EVOLUTION OF FRENCH CUISINE

By magabe
  • Oct 27, 1310

    Guillaume Tirel, alias Taillevent, lived from 1310 – 1395 and was the chef to several French kings, including Philip VI, Charles V and Charles VI from around 1325.

    Guillaume Tirel, alias Taillevent, lived from 1310 – 1395 and was the chef to several French kings, including Philip VI, Charles V and Charles VI from around 1325.
    http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/French_cuisine
    He wrote a famous book on cookery titled Le Viandier that was influential on subsequent books about French cuisine and important to food historians as a detailed source on the medieval cuisine of northern France. Today, many restaurants named "Taillevent" capitalize on the reputation of Guillaume Tirel.
  • Jun 2, 1519

    During the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, French cuisine assimilated many new food items from the New World.

    During the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, French cuisine assimilated many new food items from the New World.
    http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/French_cuisine
    Although they were slow to be adopted, records of banquets show Catherine de' Medici serving 66 turkeys at one dinner.[2] The dish called cassoulet has its roots in the New World discovery of haricot beans, which are central to the dish's creation but had not existed outside of the New World until its exploration by Christopher Columbus.[3]

  • François Pierre La Varenne

    François Pierre La Varenne
    has its foundations during the seventeenth century with a chef named François Pierre La Varenne. As author of works such as Cvisinier françois, he is credited with publishing the first true French cookbook. His book includes the earliest known reference to roux using pork fat.

  • La Varenne

    La Varenne
    http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/French_cuisine
    La Varenne also published a book on pastry in 1667 entitled Le Parfait confitvrier (republished as Le Confiturier françois) which similarly updated and codified the emerging haute cuisine standards for desserts and pastries

  • Regional Cuisine

    Regional Cuisine
    Ingredients and dishes vary by region and some regional dishes have gained national popularity. Cheese and wine are a major part of the cuisine, playing different roles both regionally and nationally with their many variations and Appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) (regulated appellation) laws.

  • The Brigade system - early twentieth century

    The Brigade system - early twentieth century
    Georges Auguste Escoffier, commonly acknowledged as the central figure to the modernization of haute cuisine, organized what would come to be regarded as the national cuisine of France.

  • Nouvelle cuisine - late twentieth century

    Nouvelle cuisine - late twentieth century
    The term nouvelle cuisine has been used many times in the history of French cuisine.[7] The first characteristic of nouvelle cuisine was a rejection of excessive complication in cooking. Secondly, the cooking times for most fish, seafood, game birds, veal, green vegetables and pâtés was greatly reduced in an attempt to preserve the natural flavors.