Chef hats and chef whites – where do they come from?
Professional chefs still wear the tall, starched white hat as part of their uniform. Known as a toque, pronounced ‘tock’, the hat prevents hair from falling into food and keeps sweat from the face. The height is to allow air to circulate and keep your head cool. Considered the pride of some kitchens and a pompous addition to others, where do they come from?
Stroke the ego of a cook to survive!
Historically, a cook has had great power over his master by threatening to poison his food. Rich men lived in paranoia and sought to empower their valued chefs by indulging their ego with a similar crown hat. This seemingly simple gesture elevated the cook to the level of his master and prevented certain death through respect. Apparently.
Cooks were educated men in danger of death
In the 7th century, Greek cooks were men educated by having to read and record recipes. To be learned in ancient times was to have potential power and to expose them to persecution for fear of the ignorant. Cooks sought refuge in monasteries and adopted the monk’s ropes and black caps to blend in. This eventually became a white version. So not to offend God, of course.
The same story repeats itself during the baroque period of the 17th century, when you could almost be burned at the stake for wearing your hair the wrong way. Cooks were considered artisans who possessed skills in food alchemy; and therefore considered aligned with witchcraft. A natural association. Cooks took asylum in Catholic cathedrals and adopted tall white hats to mingle with the clergy. Again, the holy men wore light gray, the cooks wore white. No confusion with God.
Burn the soup and lose your mind
Another infamous tale is that of Henry VIII’s unfortunate cook. Said chef apparently threw a hair on the gluttonous king’s meal and he was promptly beheaded. A law was quickly passed that dictated that chefs wear hats, and the next nervous chef to step forward gratefully accepted.
The original celebrity chef
In the 19th century, French cooks became chefs and were held in great reverence. The toque blanche (white hat) developed from the sock caps of French chefs; its first adoption is attributed to Marie Antoine Careme and Auguste Escoffier. They are both the original celebrity chefs of their time.
Big ego, big chef’s hat
The Lenten kitchen had different hats for each season denoting hierarchy, the height corresponding to rank. The last echelon of Chef de Partie or Chef de Cuisine was dressed in a magnificent, imposing and starchy way with the number of folds related to the number of ways an egg can be cooked. Lent sported an impressive 18 inches with 100 folds.
White and professional chef uniforms
Lent also standardized uniforms, introduced the double-breasted jacket, and promoted cleanliness and pride. Escoffier followed in Carême’s footsteps, insisting on smoking, drinking, and swearing in the kitchen. He also supported education and the attraction of off-duty jackets and ties, fostering the professionalism of his brigade.
Of course, we still see many Carême and Escoffier influences in kitchens today with abstinence from swearing, smoking, and off-duty professional demeanor. Ahem. (Obviously excluding Gordon Ramsey and Marco Pierre White’s cuisine.)