50 heritage recipes created by Institut Paul Bocuse showcased in the
Yam magazine

To celebrate its 50th anniversary, Yam – the magazine created by the Michelin 3-star chef Yannick Alléno – has published an exceptional special issue looking back at the history of French gastronomy through 50 recipes created by chefs at Institut Paul Bocuse. 

Alain Le Cossec, our Head Chef and Meilleur Ouvrier de France (a prestigious award recognising outstanding craftsmanship), along with his professional training team of chefs and pastry chefs, have selected 50 iconic dishes representing the French culinary heritage, looking back at the history of their creation and then cooking the recipes in the kitchens at Institut Paul Bocuse. Their objective wasn’t to reinvent or adapt the dishes, but to cook them just as they would have been done in the past. 

By taking a historical and gastronomical perspective with recipes from the 17th through to the 20th centuries, this latest issue looks back at several hundred years of traditions that have left their mark on the French culinary arts. The project not only puts a focus on the sharing, traditions and the promotion of our gastronomical heritage, but it also showcases the skills and knowledge of our training team of chefs, who each day pass on to our students the French art of hospitality at its highest level of excellence.

From Paul Bocuse to La Mère Poulard via Joël Robuchon, readers can discover this exceptional culinary heritage in the latest special issue of Yam, now available at newsagents.  

Did you know?

Where does the name Paris-Brest come from?

The bicycle. Or rather, the racing bike! The bikes in the Paris-Brest-Paris race inspired Louis Durand to create this famous desert. In 1910, the pastry chef from Maisons-Laffitte dreamt up a crown in the form of a wheel made up of choux pastry filled with almond praline paste and decorated with flaked almonds, to which colleagues even ended up adding spokes made from bread dough …

What’s the story behind the home-cooking recipe for hachis parmentier?

There are actually some advantages to being in prison. In any case, it inspired the Pharmacist Officer Antoine-Auguste Parmentier to explore boiled potatoes and their nutritional value whilst he was imprisoned in Prussia. At a time when authorities were fighting the famines that devastated France during the 17th century, the idea came to him to put the good old spud in the limelight. Success was soon to follow, and with it the hachis parmentier.

Yam, a magazine written by chefs

Somewhere between a cookery book and a magazine, Yam is a true collector’s item. Designed and written by culinary professionals, its aim is to share knowledge whilst respecting the generosity and contemporary values of the cooking profession. Every 2 months, plunge into the world of Michelin-star Chefs such as Pierre Hermé, Marc Haeberlin or Christophe Bacquié.  Discover their iconic recipes as well as numerous special reports on the professions and products behind the very best in contemporary cuisine.  

Photo credits: Magazine YAM / Philippe Vaurès Santamaria