CITY OF FOOD

David Downie explains why, for centuries, Paris has been a go-to destination for cuisine of all kinds

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How did Paris earn a reputation as a food-loving city?

That reputation has a lot to do with the invention, if you will, of the à la carte restaurant in the second half of the 1700s. Prior to that you went to a tavern, or auberge, and got pot luck, meaning whatever was available that day. Suddenly a handful of eating establishments popped up in the vicinity of the Louvre and PalaisRoyal, the heart of historic Paris, with menus offering a selection of tempting dishes of the kind the aristocrats and haute bourgeoisie [upper middle class] might eat at home.

It's hard to exaggerate how revolutionary the concept was. You had your own table, you weren't forced to sit with others; you were waited on by a professional, not a scullery maid; and you were promised healthful, delicious food that would 'restore' you, hence the term, restaurant - a place to be restored.

The tale of the unemployed chefs of the Ancien Régime inventing the restaurant is a myth. Restaurants got started before the revolution of 1789. It is true, however, that the number of restaurants skyrocketed once the aristocrats fled abroad or got their heads chopped off and the chefs had to scramble, so to speak, to find employment. That reputation grew in the 1800s thanks to these once-grand chefs of once-grand noble families who were now running eateries of all descriptions.

Why did the restaurant come into being almost overnight?

There are various theories, based on eyewitness accounts from the 1760s onward, and there's lots of speculation.