LA CUISINE

FRANÇAISE
Olive / Sandra Chu
 Introduction

French cuisine is known for its high quality ingredients, complicated dishes,
and rich flavors. Everyone thinks of 3-5 course meals, meat, cheese, and
wine. This project will take you on a journey of the history of French cuisine.
 Early Middle Ages

French cuisine would not yet established its own truly unique cuisine style until later in
the
Middle Ages around the 15-17th Century.
Until then, food mostly imitated the neighboring counties, especially Italy.
 Middle Ages: Food
o Banquets: long tables with tablecloths, wooden
boards holding meat and bread, wine.

o Entertainment: singing, dancing, short plays, or

readings occurred in between courses.

o Guild systems were created, which limited its

members to their specific trade
 Middle Ages: Food
o Food was lavish and a sign of wealth:
• Peacock, heron, swan, salted & dried meats, etc.
• Spices: saffron, cumin, ginger, nutmeg, cardamom, cinnamon
• Large portions
o Foods and spices were used to create colorful dishes.
• Ex: Egg yolk and saffron created yellow dishes

o Food was mostly eaten with one’s hands

o Meals began and ended with prayer

* Myth: Medieval Europe used strong spices to mask the smell of rotten meat?
 Middle Ages: Wine
o During this time, France became the leading exporter of wine.
• Popular varieties mostly came from the Ile de France.

o Red wine became very popular after the 13th century

• This was largely due to the court in Avignon, which found it easier to ship wine from the
Beaune region rather than from Paris. As a result, stronger burgundy wines became popular at
this time.

o Wine was drank often by men, women, and children (~2 liters per day on average)
o Alcoholic drinks were paired with meals to compliment the taste

o If no wine, beer or cider!

 Middle Ages: Taillevent (14 c.) th

o Guillaume Tirel (Taillevent) was a cook for the Court of France and an important figure in early
French cuisine.

o He is author of Le Viandier, one of the earliest medieval cookbooks, which gave much insight to
what medieval royalty would eat.
• Roasting & boiling were the most common cooking method
• Heavy, heavily-spiced dishes
• Much detail for religious feasts
 Middle Ages: Taillevent (14th c.)

o Born around 1310-12

o Throughout his life he was promoted to:
• Premier Queux (chief cook)
• Ecuyer de Cuisine (squire of cooking)
• Premier Ecuyer (first squire) of all royal kitchens.
^ He kept this title until he died in 1392 at ~80 years old.
 After the Middle Ages (15/16th c. – )

New World ingredients and techniques are being introduced to France.

Later, the guild systems that were established in the middle ages become abolished.
This will give cooks the freedom to explore other foods and create/sell what they
want.
 Popular Movements: 17th C.
o 17th Century – Haute Cuisine (High Cuisine)
• Emphasizes moderate portions, high-quality ingredients
• Only the very rich could afford this

o Francois Pierre de la Varenne (La Varenne)

• He is often referred to as the starting point of French cooking
• Author of Le Cuisinier François, the 1st / one of the 1st true
French cookbooks.
• Established the basics of French cooking: to compliment, not
hide/imitate flavors.

o Shifting away from medieval cooking!

 18 Century
th

• Reign of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette

• For the high class, food was lavish while the poor were
starving
• After French Revolution – guild system was abolished
 Popular Movements: 20th C.
o 20th Century – Nouvelle Cuisine (New Cuisine)
• 1960s-1970s
• Emphasizes light, fresh, and natural flavors
• Heavily influenced the U.S. (Alice Waters) and the U.K. (Gordon Ramsay)
 Present: Food
o Meat, cheese/yogurt, and wine are staples
o Popular Foods:
o Coq au Vin
o Soupe à L'oignon
o Boeuf Bourguignon
o Popular Desserts
o Crème Brûlée
o Crêpes
o Macarons

o Café Culture
o Fast food & Street food
 Renowned Restaurants
o High quality, upscale restaurants
• Mirazur (ranked 11th best in the world, 2015)
• L'Arpège (12th worldwide, 2015)
• L’Astrance (36th worldwide, 2015)
 Present: Habits
• The French eat 3 meals per day at defined times,
and almost never between meals.
• Second helpings are rare and there is not an
unspoken requirement to finish one’s plate.
• Cafes and restaurants are empty during non-meal
times unless it is a tourist destination or people are
only having a drink.
• 80% of the French eat with others and 80-85% of
workers return home to eat with their family

* With globalization, many of these trends are most

likely to be changing
 Present: Meals
• Meals have a defined structure: Entrée, Main course, Cheese/Dessert
• If the main course is heavy and creamy, the entrée will probably be salad
or vegetables. If there are no vegetables in the entrée, there will be in the
main dish. (It’s not really for health that this is done than it is for
tradition and flavor.)
• This ensures that the French have bread, fruit, veggies, meat/meat
substitutes, and dairy daily
• Multiple courses means smaller portions (and consequently lower calorie
intake)
• Usually only wine or water at meals

* Preparing a French meal may seem difficult, but it’s very easy and
simplified for everyday meals.
 Present: Trends
o Traditional French cuisine is declining in the modern society as new trends pop up

o Street Food
• Le Camion qui Fume (the smoking truck) was the 1st Parisian street food vendor
• Aix en Provence holds the Food Truck Station
o Fast Food
• Higher quality fast food for affordable prices
• McBaguette

o Buying Local in response to “fake ingredient” scandals, etc.

 Health
o Saturated fats are not shunned.
o The French, despite drinking more wine, report lower incidences of
intoxication than Americans. This is because they treat it as a
compliment to meals rather than something to get drunk off of.

o The French are more likely to use internal cues to stop eating
(feeling full, not wishing to eat more) while Americans use external
cues (the end of a show, an empty plate).

o The French take more time eating (less chance of overeating)

o The way the French treat food, how they eat it, and what they eat,
all lead to lower obesity rates compared to other countries like the
U.S.
French cuisine is filled with rich history and a unique style of its own.
It is known as one of the best in the world, and that title is rightfully
earned.
 Works Cited
◦ "A Brief History of French Cuisine: During the Middle Ages." Paris Is Beautiful. N.p., 26 May 2014. Web. 21 April 2017.
◦ Knight, Emily. "French Food Trends: Street Food, New Flavours and More." Cafe Asia. N.p., 26 Sept. 2016. Web. 19 Apr. 2017.
◦ Myhrvold, Nathan. "Nouvelle Cuisine." Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 25 Feb. 2015. Web. 15 April
2017.
◦ Nowak, Madeleine. "The Influence of Culture and Environment on Food Intake." Nutridate, vol. 9, no. 1, Mar. 1998, p. 5.
EBSCOhost.
◦ Oulton, Randal. "Francois Pierre de la Varenne." CooksInfo.com. Published 13 July 2005; revised 03 May 2015. Web. 23 April
2017.
◦ Oulton, Randal. "Taillevent." CooksInfo.com. Published 13 July 2005; revised 17 November 2012. Web. 23 April 2017.
◦ Roberson, Laura. "The French Food Connection." Men's Health, vol. 25, no. 4, May 2010, p. 153. EBSCOhost.
◦ Sheehan, Clare. "French Food Trends to Follow." The Daily Meal. The Daily Meal, 10 July 2012. Web. 19 Apr. 2017.
◦ Stephan, Annelisa. "Imagining the Culinary Past in France: Recipes for a Medieval Feast.“ The Getty Iris. N.p., 21 Jan. 2011.
Web. 20 Apr. 2017.
◦ "What Is Haute Cuisine?" Escoffier Online. N.p., 20 Oct. 2014. Web. 20 Apr. 2017.