Voltaire at the table

In Paris as at the Château de Ferney, the 18th-century meal unfolds in several "services" presented all at once on the table: soups and entrees first, then the "relevé" of meats and roasts, finally the sweet entremets and fruits. Guests serve themselves from the dishes within reach, and conversation — wit, the bon mot — counts as much as the food. Voltaire, with his fragile health, nibbles lightly while the salon sparkles.

Voltaire's emblematic drink, which he consumed in prodigious quantities, often with a little chocolate added. Coffee embodies the spirit of the Enlightenment: clarity, studious vigils, nights of writing. Here it serves as a taste thread (bitterness) against the savory and sweet dishes of the supper.