Paris, capital of gastronomy, from the Middle Ages to the present day

The Centre des monuments nationaux presents " Paris, Capital of Gastronomy, from the Middle Ages to the Present Day " at the Conciergerie de Paris from April 13 to July 16, 2023, curated by François-Régis Gaudry, author and food journalist for France Inter and presenter of the program Très Très Bon on Paris Première, accompanied by Loïc Bienassis, historian at the Institut Européen de l'Histoire et des Cultures de l'Alimentation (IEHCA/University of Tours) and Stéphane Solier, professor of classics, researcher in food cultures and culinary author.

From the memorable banquet of Charles V when the court still resided in Paris, to the contemporary success of the capital from its wide and renowned culinary repertoire, mixing haute cuisine, bourgeois and popular traditions, and innovations.

Works of art, manuscripts, illuminations, original menus, but also a selection of tableware, paintings, culinary creations, videos and photographs will be used in this retrospective. These works and objects come from the collections of the most prestigious French institutions, the Louvre Museum, the BnF, the Carnavalet Museum, the Château de Fontainebleau, the National Renaissance Museum in Ecouen, the Historical Library of the City of Paris..., and many private collections.

Although recently challenged by London, New York or Tokyo, the capital retains a unique vitality on the world culinary scene: many of the chefs who work here have an international reputation, apprentice cooks from all over the world flock here to train, and gourmets of all nationalities consider the capital to be a leading culinary destination.

Paris receives

The exhibition explores the role of Paris, the political capital, in the influence of French gastronomy.

The Belly of Paris

The exhibition continues with the "Belly of Paris", a title taken from Emile Zola's famous book (1873) which portrays the newly built Halles by Victor Baltard as a huge stomach. Since the Middle Ages, the capital has been seen as having a growing appetite that must be satisfied.

The restaurant, a capital invention

In this third section, the visitor is invited to discover the story of the invention of the restaurant and its extension, from the Palais Royal to the Grand Boulevards, and then to the rest of the capital, passing from the great tables to those of the bistros, or even by the private cabinets and the bouillon restaurant, all mythical places of the Parisian restaurant.

Bread and pastry, Paris in the spotlight

From the millefeuille to the croissant, including the macaroon, the Parisian bistro and the baguette, Paris can boast of having given birth to a number of specialties. And to have also seen the birth of Antonin Carême, "the king of chefs and the chef of kings" (1783-1833) as the great tutelary figure of modern pastry.

Paris, a land of affluence and influence

The tour concludes by highlighting gastronomic Paris as a crossroads for exchange, crossbreeding and creativity.

Discover the exhibition program

Workshops, conferences, meetings, podcasts, family activities... discover the rich and varied program of the exhibition

Attention to food allergies

Please note that the food prepared for the activities scheduled around the exhibition may contain the following ingredients: dairy products (milk, lactose), eggs, wheat, soy, peanuts, nuts, fish and shellfish.

Ask the activity leaders for more information.