The toque (Arabic for a brimless hat) as a chef’s hat dates back to the 16th century.
It is believed to have started for hygiene purposes — legendWhile the authenticity of this legend is not verified, ‘hygiene’ seems a reasonable explanation for the start of the hat-wearing practice. has it that when a king found a hair in his soup, he beheaded the chef and asked the next chef to always wear a hat to prevent such issues.
During those times, it was common for people to grow hair (and not cut them) — so the older the chef the longer their hair and, therefore, the taller their hats.
This explains why traditionally the height of the toque indicated the chef’s status in the kitchen (the senior the person, the taller the hat).
By the 18th century, the color of the hat — instead of its height — came to signify the rank of the wearer.
The number of pleats on the cap was another way to demonstrate the expertise — the master chefs used to have 100 pleats because they could cook an egg in at least 100 ways.
Then a chef by the name of Boucher (personal cook to the first French Prime Minister) insisted that all toques should be white to indicate cleanliness — so, from toque, it became Toque Blanche (Blanche = white in French).
In 1822, the celebrated chef Marie-Antoine Carême published a book, in which he also highlighted the importance of the chef’s appearance & presentation.
His book had a sketch of two chefs standing side by side — one chef’s hat sagged while the other’s stood somewhat upright because of a cardboard insert.
This resulted in the comeback of tall hats, which eventually became what we see today.
Marie-Antoine is also credited with standardizing the chef’s uniform that includes a white double-breasted jacket made up of thick cotton cloth.
The double-breasted jacket is a symbol as well as a tool: it is often reversible (to hide stains) and it protects the wearer’s front area from burns by providing an extra layer of insulation.
Also, there are two rows of buttons, so the chef can cook with the jacket buttoned on the first row, then, re-button later to the second row to hide stains from cooking.
These jackets usually have knotted cotton buttons because plastic or metal buttons can chip or fall off, which could be dangerous.
Also, knotted cloth buttons are much easier to undo in case the chef needs to remove his/her jacket (hot oil spill or fire).
