Banzet-Lawton did not hesitate to slaughter animals on air to prepare their traditional recipes. On June 12, 1992, amazed viewers were able to see Maïté trying to control an eel. “Don’t move sweetie […] You won't have my skin […] Now we're going to cut it. There you go, my darling! », she asserts, attacking the unfortunate fish. An unforgettable sequence which aroused the hilarity and indignation of more than 1.8 million Internet users on the INA website.

The fish's attempt to escape

Did the fish take the word to avoid Maïté? In another memorable sequence, Maïté is about to cut up a fish supposed to be already dead, but the latter's tail stands up… The fish spins around and almost crashes on the ground. An escape attempt which greatly amused Maïté.