François Vatel

François Vatel

Charles-Fréderic Vatel , usually known as François Vatel , (* 1631 in Paris ; † April 24, 1671 in Chantilly ) was the steward and cook of the Prince of Condé at Chantilly Castle and one of the most important chefs of his time.

Live and act

François Vatel was actually called Fritz-Karl Watel, as he was of Swiss descent and his family came from the area around Zurich . The Frenchized form of the name by which it is known today comes from the pen of Madame de Sevigné , who extolled it in literary form after his death.

Vatel already served the Prince of Condé during the time of the Fronde as cook, steward , maître de plaisir and, in today's professional title, probably as "event manager". During the prince's temporary emigration to Spain (from 1653) he looked for other employment and found it with Nicolas Fouquet, among others .

As the "star" of the gorgeous French cuisine of that time, he finally worked for Fouquet, the richest man in France at the time. The opening feast on August 17, 1661 at Vaux-le-Vicomte Castle , whose pomp and pomp served as a pretext for the release and arrest of Fouquet, came about under the direction of Vatel. One of the program items was the world premiere of Molière's piece Les Fâcheux . The guests dined from plates made of solid silver. After Fouquet's arrest, his household was dissolved and his property was confiscated by the state.

Nothing is known about the time after these events and until he resumed his work with the Prince of Condé.

Around 1667 he returned to the service of the Prince of Condé and took over his old office. As head chef, he was not only responsible for preparing the food, but also for its presentation and performance. In addition to the usual show performances and exquisite backdrops for the themed meals, this also included fireworks and even theater performances.

Festivals of this kind could devour very large sums of money. For the great feast in honor of King Louis XIV. In 1671, which led to death Vatel, the sum of more than 600,000 was Écu estimated at about 3,000 participants.

death

According to Berchoux, Vatel is said to have thrown himself into his sword on April 24, 1671 while preparing a feast for King Louis XIV because a delivery of fish arrived too late. Berchoux reports on the excitement that death caused in society and cites Madame de Sevigné's complaint about the lack of honor in other people, who should use Vatel as "an example of a sense of responsibility in a self-imposed task."

Attributed Courts

Vatel is credited with the "invention" of Crème Chantilly , a dessert cream made from whipped cream, sweetened and flavored with vanilla. Legend has it that he served this creation in honor of the Sun King for the great feast in Chantilly in 1671 .

Modern reports and presentations

François Vatel's last festival was filmed in 2000 under the title Vatel with Gérard Depardieu and Uma Thurman in the lead roles. The film was nominated for an Oscar in the “Equipment” category.

literature

• Reynald Abad : Aux origines du suicide de Vatel: les difficultés de l'approvisionnement en marée au temps de Louis XIV , Dix-septième siècle. 2002/4 (n ° 217), Page 631–641