A tall white hat worn by professional chefs, or a type of knitted winter cap.
From French 'toque,' originally meaning any brimless hat, derived from Spanish 'toca' (headdress) or possibly Arabic 'taqa' (window or opening). The chef's toque developed its distinctive tall, pleated design in the 18th century, with the height supposedly indicating the chef's rank and experience. The pleats traditionally numbered 100, representing the 100 ways a chef could prepare an egg, though this is likely culinary folklore rather than historical fact.
The chef's tall white hat supposedly has 100 pleats representing the 100 ways to cook an egg, though this is probably just kitchen legend. What's real is that the taller your toque, the higher your rank in the kitchen - it's literally a pecking order you can see from across the room.
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