Never in France’s long history of indulgent culinary pleasure has there been a banquet as eye-popping in its grandeur and extravagance.

When : September 22, 1900 – 125 years ago today.

Where : Tuileries Gardens in Paris

Who :  Sorry you would not have been invited. You had to be the Mayor – not sure if there were any Mayoresses at the time – of  a town or village in France.  20,777 mayors  attended, with 22,278 guests in total.

Why : To mark the hosting by France, and by Paris in particular, of the Universal Exhibition.

Menu :

• Hors d’oeuvres
• Parisian-style glazed salmon steaks
• Bellevue beef fillet
• Rouen duckling terrine
• Roast Bresse chicken
• Pheasant ballottines
• Potel salad
• Ice cream Succès
• Dessert

Two tonnes of salmon, 22,000 guests, waiters on bikes and 33,000 bottles of wine – Justin Postlethwaite tells the remarkable story of the 1900 mayors’ banquet in Paris, a gargantuan gastronomic gathering…

If you want to know more,  read his full article in Taste if France.