The small record of that meal, its print and floral decoration now faded, is one of a collection of menus that Barilla, the world's biggest pasta-maker, has brought together in its library in Parma, Italy's gastronomic capital.

ECONOMIST: Barilla's cookery library: Food for thought | The

The alleged French obsession with odd culinary dishes which earned its people the term "frog" in the English vernacular, has earned Paris the reputation as the world's gastronomic capital, even when other cities now arguably have equal claim to the title.

BBC: Rolling out the old cliches

In fact, Gothenburg was named the 2012 Culinary Capital of Sweden, solidifying its gastronomic reputation.

BBC: Navigating Gothenburg��s culinary scene