What Does Michelin Mean in Michelin Star?

Michelin stars are a globally recognized symbol of excellence in the culinary world and are awarded to restaurants that have achieved a high level of quality in their cuisine. The Michelin Guide is an international guidebook that awards restaurants with one, two, or three stars based on the quality of their food. Michelin stars have been around since the early 1900s and are seen as a sign of distinction for chefs and restaurateurs.

The Michelin Guide was created by brothers Édouard and André Michelin in 1900 as a way to promote their tire business. They thought that if more people traveled by car, they would need tires more often and therefore buy more from them. They created the guidebook to give people ideas for places to visit while traveling by car, which would then lead them to buy tires from the brothers’ company.

The brothers initially awarded restaurants with one star if they had “very good food in its category” and two stars if they had “excellent cooking, worth a detour”. Over time, they added a third star which is used to denote an “exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey”. The criteria for awarding stars have remained largely unchanged since then.

Today, there are over 3,000 restaurants worldwide that have been awarded at least one Michelin star. The process for earning a star can be lengthy and difficult as inspectors visit each restaurant several times before making their decision. Only the best restaurants are able to achieve this high level of recognition.

Conclusion:

Michelin stars are a highly coveted award given by the prestigious Michelin Guide to restaurants who provide exceptional cuisine. The name ‘Michelin’ comes from the two French brothers who created the guidebook in 1900 as part of their tire business promotion plan. Earning one or more Michelin stars is no easy feat and requires inspectors to visit each restaurant several times before deciding whether it is worthy of distinction.