We all seem to have a favorite food or dish. I’ve often wondered about chefs, and if they have a favorite dish. Maybe, because they’re around food all the time and get to taste the best of the best, they don’t really have one thing that stands out. Or, if they do, is it something of theirs, or another chef’s dish? What is Gordon Ramsay’s favorite dish?
Gordon Ramsay’s favorite dish is Beef Wellington, and he can’t seem to get enough of this British staple. Ramsay loves the dish so much that he has a page on his website dedicated to the history of it. It’s an all-time favorite at Christmas for him and his family.
If you scroll through any of Gordon Ramsay’s social media pages, you will see a lot of beef wellington pictures, recipes, and videos dedicated to his favorite dish. The people of Kansas City know how much he loves the dish that they had a birthday cake made for him, depicting the famous dish, front and center.
History of Beef Wellington
The exact origins of beef wellington are unknown. Many people believe it was named after Arthur Wellesly, the 1st Duke of Wellington, and later Prime Minister of Ireland. He was deemed a hero after the Battle of Waterloo and there are different rumors about how the dish received its name:
- He would eat just about anything and his chef created the dish while playing around
- He loved it so much that it had to be served every day
- The dish, when whole, resembled his boot
- He discovered the dish in South Africa when he served there (he didn’t serve there)
- The dish originated in France but the English wanted to change the name after a war with the French
As you can see, there are several different stories about the origin of the dish. None of them can be verified as there is no actual link between the Duke and the dish. In fact, the dish didn’t make it to English cookbooks until 1970.
One of the original celebrity chefs, Julia Child is often credited for the popularity of the dish as she cooked what she called “filet de bśuf en croûte”, or filet of beef in crust in 1965. On her show, “Mastering the Art of French Cooking”, she introduced the dish as “Filet of beef, a la Wellington.”
After the episode aired, the dish rose in popularity, and cookbooks started printing recipes for it. But while it may have taken a while for it to be printed in English cookbooks, it was written about in a Polish cookbook written in 1909 by Maria Ochorowicz-Monatowa.
The true origins remain unknown and that’s ok as it hasn’t reduced the popularity in the dish in the slightest.
Julia Child
Julie McWilliams was an American chef, born in 1912. Growing up, her family had a cook and she didn’t have any aspirations, or experience with cooking. It wasn’t until she was an adult and married that she took an interest in food.
Her husband, Paul Child, came from a family who enjoyed foods and he had a sophisticated palate. In 1948 Paul and Julia moved to France, where Paul introduced Julia to fine cuisine. She was fascinated and thus began her ambition to become a chef. In 1951, Julia Child graduated from the famous culinary school, Cordon Bleu.
She went on to become one of the most prolific chefs in the world, enjoying a long-running, award-winning television series, became an author of several books, and was able to enjoy foods from all over the world before she passed away in 2004.
While there may be some subtle differences between Julia Child’s and Gordon Ramsay’s recipes, there is no doubt that both chefs can be accredited with making, and keeping, this dish popular for a modern audience.
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