credit foto: Nils Stahl - Unsplash
One of the figures who greatly influenced my passion for the history of gastronomy is Marie-Antoine (Antonin) Carême. Many years ago, a documentary introduced me to him, and his story captivated me to the point where my passion for gastronomy became an irreversible path. Recently— and you’ll understand why as you read on—Carême’s figure has come back to my mind, prompting me to revisit his biography, Cooking for Kings, written by Ian Kelly—a book that holds a special place in my culinary library.
Beyond laying the foundation for what would become haute French cuisine, later refined by Escoffier and his successors, it could be argued that Antonin Carême was—avant la lettre—also the world’s first great gastrodiplomat. Or, at the very least, the first in Europe.
This should come as no surprise. Though the great figures of the time, from royalty to politicians, nobles, and bankers, vied for his services (known throughout history as the “chef of kings and king of chefs,” Carême cooked for Napoleon, the Prince Regent—the future George IV of England, Tsar Alexander I of Russia, and even the Rothschild family, whose fame he greatly contributed to), Carême spent the first part of his illustrious career alongside a diplomatic titan: Talleyrand.
Often described as a shrewd, sophisticated man with impeccable elegance (he managed to maintain influence regardless of the political regime), Talleyrand placed gastronomy at the heart of his diplomacy, and Carême supported him wholeheartedly with all his creativity and genius. Together, they formed what today we might call “the dream team.” Carême worked for Talleyrand for 12 years but remained loyal to him for life, no matter where he found himself.
And although the term "gastrodiplomacy" had yet to be coined (it emerged only very recently), Carême was acutely aware of the strategic power of food. “For a diplomat to maintain his position, it is imperative to have a good chef in his service,” he said. Talleyrand, in turn, famously promised: “Give me a good chef, and I will give you good treaties!”
And he wasn’t exaggerating. In 1814, the Russian army occupied Paris, led by Tsar Alexander I, with Napoleon’s abdication imminent. Unsure whether to reside at the Elysée Palace or Tuileries, the Tsar accepted, for security reasons, Talleyrand’s invitation to stay... at his home. With a major decision looming—who would succeed Napoleon?—delegates began to present themselves before the Tsar for negotiations. Thus, for a few days, Talleyrand’s Hôtel Particulier became the epicenter of European politics.
But Talleyrand had an ace up his sleeve—Carême—and a steadfast belief: no one can make good decisions on an empty stomach. At the end of dinner, it was expected that the Tsar would raise his glass to announce his decision—whether in favor of the King of Rome, Napoleon’s heir (as proposed by Napoleon’s envoys), or Louis de Bourbon (Talleyrand’s preference). Yet, the Tsar surprised everyone by toasting... to Carême.
So enchanted was the Tsar that even after the matter was resolved and he relocated to the Elysée Palace, he asked Talleyrand for permission to "borrow" Carême for the remainder of his stay in France. And in the end, unable to part ways, he invited Carême to come with him to St. Petersburg (though this never happened; Carême would visit St. Petersburg much later and under different circumstances). As history shows, it was Bourbon who was ultimately crowned, becoming Louis XVIII, “King of the French, according to the will of the nation.”
Negotiating the peace of Paris, Talleyrand, via Carême, paved the way for the Congress of Vienna, which would shape European politics for the next century. He also set new expectations: “The language of diplomacy has been French since the Middle Ages, but after the 1814 Congress of Vienna there was an expectation that diplomats would be fed in the new French manner, too,” writes Ian Kelly in his biography of Carême.
I couldn’t help but wonder—rhetorically, of course—how history might have unfolded if Antonin Carême had been one of our contemporaries...
📷: The photo below is from my time studying at Le Cordon Bleu, where Antonin Carême’s portrait holds a place of honor.
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