from Middle English cokaygne
from Middle French (pais de) cocaigne "(land of) plenty,"
An imaginary land of ease and luxury. References to Cockaigne are prominent in medieval European lore. In Specimens of Early English Poets (1790), George Ellis printed a 13th century French poem called "The Land of Cockaign" where "the houses were made of barley sugar and cakes, the streets were paved with pastry, and the shops supplied goods for nothing."
Like Atlantis and El Dorado, the land of Cockaigne was a fictional utopia, a place where idleness and gluttony were the principal occupations. In Cockaigne, buildings and roads were made of food just waiting to be devoured and money could be earned even while one slept.
Grounded in peasant culture, the tales of Cockaigne offered medieval men and women a way to cope with immediate concerns of famine and backbreaking work, as well as more monumental fears about heaven and the New World recently discovered by European explorers. Over time, as control over food supplies increased and a more modern work ethic was established, these fears diminished and the stories about Cockaigne faded away.
"Far in the sea, to the west of Spain
there is a land we call Cokaygne.
Under God's heaven no other land
has such wealth and goodness to hand.
Though Paradise be merry and bright,
Cokaygne is yet a fairer sight.
For what is there in Paradise
but grass and flowers and green rice?
Though there be joy and great delight,
there is but fruit for the appetite;
There is no hall, no room, no bench,
just water, man's thirst for to quench."
-- The Land of Cokaygne
Middle English Text
"Everyone was seeking renewal, a golden century, a Cockaigne of the spirit."
-- Foucault's Pendulum
Umberto Eco
