Do you own a toque?

Chefs have been wearing the same traditional outfit for years. It consists of chequered pants, a double-breasted jacket and a chef's hat called a torque. Owing to their uniform, they are one of the most recognisable professions. But as with most uniforms, the origin remains somewhat mysterious.

The white double-breasted jacket is for practical reasons. The thick cotton is to protect the chef from the heat of the stove. Originally the buttons where made out a material that couldn't burn either. The reasoning behind the style of the jacket is that double-breasted jackets can be reversed to hide stains.

The chequered pants serve a similar purpose as the jacket. The pattern, known as a hound's tooth chequered pattern, creates a camouflage to hide stains and splashes. Most chefs opt for a half apron that covers them from the waist down.

The reason for the torque is not as straight forward. There are many theories surrounding the use of the tall hat. It is said that the hat has been around since the 16th Century, in the days before extractor fans and proper ventilation. After several months of frying and cooking, fat would congeal on the ceiling. To protect themselves from the dripping mess, Chefs created a crude version of the modern-day torque and were able to walk untroubled around their kitchens.

Another theory dating from the 16th Century concerns artisans, including chefs, who were considered the "free thinkers" of society. Artisans were often persecuted, imprisoned or executed because of their views and sought sanctuary at monasteries for safety. For the sake of concealment, they wore similar outfits to the priests, which included tall hats. In order to tell them apart, the priests wore black hats while the chefs wore white.

According to another theory, it is possible that the torque originated in France. French chefs wore a stocking cap known as a casque a meche. It is said that this inspired western chefs to design their own version. The colour of the casque a meche indicates a French chef's rank. In western societies, it is the height of a hat that shows the chef's rank.

The height ranking system came from an 18th Century chef called Marie-Antoine Careme. His hat was no less than 18 inches tall. Marie-Antoine decided that white indicated cleanliness in the kitchen and so declared that all hats should be white, as it was more appropriate. It is possible that the rest of the chefs' uniform became white as a result of this.

The numbers of pleats in the torque are used as a status symbol amongst chefs. The pleats represent the number of ways a chef can prepare an egg. The highest number of pleats is 100. That might seem impossible to most people who only know of simple egg recipes such as boiled, poached, scrambled and fried. But for chefs there is also soufflé, custard, egg-drop-soup, French toast, egg in a basket, pickled and egg benedict to name a few.

A chef's outfit is designed to show rank and status in the kitchen. With the combination of height and pleats in the torque, you can identify the chefs and cooks in almost any kitchen. There are a variety of practical elements included in the outfit, but when you are working with about ten other cooks in a bustling kitchen, you need to know who's the boss. With orders coming in and waiters rushing about the place, you not only need to know who's the boss, but you need to know it quickly.

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About the Author
Celeste Yates

I have a torque wrench. Is that the same thing? Probably not as torque is a rotary force.

I thought it was toque... .

A cook at a place i eat has a torque wrench hat.I think he got it from the Snap On guy.

quote:

Originally posted by flyseye
A cook at a place i eat has a torque wrench hat.I think he got it from the Snap On guy.

The hats have pleats that are Torquerd and the wrench came along much later.
But I do use many of my garage tools in my kitchen LMAO.
I really do.In fact I have a Craftsmen tool box in my food
trailer full of tongs and other utensils.

Main Entry:
Variant(s):or torc \#712;to#775;rkFunction:noun
Etymology:
French, from Latin torques, from torqu#275;re to twist — more at torture
Date:1695
: a usually metal collar or neck chain worn by the ancient Gauls, Germans, and Britons

PS We are getting about 6 inches of snow tonight and my snow plow driver hit my sign today and pulled it out of the ground. Winter sucks.

One time when I worked in a restaurant, a very cool chef gave me a couple tokes. pb

With all due respect DR, I am almost positive the chefs hat is called a " Toque" . If I am mistaken, I apologize in advance.

quote:

Originally posted by flyseye
With all due respect DR, I am almost positive the chefs hat is called a " Toque" . If I am istaken, I apologize in advance.

You could be right here in the USA but the gal that wrote the article was from France so there could be a difference in our use of the original term.

