What is the origin of those tall, poofy white hats chefs wear
while they cook? I mean, are the hats really necessary to make a
meal? It must just be a culinary fashion thing, I guess.
Q: What is the origin of those tall, poofy white hats chefs wear while they cook? I mean, are the hats really necessary to make a meal? It must just be a culinary fashion thing, I guess.
A: It’s about tradition. The chef’s uniform – checked pants, double-breasted jacket, neckerchief and hat – is one that has been 400 years in the making, according to Chef Joe George, a Buffalo, New York-based chef, educator and writer, and a contributor to the National Culinary Review.
A traditional chef’s hat – think of the one the Chef Boyardee man wears – is known as a toque blanche and is said to have been in used as early as the 16th century, wrote George in the National Culinary Review article, “Jackets and Toques: The History and Evolution of the Way We Dress.” During this period, learned men of all disciplines, including culinary experts, were persecuted for their free-thinking ideas, he wrote, but some chefs took refuge hiding in Orthodox monasteries.
While the chefs blended in to monastic life, donning the tall hats and long robes of the Orthodox monks, they did distinguish themselves in one respect, wrote George, dressing in gray rather than black clothing.
In the middle 1800s, chef Marie-Antoine Careme redesigned this uniform. In the belief that white garments would give the impression of greater cleanliness, he changed the color of his chefs’ outfits, wrote George, and sought to designate the difference between chefs and young cooks by changing their hat sizes. Chef hats remained tall, while younger cooks wore shorter caps.
Traditional toques were made of cotton, sewn and starched around the brim into 100 pleats, each of which is said to represent one of the 100-plus ways in which a chef can prepare an egg, wrote George. Since the 1950s, however, most toques have been made of paper so they can be disposed of when soiled.
– By Melania Zaharopoulos,
Staff Writer
