When Barack Obama’s passion for … cheese almost caused a diplomatic row between France and Russia … It is one of many revelations to be made in the exhibition of presidential and royal menus, which will be auctioned on Friday in Paris.

From Napoleon III to Elizabeth II and Vladimir Putin, auction house Millon is offering a collection of 4,000 menus belonging to French chef Christophe Margin. It is the first time in the world that menus will be auctioned, accompanied by… spicy anecdotes.

Among these menus is that of the dinner hosted on June 5, 2014 by then French President Francois Hollande to his then US counterpart Barack Obama, at the Michelin-starred chef Guy Savoie’s restaurant, on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of Invasion of Normandy. After blue lobster salad and sea bass fillet, Obama “delayed the program, asking for a cheese plate before dessert.” The American president’s … cheese could prove disastrous for Hollande, as he had planned to return to the Elysee Palace for a second dinner with Russian President Vladimir Putin soon after, as reported by commentator Alexandre Millon.

Perhaps the most impressive meal was that served in 1900, on the occasion of the Universal Exhibition, to 23,000 mayors, in the Pottery Garden, near the Louvre: it took 7 kilometers of tablecloths, 125,000 plates, 600 cooks and assistants, 2,200 waiters, 2 tons of salmon, 1,200 liters of mayonnaise and 39,000 bottles of wine.

The collection covers 150 years of diplomatic and culinary history, starting with a dinner hosted by Napoleon III in 1868, accompanied by plenty of wine. Following are a myriad of official state lunches and dinners hosted by world leaders, from Japan’s Emperor Hirohito to Nelson Mandela and Saddam Hussein.

The menus, valued at between 10 and 1,500 euros each, are printed on silk or expensive paper, and many are decorated with works by famous artists, such as the menu for US President Jimmy Carter, which features a lithograph by Marc Chagall.

“Over time, we see the evolution of international relations, since in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, visits by leaders were much rarer and therefore each time they were treated as extraordinary events, with back-to-back meals at the presidential palace, sometimes at Versailles and, often, military parades and evenings at the Opera or the theater were organized,” Millon commented.

Some menus send subliminal messages

When France was trying to strengthen its relations with Russia and Britain, in 1897 the dinner given in honor of Czar Nicholas II included “Volga oyster a la Muscovite” and “pineapple a la Victoria,” a dessert that it bore the name of the then Queen of England.

By tradition, the president of France has the final say in terms of culinary choices, but there are many discussions with the guests beforehand so as not to cause a diplomatic “incident” because of the food. On the occasion of a visit by Queen Elizabeth II, for example, the French proposed a menu “with or without foie gras”, so as not to fall out with the then heir to the throne, Prince Charles, who is known for his environmental his concerns. “But the queen, who loved foie gras, had the last word,” said the appraiser.