The origin of the Cordon Bleu

There is probably no reader who hasn't tried the gourmet Cordon Bleu, stuffed with cheese and ham, stuffed with a bundle of veal, or even chicken or turkey, and known throughout most of Europe. But there are certainly far fewer people who know where the name comes from. In the following article, we will look into this and at the end of the article, we will of course include a restaurant recommendation.

The origins of the Cordon Bleu
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We are used to the fact that there can be several different origins for a single dish, and it is no surprise that the Cordon Bleu is no different. The term Corodon Bleu itself literally translates as blue ribbon, which may sound familiar to readers who are familiar with sailing and yacht racing, and who are not that far off the mark, but let's go in chronological order.
The Cordon Bleu and the Order of the Garter
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In 1348, the English monarch Edward III created the Order of the Garter to honour heroes of battle. The medal itself was a navy blue velvet ribbon with gold trim, worn by soldiers over their left knee and left shoulder. King Henry of France, taking inspiration from this idea, created the Order of the Knights of the Holy Spirit, whose members lived a life of luxury, feasting and celebrating lavishly, and the blue ribbon became a symbol of excellent food and the recognition of the best cooks of the time.
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Madame Dubarry's joke
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There is another anecdote, however, which holds up just as well as the version above. Once upon a time, Madame Dubarry gave a sumptuous banquet in honour of Louis XV, a hedonistic man who was known to have considered men the only ones qualified to prepare excellent food and to be cooks. The king's concubine Madame Dubarry, who was very fond of the food served at the banquet, later revealed that it was prepared by a cook. In fact, she not only shared the above with him, but asked Louis XV to honour the cook who had prepared the sumptuous dishes. Thus, the Blue Ribbon, the award, was then a recognition of the chef's excellent cooking.
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Ships, competitions, prizes...
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This brings us to the third anecdote, which is indeed related to the famous blue ribbon competition. It's not the annual sailing race on Lake Balaton, but its big brother and historical predecessor, the original Blue Ribbon race. The Blue Ribbon race began its global conquest at the beginning of the 20th century, with giant passenger steamships trying to outdo each other to see which could cross the Atlantic Ocean the fastest. The winner was rewarded with the Blue Ribbon Award, a huge accolade among sailors. Anecdote has it that a chef had a meat dish stuffed with cheese and ham made in honour of the winner of such a race, thus giving it the name Cordon Bleu in the baptism. But some sources go even further, claiming that the first time the dish was served on board the Titanic, which was also competing for the blue ribbon.

Which story is true? It's up to everyone's imagination, and there is probably some truth to all three, but one thing is certain: cordon bleu has remained popular ever since, to the extent that it has become the name of La Cuisinière Cordon Bleu, a gastronomic magazine and one of the most famous culinary schools in the world.
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Cordon Bleu at KIOSK
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If you have never had Cordon Bleu before, or if reading the above has made you want to try our version, we welcome you to KIOSK, where you will find it a regular feature on our weekly menus.