Editor's Choice
When was Gueridon service started in European history?
Quick answer:
Gueridon service originated in Russia in the late 1700s to efficiently serve complex meals to the nobility, becoming popular in Western Europe by the early 19th century. It involves completing dish preparation tableside, often using a trolley. The method gained international fame with the introduction of crêpes Suzette in 1894. Initially showcased at a 1810 French banquet by Russian ambassador Prince Kurakin, it replaced traditional banquet styles across Europe by the 19th century.
Gueridon service began as a way to speed up the process of cooking complex meals for the Russian nobility while simultaneously showcasing the skills of their chefs. It likely evolved over time throughout the late 1700s in Russia but did not appear in Western Europe until the beginning of the next century. We know that Russian playwright Denis Fonvizin preferred the Russian style of serving as he wrote to his sister in 1778 that
French cuisine is excellent, you have to do it justice, but service is detestable . . . . I would often leave the table still starving whenever I have dinner in town. I would sit in front of a dish I don’t like and wouldn’t eat from, and I’m too nearsighted to see what’s at the other end of the table. The Russian way of serving dishes around the table is more rational.
One of the...
Unlock This Answer Now
Start your 48-hour free trial and get ahead in class. Boost your grades with access to expert answers and top-tier study guides. Thousands of students are already mastering their assignments—don't miss out. Cancel anytime.
Already a member? Log in here.
earliest recorded instances of Gueridon service outside of Russia occurred at a banquet hosted by Prince Alexander Borisovich Kurakin, the Russian ambassador to France in 1810. Known as "The Diamond Prince" for his penchant for showing off his wealth, this new style of dining quickly caught on and was dubbedservice à la russe. It involved bringing each course to the table sequentially and often completing the final step of cooking tableside.
As a result of this new service's popularity, the former style of banquets, in which many dishes were brought to the table at once, lost favor. Over the course of the nineteenth century, Gueridon service spread in popularity around Europe and eventually into the upper echelons of North American society as well.
Gueridon service is a form of food service that decreases the time it takes for a fully prepared item of food to reach the table. The general idea is that the meal or course is placed on a rolling tray, so that it can be prepared in transit, or it can sit, simmering or cooling, on the way to the table, where the server then will finish the preparation, whatever it may be.
This type of service started in the nineteenth century and was created as a way to serve the Russian nobility food more efficiently and quickly. The process also followed very detailed steps to serve the guests to ensure that the food was served quickly and effectively, and that everyone was served in a proper manner in terms of who should receive their meal first and how quickly the food will be ready.
It is widely thought that Gueridon service began in nineteenth-century Russia, though this answer should not be considered definitive. The term denotes the final preparation of a dish performed on a trolley and brought to the diners's table. It could be the preparation of fruit, salad, a cut of meat, or a dessert, such as a flambé.
Gueridon service became popular in England during the Edwardian period (1901–10), but the advent of crêpes Suzette in 1894 by Henri Charpentier at the Café de Paris in Monte Carlo is thought to be the dish that popularized it throughout the world of Western diners. Crêpes Suzette are crepes traditionally prepared tableside in the Gueridon manner and flavored with butter, caramelized sugar, orange zest, and an orange-flavored liqueur that is briefly set aflame.