FOUR AND TWENTY BLACKBIRDS

2015-12-08T21:26:00.001+00:00

DE - Vierundzwanzig Schwarzdrosseln

ES - La Tarta de Zarzamoras

FR - Le Mort Avait les Dents Blanches
GR - Τέσσερα και είκοσι κοτσύφια

HU - A Szedertorta

IT - La Torta di More (Legame di Sangue)

PL - Dwadzieścia Cztery kosy

PT - O Caso das Amoras Pretas

RU - Двадцать четыре чёрных дрозда

TR - Yirmi Dört Karakuş

PUBLICATION AND AUDIO-VISUAL HISTORY

Magazines (as ‘Poirot and the Regular Customer’):

The Mystery Magazine, 1926 - USA

Strand Magazine, 1941– UK

Short story collections:

Three Blind Mice and Other Stories, 1950 – USA

The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding and a Selection of Entrées, 1960 – UK

Television:

Agatha Christie's Poirot (Season 1, Episode 4), 1989 – UK

STRAND MAGAZINE MARCH 1941

REFERENCES TO FOOD IN THE STORY

1) 'Four and Twenty Blackbirds' possibly contains more references to food than any other of Christie’s stories and it is instrumental in Poirot’s discovery of the solution to the mystery. It begins in a Chelsea restaurant called the Gallant Endeavour which was popular with artists. Poirot is dining with a friend who has, unlike Poirot, a liking for plain English food "Give me an honest fillet of sole and no messy sauce over it." and appears to be a regular customer. The waitress, who knows his personal likes, makes a suggestion from the menu, "... turkey stuffed with chestnuts ... ever such a nice Stilton we've got! Will you have soup first or fish?" Poirot is happy for his friend to choose for him.

2) When the waitress brings the turkey, the friend refers to another regular customer who is also sat in the restaurant. The waitress remarks that whilst he normally eats there on Tuesdays and Thursdays, he had visited on Monday of the previous week. She also states that not only did he come on a different day, he also placed a different order to normal – "He could never bear suet pudding or blackberries and I've never known him take thick soup, but on that Monday night he ordered thick tomato soup, beefsteak and kidney pudding and blackberry tart!", all items that he disliked and had never previously requested.

3) Three weeks later, Poirot bumps into his friend by chance and is told that the regular customer had died, which arouses his interest. After further enquiries Poirot discovers that the man, on the evening of his death, had dined at the Gallant Endeavour "... it was mulligatawny soup ... and beefsteak pudding ... and blackberry and apple pie and cheese. " Whilst questioning the waitress, Poirot "ate his filleted sole". Finally at the end of the story, Poirot is himself back in the restaurant with his friend where they apparently order blackberry and apple tart, which is sent back "Take it away ... Bring me a small helping of sago pudding."

TEXT OF 'FOUR AND TWENTY BLACKBIRDS'
FROM THE 1ST EDITION OF
'THE ADVENTURE OF THE CHRISTMAS PUDDING' (1960)

REFERENCES TO FOOD IN THE TELEVISION EPISODE

1) The fish is specifically referred to as Fillet of Sole

2) It is Blackberry Crumble rather than Blackberry Tart

3) Rabbit Liège style is a meal that Poirot cooks for Hastings in his flat and he tells us that it is his mother’s recipe

LINKS TO THE RECIPES

Thick Tomato Soup - traditional and Thermomix

Mulligatawny Soup

Dinner Rolls (not mentioned, but assumed to be served with the soup)

Fillet of Sole

Roast turkey with Chestnut Stuffing

Steak and Kidney Pudding

Rabbit Liège Style

Blackberry crumble

Blackberry tart

Blackberry and apple pie

Custard (not mentioned, but assumed to be served with the blackberry dishes)

Sago pudding

Stilton

Water Biscuits (not mentioned, but assumed to be served with the cheese)

The Garlicky Knitter's Woolly Musings

FOUR AND TWENTY BLACKBIRDS