Among the landed nobility and upper bourgeoisie under the July Monarchy, the meal was arranged in successive courses placed on the table: soup and relevés, then entrées, followed by the roast (the main meat), entremets, and finally dessert. In Paris, the day began with a light breakfast (café au lait, bread) and the substantial meal was reserved for dinner. Tocqueville, split between his Norman château and his Paris apartment, alternated between country fare from local produce and more refined urban cuisine.

Tocqueville's cuisine bears the mark of his lands: sweet butter, thick cream, cider, and apples from the Cotentin region bind his dishes. It is the rich Norman softness that envelops fish, meats, and desserts, a sign of a well-to-do household rooted in its hedgerow country.