HomeDining at the Castle in Europe, from Past to Present
Dining at the Castle in Europe, from Past to Present
Dîner au château en Europe d’hier à aujourd'hui
Published on Monday, July 25, 2022
Abstract
Beyond a better understanding of what made the refinement and the magnificence of the royal and princely tables in Europe in the past, we will examine the question of the safeguard, the transmission and the promotion of the European cultural heritage of dinner at the castle. It is both the heritage of a social practice featuring the economic or political power of European elites as well as a ritual and a ceremonial of a bygone era. Dining at the castle also corresponds to a contemporary diplomatic practice (such as the State dinners at the Château de Versailles), to a cultural and festive gastronomic experience associated with tourist practices, or even to a literary theme or an artistic and cinematographic motif which builds its imagination in European culture.
Announcement
Overview
Since medieval times, dining at the castle has been a practice observed in many European states and kingdoms. Banquets and court feasts were then not only festive and gourmet occasions, but also signs of social distinction and political power.
In the second half of the 17th century, when the reign of Louis XIV established political and cultural domination all over Europe, the royal table at the Palace of Versailles quickly became a model to be imitated in French court society and in Europe. From the end of the 17th century, the European aristocracy offered the services of French cooks, such as Vincent La Chapelle in Holland, André Noël in the Kingdom of Prussia or Clouet in England with the Duke of Newcastle. At the same time, French goldsmithing adorned the tables of many European courts, inspired by French service.
Beyond a better understanding of what made the refinement and the magnificence of the royal and princely tables in Europe in the past, we will examine the question of the safeguard, the transmission and the promotion of the European cultural heritage of dinner at the castle. It is both the heritage of a social practice featuring the economic or political power of European elites as well as a ritual and a ceremonial of a bygone era. Dining at the castle also corresponds to a contemporary diplomatic practice (such as the State dinners at the Château de Versailles), to a cultural and festive gastronomic experience associated with tourist practices, or even to a literary theme or an artistic and cinematographic motif which builds its imagination in European culture.
Topics
1) The State dinner at the castle
From the royal or princely feast in the Middle Ages to official receptions at the Elysée Palace or the Grand Trianon today, the State dinner at the château is both a diplomatic practice and a place for staging political power through ceremony, protocol and etiquette. The beauty of the setting, the magnificence of the tableware, the culinary refinement and the rank of the guests at the state dinners at the castle have been represented in painting, literature and cinema. The method of production and the food supply for the State dinner at the château, the choice of suppliers for the tableware, the relationship between the kitchen, the pantry and the service play an important role in the success of the organization and the unfolding of these events in their symbolic function.
2) The exceptional dinner at the castle, tourism and events
The exceptional dinner at the castle is an increasingly popular tourist practice today in France and Europe. The gastronomic experience in these "high heritage places" that are the castles is today more and more developed, with the rise of luxury hotels and gourmet restaurants in these places and the development of an offer of gourmet tourism around the exceptional dinner in private castles. These residences can thus be places for the development of event tourism, both for individuals (organization of private receptions) and companies (organization of congresses and seminars) putting gala dinners, banquets and festive meals in the evening at the heart of the tourist experience.
Calendar
-
October 15, 2022: deadline for sending communication proposals to: vincent.marcilhac@cyu.fr
- November 18, 2022: response to authors. The blind evaluation of each communication proposal will be carried out by two members of the scientific committee.
- March 29-30, 2023: conference held
Submission of proposals
Paper proposals should be submitted in Word format, approximately 500 words with:
- a title,
- 5 keywords,
- a summary,
- an indicative bibliography,
- a short biographical note in French and English of the author(s).
Evaluation
The abstract evaluation criteria will be as follows:
- Clarity and relevance of the proposed subject, the problem and the research methodology
- Relationship with the themes of the symposium
- Scientific interest and/or originality of the approach with regard to the existing scientific literature
Reception conditions for selected speakers during the two days of the symposium
- No registration fees for selected speakers
- Lunches and the gala dinner are taken care of by the organizers
- Transportation and accommodation costs are at the expense of the selected speakers
Dates and places of the symposium
- March 29, 2023: amphitheater, Gennevilliers campus, CY Cergy Paris University
- March 30, 2023: amphitheater, Hoche high school in Versailles, Academy of Versailles
Scientific committee
- BAQUIAST Paul, PhD in History and Principal, Academy of Versailles BRANDT-GRAU Astrid, research engineer, PhD in archaeology, “Campus Excellence” project manager, Palace of Versailles
- DA VINHA Mathieu, Scientific Director of the Palace of Versailles Research Center ETCHEVERRIA Olivier, lecturer, University of Angers
- LIGNON-DARMAILLAC Sophie, HDR lecturer, Sorbonne University MACHOU Anabelle, PhD student in literature, CY Cergy Paris University MARCILHAC Vincent, lecturer, CY Cergy Paris University
- PHILIPPE Franck, PhD student in food history and national education inspector, Academy of Paris TACHIN Agnès, lecturer in contemporary history, CY Cergy Paris University
Organizing committee
- BRANDT-GRAU Astrid, research engineer, PhD in archaeology, “Campus Excellence” project manager, Palace of Versailles
- FOUILLARD Audrey, principal of Lycée Santos Dumont in Saint-Cloud, Academy of Versailles JOUANOT Sylvie, national education inspector, Academy of Versailles
- LE TACON Sébastien, Head of CY Gastronomie, CY Cergy Paris University MARCILHAC Vincent, lecturer, CY Cergy Paris University
- MIRELES PUGA Addi, Head of European Projects, Europe Department, CY Cergy Paris University WEISMAN Armelle, operational director of Campus Versailles
Subjects
Places
- Amphithéâtre du site universitaire de Gennevilliers - avenue Marcel Paul
Gennevilliers, France (92)
Event attendance modalities
Full on-site event
Date(s)
- Wednesday, March 29, 2023
- Thursday, March 30, 2023
Keywords
- château, dîner, pratique diplomatique, pratique touristique
Contact(s)
- Vincent Marcilhac
courriel : vincent [dot] marcilhac [at] cyu [dot] fr
Reference Urls
Information source
- Vincent Marcilhac
courriel : vincent [dot] marcilhac [at] cyu [dot] fr
License
This announcement is licensed under the terms of Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal.
To cite this announcement
« Dining at the Castle in Europe, from Past to Present », Call for papers, Calenda, Published on Monday, July 25, 2022, https://doi.org/10.58079/19a4
