THE ORIGINS OF CLASSICAL AND MODERN CUISINE
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 on heavy use of spices and more on the flavors of the foods themselves.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.
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.
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.
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 dress2. 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. Variety 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.
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