Wissenswertes

The French term for Baked Alaska translates as Norwegian Omelette.

The actors who play Dodin Bouffant (Benoît Magimel) and his live-in cook, Eugénie (Juliette Binoche), were once married in real life (1998 - 2003).

The ortolan is a species of bunting. It's netted, then kept in the dark whilst being force-fed grain. It is then drowned in armagnac, roasted and eaten whole.

It's traditional in France for the ortolan to be eaten with a napkin covering the diner's head. There are various explanations for this. Some say it's to enable the diner to spit out the larger bones discretely; others that it's to hide such an overindulgent act from the eyes of god.

Pierre Gagnaire who played the prince's cook was also gastronomy consultant for the movie. He is actually a real French Chef with 13 stars in Michelin Guide in 2023.

In a 2024 interview with Boston Hassle, Anh Hung Tran spoke in detail about the much-discussed scene where Dodin and his friends dine with their heads covered by large napkins: "...it's a tradition in the southwest of France. They used to eat this bird, the ortolan, and they used the napkin because, when the bird is served on the dish, it's very hot. So they have [to use] the napkin to keep the smell inside, so it doesn't escape, so they can fully appreciate it. And then they have to hide themselves because they need to estimate the heat so they won't burn themselves when they put the whole bird in their mouth, so they have to estimate the temperature by putting the bird on their cheek a little bit. When the temperature is right, they put the whole bird [in their mouth] and they chew it. Sometimes the fat or something would come out of their mouth, so they have to hide it because it's quite ugly! [laughs] Of course, I shot what was under the napkin, but I decided not to show it because it was more funny and mysterious to show them from the outside."