THE
ORIGINS OF CLASSICAL AND MODERN CUISINE
1. The first important
cookbook to appear at the end of the Middle Ages was Le Viandier
(“TheCook”), written by Guillaume Tirel, usually known as
Taillevent, born about 1310. Taillevent invented many dishes, especially sauces
and soups. He refined old recipes to depend less onheavy use of spices and more
on the flavors of the foods themselves.
2. Modern food service is
said to have begun shortly after the middle of the eighteenth century. At this
time, food production in France was controlled by guilds. Caterers, pastry
makers, roasters, and pork butchers held licenses to prepare specific items.
3. The new developments in
food service received a great stimulus as a result of the French Revolution,
beginning in 1789. With
the revolution and the end of the monarchy, many chefs, suddenly out of work,
opened restaurants in and around Paris to support themselves. At the start of
the French Revolution, there were about 50 restaurants in Paris. Ten years
later there were about 500.
4. Marie-Antoine Carême
(1784–1833). As a young man, Carême learned all the branches of cooking
quickly, and he dedicated his career to refining and organizing culinary
techniques. Carême emphasized procedure and order. His goal was to create more
lightness and simplicityBeginning with Carême, a style of cooking developed
that can truly be called international, because the same principles are still
used by professional cooks around the world.
5. Georges-Auguste
Escoffier (1847–1935), the greatest chef of his time, ( kings of chefs
and the chefs of kings) is still today revered by chefs and gourmets as the
father of twentieth-century cookery. His two main contributions were (1) the
simplification of classical cuisine and the classical menu, and (2) the
reorganization of the kitchen. Escoffier rejected what he called the “general confusion” of the old
menus, in which sheer quantity seemed to be the most important factor. Instead,
he called for order and diversity and emphasized the careful selection of one
or two dishes per course, dishes that followed one another harmoniously and
delighted the taste with their delicacy and simplicity. Escoffier’s books and
recipes are still important reference works for professional chefs. The basic
cooking methods and preparations we study today are based on Escoffier’s work.
His book Le Guide Culinaire, which is still widely used, arranges
recipes in a simple system based on main ingredient and cooking method. He
created French school of culinary art (La Cuisine classique ).
1.
He standardised
new fashions chef dress
2.
He insisted
chefs to acquire schooling.
3.
He was first one to move kitchen out of
basements.
4.
He
estahblished kitchen brigade and division of stations.
5.
He standardized recipes.
Nouvelle cuisine (1960-1970)
A
generation after Escoffier, the most influential chef in the middle of the twentieth
century was Fernand Point (1897–1955).Working quietly and steadily in his
restaurant, La Pyramide, in Vienne, France,
Point simplified and lightened classical cuisine. He was a perfectionist who
sometimes worked on a dish for years before he felt it was good enough to put
on his menu.“I am not hard to please,” he said. “I’m satisfied with the very
best.”Point insisted that every meal should be “a little marvel.” Point’s
influence extended well beyond his own life. Many of his apprentices, such as Paul Bocuse , Jean and Pierre Troisgros, and
Alain Chapel, went on to become some of the greatest stars of modern
cooking. They, along with other chefs in their generation, became best known in
the 1960s and early 1970s for a style of cooking called nouvelle cuisine.
1.
Varity of
dishes served were with smaller portions.
2.
Presentation
of the food was given importance.
3.
Sauces were thinner
and flour was not added.
4.
Cooking time was reduced by frying, grilling
and stir frying.
5.
Fresh food and
martial was used.
6.
Unusual
flavours and combination s were prepared.