Heres Websters version and according to them your correct.
Main Entry:Prounciation: \#712;t#333;k\
Function:noun
Etymology:Middle French, soft hat with a narrow brim worn especially in the 16th century, from Old Spanish toca headdress Date:1505

1 : a woman's small hat without a brim made in any of various soft close-fitting shapes 2 : tuque 3 : a tall brimless hat worn by a chef —called also toque blanche

But I just copied and pasted the article from a university
web site, so the French may still call it a Torque.Either
way it's interesting and thank you for your help.
Jack

PS I thought the paragraph about grease dripping off the ceiling was a hoot.

In the days before extractor fans and proper ventilation. After several months of frying and cooking, fat would congeal on the ceiling. To protect themselves from the dripping mess, Chefs created a crude version of the modern-day torque and were able to walk untroubled around their kitchens.

Stolen from WIKI>>


The traditional chef's uniform, including toque (traditional hat), white double breasted jacket, and checked pants are instantly recognized by most members of the Western world, especially in this day of television's celebrity chefs. What isn't obvious is the origins, generally for practical reasons, of each item.

The double breasted jacket can be reversed to hide stains. Its thick cotton cloth protects from the heat of stove and oven and protects from splattering of boiling liquids. Traditionally knotted cloth buttons were used because they could stand up to the frequent washing and survive contact with hot items without melting.

The hound's tooth checked pattern frequent on trousers serves to camouflage minor stains. The use of white for other pieces of clothing, especially by highly visible head chefs, is intended to denote cleanliness.

An apron is an obviously useful piece of equipment used to shield the rest of the wearer's garments from food splatters and stains.

The toque (chef's hat) dates back to the 16th century when hats were common in many trades. Different heights of hats indicate rank within a kitchen. The symbolism of the 100 folds of the toque are said to represent that many different ways a chef knows to cook an egg.

Some modern chefs have put their own distinct spin on the traditional uniform. Color, pattern and design changes all contribute to the unique personality of these chefs. But the traditional, practical, clothing of the chef still remains a standard in the food industry.
britt

Nope. The French call it a toque.

quote:

Originally posted by brittneal

Stolen from WIKI>>Britt

No disrespect meant but I NEVER use wikipedia. I can show you hundreds
of stories/definitions/news reports there that are all out distortions of the truth. It's a great opportunity for anyone that decides they want the reader to hear the writers (their) version as gospel. That and what you sent was taken or appears to be taken word for word from the university article I posted with the authors name.Which by the way was done for a study. Again no disrespect meant on your use of wikipedia,
I just avoid it like the plague.
Jack

PS Not that anyone here will care but some may find this interesting:

A new Google service, dubbed knol, will invite “people who know a particular subject to write an authoritative article about it”, Udi Manber, a Google engineer, said.
Google, which says that it exists “to organize the world’s information and make it universally useful and accessible”, suggested that knol was designed to stamp out the malicious entries that have blighted Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia that “anybody can edit”.

Wikipedia is OK if you're looking for a place to start, but unless you know something there is factual, it's generally worthless, because anyone can change anything there without someone knowing.

Oh Please,

It's a toque.

quote:

Originally posted by Michael Hoffman

Nope. The French call it a toque.

I thought someone said Toke...

quote:

Originally posted by UncleVic

quote:

Originally posted by Michael Hoffman

Nope. The French call it a toque.

I thought someone said Toke...

http://youtube.com/watch?v=gbbqIHHMVxA

Sorry DR. I see now how I could be misunderstood. I meant that I copied and pasted it straight from Wiki. Only rereading did I see the simularities. I only meant that I copied and pasted(stole it) from another site.
Sorry I hope you understand.
britt

Je suis bilangue. C'est une toque!


I sit corrected.

If you were really bilangue you would know that it's UNE toque and not UN toque. I was only forced to wear one once as part of my uniform and they're a royal pain in the behind. I never asked any of my cooks to wear one because they're terribly uncomfortable.

quote:

Originally posted by lleechef

I was only forced to wear one once as part of my uniform and they're a royal pain in the behind.

Sounds like you were wearing it in the wrong place. 8-)

What struck me about the article was the way it differentiated between western and French, as though France was not part of the "western" world.

The toque of today is now a baseball cap. Even here, there is a hierarchy to who wears one. I was with my whole family tree last year and we went to a very well known restaurant. Everyone was wearing a cap, but I pointed out that the guy without a cap was the chef.
The only pleated toques that I have ever worn and seen were the cheapo paper ones. I think that you can still see them worn at Denny's or IHOP.....

