There have been nobles, statesmen, generals, theatre artists and musicians, as well as singers, mistresses or simply beautiful and courteous women, whose names, associated with certain culinary preparations, have survived over the centuries and can still be found on the menus of restaurants of a certain level that still follow the principles of great classical cuisine.
You may be wondering how it was possible to have a dish dedicated to you. First of all, you had to have a chef of great talent and prestige at your service, or you had to frequent the most prestigious restaurants, especially in Paris. In both cases, the chef would be happy to dedicate one of his recipes to the master or prestigious client, sometimes as a form of flattery.
This practice, which was already in vogue in the 18th century, became indispensable when the table service "à la française" was replaced by the so-called "à la russe", i.e. with dishes served one after the other and not all at once.
With the "à la russe" service, it became necessary to present the customer with a list (menu) of dishes so that he could immediately recognise the dishes to his liking.
It was noticed that the customer was more attracted to dishes dedicated to well-known and famous personalities than to those named after their preparation, which was often repetitive, such as "à la Miller, English style, marinara, etc.". According to Escoffier, recipes with names that were too complicated, unknown or bizarre were not popular with the public, while dishes evoking characters such as Napoleon, Rossini, La Belle Otero, La Maintenon or La Du Barry were the most sought after and even appreciated.
Today, the trend of dedicating recipes to famous personalities has almost disappeared, as chefs and restaurateurs have adopted the rules of nouvelle cuisine and creative cuisine. In fact, the main ingredients are usually listed in the title of the recipes, a custom that allows the diner to know, just by reading the menu, the most tempting and suitable suggestions for his or her palate.
Gioachino Rossini: "Symphonies of Taste"
On the occasion of the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the death of this illustrious musician, I would like to recall that he lived a very physical life; indeed, the Italian composer indulged in the pleasures of food without disgust or guilt, and his sensuality did not cause him any moral qualms: it only inspired him with a fervent desire to compose music.
Rossini's music expresses joy and contentment and did not need his attention to flourish: he was so careful about what he ate and so attached to the dishes of his Italian childhood in the Marche region that he had his mortadella and favourite sauce sent to him by post wherever he went.
Paris was almost always able to satisfy his needs and culinary whims, so much so that he befriended the famous chef Caréme during his stay there.
It was during this period that several dishes were named after him, characterized by the use of ingredients and garnishes such as foie gras and black truffles, usually associated with demi-glace.
The two most famous recipes are Tournedos Rossini and Poached Eggs à la Rossini.
I suggest the poached egg recipe: "Prepare a poached egg, place slices of foie gras on hot individual plates, place the egg on top, garnish with slices of truffle, pour a spoonful of Madeira demi-glace over each egg and ... enjoy your meal!
Eugenio Medagliani. Humanist Calderaio"