The Swedish Chef, wearing a toque blanche

A toque blanche is a tall, starched, white, pleated hat worn by chefs, although the blanche is nearly always dropped. The term literally means "white hat" in French and may have come from the old Spanish toca. The many folds on a chef's toque are believed to signify the many ways that an egg can be cooked. Many toques have exactly 100 pleats. The Swedish Chef, from The Muppet Show. ... The Swedish Chef, from The Muppet Show. ... The Swedish Chef, making chocolate moose The Swedish Chef is a Muppet who appeared in the long-running The Muppet Show and was operated by Jim Henson and Frank Oz simultaneously. ...

The toque most likely originated as the result of the gradual evolution of head coverings worn by cooks throughout the centuries. Their roots are sometimes traced to the casque a meche (stocking cap) worn by French chefs of the eighteenth century. The color of the casque a meche denoted the rank of the wearer. Boucher, the personal chef of the French statesman Talleyrand, was the first to insist on white toques for sanitary reasons. The modern toque is popularily believed to have originated with the famous French chefs M. Antoine Carême and Auguste Escoffier. Charles Maurice de Talleyrand Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord (February 2, 1754 - May 17, 1838) was a French diplomat. ... Georges Auguste Escoffier (October 28, 1846 (?)-February 12, 1935) was a French chef, restaurateur and culinary writer who popularized and updated traditional French cooking methods. ...