I would wear a beret to buck the norm. I used the justification that it was made by Chef's Wear. They do make toques in a variety of patterns, some with a webbed top to allow ventilation.

The biggest changes in chef clothing is the outfit itself. I am sure that many folks here have seen the baggy pants with drawstrings. There are many patterns and colors to choose from. Personally, I wear Dickie's black pants when I work. They are incredibly durable, non-wrinkling and if you get dirty on the job, you can just clean them with a damp towel.

mark

quote:

Originally posted by lleechef

If you were really bilangue you would know that it's UNE toque and not UN toque.

This is why I don't post on Roadfood much any more. Eveyone is so mean to each other. Sheesh!

quote:

Originally posted by Trishkaidekaphobia

quote:

Originally posted by lleechef

If you were really bilangue you would know that it's UNE toque and not UN toque.

This is why I don't post on Roadfood much any more. Eveyone is so mean to each other. Sheesh!

It could have been just a typo.

quote:

Originally posted by Trishkaidekaphobia

quote:

Originally posted by lleechef

If you were really bilangue you would know that it's UNE toque and not UN toque.

This is why I don't post on Roadfood much any more. Eveyone is so mean to each other. Sheesh!

If that's being mean, you must have a hell of a problem with everyday interaction with people.

quote:

Originally posted by Trishkaidekaphobia

quote:

Originally posted by lleechef

If you were really bilangue you would know that it's UNE toque and not UN toque.

This is why I don't post on Roadfood much any more. Eveyone is so mean to each other. Sheesh!

widzieæ was znowu, ...............proszê nie pozostawia
potrzebujê jeszcze jeden polskiej osoby ........................ lol

There is something to be said about ... Kindness

quote:

Originally posted by Trishkaidekaphobia

quote:

Originally posted by lleechef

If you were really bilangue you would know that it's UNE toque and not UN toque.

This is why I don't post on Roadfood much any more. Eveyone is so mean to each other. Sheesh!

Yeah, she's a mean one.

This is the most unwelcoming board I have ever been on.

So, where do you live? Whoville?


Cakes

quote:

widzieæ was znowu, ...............proszê nie pozostawia
potrzebujê jeszcze jeden polskiej osoby ........................ lol

Geez Frank my Polish translation page gave me this:

see was anew ,. if you please not remains wants another polish persons

quote:

Originally posted by pigface

There is something to be said about ... Kindness

At this time of the year? Whaddya you talking about?

mark

quote:

Trishkaidekaphobia Posted - 12/16/2007 : 11:26:43
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

quote:
Originally posted by lleechef

If you were really bilangue you would know that it's UNE toque and not UN toque.


This is why I don't post on Roadfood much any more. Eveyone is so mean to each other. Sheesh!

I think Tish is right ............ there is a group of us here on roadfood.com that pretend to be the smart asses and no matter what some folks contribute to these pages we are always ready to vomit our "we are smarter than you" attitude......... like I'm going to do right now......

Lleechef, ...if you really were a chef you would have known the real origin of the chefs hat /torque/ torque.
All uniforms have their origin in the practicality of their trade .... kitchen help centuries ago were staffed with peasants. Peasants at the time had very long hair....... to keep the hair out of their work and out of the masters soup they tied their hair with kitchen cloth in a turban fashion ... later into a make shift hat tall enough to stuff their long hair in to. During the late 14th or early 15th century trade guilds were formed and each craft having their symbol of trade..............the chefs hat evolved into a symbol,of the kitchen trade and journeyman cooks wore it to symbolize he was the master and in charge of the kitchen... no longer was it to keep his hair out of the soup.... and now a hundred different stories of its origin has erupted as we can see from the posts above. .................. but now you know the rest of the true story.

Although Lleechef is a valued contributor of roadfood.com I believe she owes Miss Tish an apology..
Me I owe nuttin' to nobody cuz I'm the original smart-ass .............. Frank

quote:

Originally posted by MilwFoodlovers

quote:

widzieæ was znowu, ...............proszê nie pozostawia
potrzebujê jeszcze jeden polskiej osoby ........................ lol

Geez Frank my Polish translation page gave me this:

see was anew ,. if you please not remains wants another polish persons

Milw......... on line translators will never be able to translate the way real people talk .............
but at least you tried.... so I'll let you know what I did say to Tish.... "nice to see you again..... please dont leave ..... we need one more Polish person here "