Paris, France — For Ernest Hemingway, Paris was famously a moveable feast. And an exhibition currently being played out at the Conciergerie in Paris enticingly takes a look at what is regarded as the world capital of gastronomy. The exhibition entitled Paris, Capital of Gastronomy from the Middle Ages to Today, is presented by the Cmn, the Centre des monuments nationaux (which manages, conserves and opens up to the public over 100 of France’s national monuments including the Conciergerie). The show is being held in the heart of Paris on the Ile de la Cité in the historic home of the Capetian kings in the vast space that was once in medieval times the cantine of the arms room. The visitor is taken on a journey through the prominent role gastronomy has played in France’s history but also its politics as well as the arts and crafts that have emanated from it.  

Visitors discover the 10-course banquet proffered by King Charles V in 1378, feasts for Napoleon or Catherine de’Medici, the invention of the restaurant, the rise of the bistro, historic tableware, menus for state dinners at the Elysées, the French presidential palace. Paintings, engravings, table arts, menus and books all come together to tell the tale of the gastronomy of Paris. The great chef Taillevent was at the helm of the kitchens in the Conciergerie for the Charles V banquet, which was a gastronomic bash that the French king gave for the Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV. Taillevent’s book, Le Viandier, was a best seller in the Middle Ages and remains the reference for medieval cuisine. That along with another celebrated medieval French book of detailed recipes and which explores home economics and gives advice on keeping a fine household, the 14th century Le Mesnagier, have been lent for the exhibition by the BnF, France’s National Library. 

The restaurant was a Parisian affair emerging at the end of the 18th century and would become and remain  one of the hearts of Parisian political, intellectual, artistic and literary circles. A grocery store has been recreated and a section of the show showcases the farm products of Paris and the greater Paris region  like the mushrooms of Paris, the asparagus of Argenteuil, the water cress of Méréville, the cherries of Montmorency and the brie cheese of Meaux. Breads and pastries, Parisian staples, are given place of pride along with the great chef Antonin Carême, widely regarded as the king of chefs and the chef of kings and the father of modern pastry making. Videos and interactive exhibitions are all a part of this very special gastronomic experience. And don’t miss out on the HistoPad which is a digital  augmented reality experience showing the kitchens of the Conciergerie as they were in the Middle Ages. The exhibition is on until July 16th. For additional information, opening hours, reservations and tickets https://www.paris-conciergerie.fr/

©Trish Valicenti for The Gourmet Gazette