How the Michelin Guide Became an Authority
Yes, after a weekend of butt-clenching, it’s finally here! The Michelin Guide 2019 star announcement was made today (17 December 2018), and once again we can be proud of our little country. Besides the results , we were also curious about something else.
So how did the Michelin Guide become so popular that it is the ultimate authority when it comes to good and delicious food? All chefs work themselves to the bone to get into and stay in the guide, but why this guide in particular? That is exactly what culinary historian Charlotte Kleyn investigated for Het Parool.
Practical tyre guide
As it turns out, the guide was originally simply a practical guide published by a tyre manufacturer, which explains why the Michelin Man looks the way he does. The guide contained technical information about tyres, addresses for garages throughout France and, naturally, lists of hotels. That changed in 1923: this was the year restaurants were added to the guide. Eight years later, the three-star system was added as well.
1957
The inspectors who visit the restaurants remain anonymous to this day. From 1931 onwards, the inspectors also reviewed restaurants outside France. In 1957, the guide acquired what we consider a golden edge: the Netherlands was added. Dikker & Thijs and Excelsior in Amsterdam were the only restaurants awarded a star, but according to Kleyn, the press paid little attention to this at the time.
Butt-clenching
Things are different now, of course: the Michelin Guide has become an integral part of the global hospitality scene. Every year, many a chef clenches their buttocks, hoping to receive an additional star—or at least not lose one. What did the Michelin Guide 2019 star announcement look like? You can read that here. But above all, don’t forget to read on in Charlotte Kleyn’s fantastic article. You’ll find many more interesting facts there. Well done!
