Le Cordon Bleu

In 1578, during the thick of the religious war between Catholics and Protestants, the king of France, Henry III, created a new order of knights known as L'Ordre du Saint-Esprit, or the Order of the Holy Spirit. The mission of its members was to fight for Catholicism. To mark themselves as a member, the knights wore a Maltese cross hanging from a blue cord around their neck.

For two centuries membership in this order was considered a high honor and the wearing of the blue cord became a mark of considerable distinction. Eventually with the start of the French Revolution, the order was banished, replaced somewhat by La Légion d'honneur, which persists to this day as a distinction in France.

It is said that the members of the order, with blue ribbons hanging about their necks, would gather for fabulous feasts prepared by the finest chefs in the land. Eventually, with the abolition of the order, the blue ribbon came to be associated with the cooks rather than the knights themselves. The notion of a blue ribbon indicating the best of something has spread across the world.

In France, you will hear home cooks refer to themselves as a cordon bleu (or not as the case may be), meaning that they are an accomplished chef. You have probably heard of Le Cordon Bleu, which originated over a hundred years and is considered a top notch cooking school with branches around the globe.