Transcript culinary history - What the World Eats

French Cuisine
A Brief History
The Origins of French Cuisine
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The history of French ascendency in the culinary arts
can be traced to the Italians. As the 15th century
dawned, the highest of Renaissance culture flourished
at Florence.
Medieval Fare - ITALY
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Prosperity that reached beyond the very small royal
population lent itself to dining as entertainment, in
which common foods were decorated and flavored not
for the purpose of hiding food which was turning bad,
but for emphasizing those flavors allowed by
improved storage techniques and new discoveries in
food preparation.
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Mushrooms, truffles, garlic, and otherwise
infrequently used vegetables appeared
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Some of them carved artistically - while pasta
creations became filled and layered (lasagna, ravioli,
manicotti, etc)
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Accompanied, among the wealthy, with an expensive
show of table finery, Venetian glassware, porcelain,
and precious metals.
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An incredible assortment of pastries and sweet things
would then follow these visual feasts.
FRANCE
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Italian born,
Catherine de Medici
("MED-a-chee"),
daughter of Lorenzo,
Duke of Urbino,
arrived in France in
the 1540's to become
the bride of the
future King Henri II.
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In her entourage
were cooks skilled in
the ways of Florence.
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She brought with her also the expectation that ladies would be in regular
attendance at sumptious feasts, and would dress in fashionable (and
revealing) attire when doing so.
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Dinner, in France, was to become Theater. Not only did she bring fine
cuisine - she brought the Italian banking system, theatrical comedy, and
ballet.
La Varenne
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France is accredited with the recording of culinary instructions and
details.
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The result of the culinary explosion was to produce, in 1652, a book
entitled "Le Cuisine François", written by France's premier chef, La
Varenne. Detailed instructions appeared in this book, the recipes listed
alphabetically, with the introduction of new techniques, such as the use
of the roux as a sauce thickener rather than the common use of bread for
the purpose.
LOUIS XIV
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With the ascent of Louis XIV, the meaning of
sumptuous dining took another leap in extravagance
at his palace at Versailles.
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The "fork" began a regular appearance, and instead
of all the food appearing all at once (much of which
would become cold)
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Louis introduced the idea of dining in a series of steps,
or courses.
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Cooks became specialized, and strange looking
containers and instruments appeared to better
prepare individual things.
FRENCH REVOLUTION
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During this period the greatest of French chefs
appeared - Marie-Antoine Carême.
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A frustrated student of architecture, he would put
architectural methods into food and its presentation:
bridges made of confection, pastry fashioned into
Greek temples, etc., and much of it done on a grand
scale.
Sketch by Carmene
THE 20TH CENTURY
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From the 20th century, two French chefs stand out: Montagné and
Escoffier.
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Montagné composed the excellent "Larousse Gastronomique" in 1938,
the basic encyclopedia of French gastronomy. His contribution was to
turn French cuisine away from "architectural" presentations toward
simplified decoration and shortened menus, and he adopted "Russian"
service.
Georges-Auguste Escoffier
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Escoffier then polished the edges of what we know as
the grande cuisine of France - the only structured and
organized system of gastronomy in the world.
1950’s - 60’s, 70’s Nouvelle
Cuisine
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In the late 1950s young French chefs led by Boçuse,
Guérard, and Chapel invented a lighter and more free
style which would be called "nouvelle cuisine" (1).
Late 20th Century - Nouvelle
Cuisine
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This style replaced traditional heavy sauces with
reductions of stocks and cooking liquids, the
presentation of small portions, and visual artistry on
over-large plates.
French Cuisine
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French cuisine today is a combination of traditional
and nouvelle, to the great delight of everyone around
the world who appreciates what French cuisine has
become since its origin by an Italian female with the
name of Medici.
Artistry
New Emphasis on Ingredients
• Landmark event in modern North
American cooking was the opening of
ALICE WATER’S restaurant, CHEZ
PANISSE in California, in 1971.
• Her philosophy was based on the
premiss that good food requires the
best ingredients.
Modern Food
Service
Operations
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Industry has grown to more than 60,000
restaurants in Canada alone
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Dramatic growth and diversification is due in part
to the Industrial Revolution as well as the social
and economic changes it wrought:
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New technologies
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New foods
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New concerns
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New consumers
MODERN TECHNOLOGY
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Changes in technology since 1900 have played an
important role in the changes in food preparation in
modern society
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Gas and electric ranges were not widely available until
the early 1900’s
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Modern equipment has enable many food service
operations to change their production methods.
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Research and technology continue to produce
sophisticated tools for the kitchen
Text
combination oven
Food Product Development
• Refrigeration
• Preservation
• freeze drying
• freezing
• canning
• vacuum packaging
Convenience
Convenience
• As preservation techniques became
less rare and more affordable:
• The era of convenience foods and fast
food began to evolve.
International Influence
• As travel became easier in the middle
of the 20th century and as immigrants
travelled to North America:
• Awareness of taste regional dishes
began to grow
• Chefs became more knowledgeable
and travelled more frequently
The
Classical
Brigade
The Executive Chef - the
manager who is responsible
for all the operations of the
kitchen including; food
production, menu planning,
purchasing, and cost
control.
2. Chef de Cuisine - in charge of a specific
department in a large operation. Each
restaurant in a large establishment may have
its own Chef de Cuisine.
3. Sous Chef - Responsible for the actual food
production. Reports to the Chef de Cuisine or
the Executive Chef.
Station Chefs
4. Saucier - prepares sauces, stews, hors d’oeuvres, and saute foods
to order.
5. Poissonier - The fish cook.
6. Entremetier - the vegetable cook. Vegetables, soups, starches, and
eggs.
7. Garde Manger - Prepares cold items, such as salads, dressings,
and buffet items.
8. Rotisseur - prepares roasts and braised meats. large kitchens will
have a separate Grillardin to prepare grilled meats and deep fried
foods.
9. Tournant - relief cook. Replaces station cooks as needed.
Patissier
11. The Pastry Chef - A specialized
culinary field. The pastry chef
reports directly to the Chef or
executive Chef.
The Modern Kitchen
• Smaller establishments have a
condensed version of the classical
brigade.
• The working Chef is responsible for the
operations of the “Back of the House”.
• The B of H staff is made up of line
cooks, prep cooks, and dishwashers.