How Did Eggs Florentine Get its Name and Why Are Dishes Served With Spinach Called “Florentine”?

When cooked with spinach, Eggs Benedict become Eggs Florentine.

When Catherine de Medici of Florence married Henry II of France, she brought with her several master cooks.

Soon they were introducing France to new foods such as artichoke hearts, truffles, sweetbreads, and ice cream.

When Catherine’s cooks served up dishes with the unfamiliar spinach, they were referred to as a la Florentine, after the queen’s birthplace.