Abstract
The court of Burgundy was the setting for many feasts that were used by the dukes as a means of political promotion in the fifteenth century. This article aims to highlight one of the actors of these festive meals, a principal but rarely studied player, namely the cook. The comparison between Olivier de La Marche’s descriptions of the ducal household and the court ordinances and household accounts highlights, beyond the office of the “queux”, the presence of an entire cast of characters specialized in cooking and food preparation, and assigned to specific functions. This documentation enables a reconstruction of the figures of some cooks and their careers within the household, which appears as a place of training but also long-term employment. Finally, these sources make it possible to approach the practical work of these cooks in action and to sketch the outlines of the function of “queux” who, as an expert, needed to display many skills.
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