What better way to end the day—and day, really—than with a feast? Art de la Table, the practice of sumptuous meals being served on either the finest china or silver and gold plates along with silver or gold cutlery, gave rise to the service a la Francaise and its gastronomy.
The Royal Table was a practice that, since the Middle Ages, had affirmed the power and presitge of the king. This was a public meal. According to etiquette, the king would invite the queen, his children, and grandchildren to dine either in the king or queen’s antechamber at approximately 10 PM. The table was laid, the king’s chair put in place, and foot stools at either end were in place for guests. Like everything in Versailles, it was observed. A small number of high-ranking ladies sat in the front row of the audience, while behind them stood other courtiers and passers-by.
Food was brought in at separate courses, and each course was brought on different service wares of either gold, silver, or silver-gilt. First was soups and starters, then was a roast and a salad, and finally pudding and fruit. Glasses, however, were ordinary items and only brought out upon request. The intricacy of royal services was something that kept the best goldsmiths employed, trying to create services that would keep the food hot for longer.
Despite having a three course meal, the Royal Table lasted either about or under and hour. After Louis XIV, the daily feast was not so rigourously attended to. Louis XIV’s other meals were “in private” either at the Trianon, Marly (a private pleasure palace about five miles away from Versailles), or in his private chambers. However, private dining really developed under the influence of Louis XV, who disliked formal ceremonies. He entertained his guests—-usually ladies, many of whom were his mistresses—in his private apartments and secretaries. Louis XV was an avid lover of good food, and much French gastronomy develops from Louis XV’s private entertainment—for example, hot chocolate.
Chocolate was first introduced by Spanish Conquistadors and the French nobility and upper classes quickly reserved it for themselves. Hot chocolate was a staple at the French court, which regarded it for its (in)famous aprodisiac powers. The drink was first brought to the court by Anne of Austria, Louis XIV’s mother, and Louis XV who supposedly loved it the most. He was famous for apparently making hot chocolate for himself in his Private Apartments. During this same period, chocolate producers and manufacturers set up specialized trade in workshops. This didn’t matter to Marie-Antoinette in 1770, however, as she brought her personal chocolate-maker her with her to France from Austria. (His official title was “Chocolate-Maker to the Queen.”) He created new recipes by combining chocolate with orange blossoms and sweet almonds, but it’s Louis XV’s recipe that has survived centuries:
“Place an equal number of bars of chocolate and cups of water in a cafetiere and boil on a low heat for a short while; when you are ready to serve, add one egg yolk for four cups and stir over a low heat without allowing to boil. It is better if prepared a day in advance. Those who drink it every day should leave a small amount as flavouring for those who prepare it the next day. Instead of an egg yolk one can add a beaten egg white after having removed the top layer of froth. Mix in a small amount of chocolate from the cafetiere then add to the cafetiere and finish as with the egg yolk.”
Source: Dinners of the Court or the Art of working with all sorts of foods for serving the best tables following the four seasons, by Menon, 1755 (BnF, V.26995, volume IV, p.331)
The Royal Table, however, was little too formal for hot chocolate and its mysterious erotic powers. The Royal Table was reinstated in a fashion (called “society meals”) by Marie-Antoinette and Louis XVI to pacify the court and they invited 40 courtiers arranged by merit or station to their table. There, they served food on altnerating dishes of Sèvres porcelaine and silver tableware.
Bon appetit!