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A Job for Connoisseurs

Preserving traditions and promoting innovation

Ever since the 14th century, French cuisine has been rigorously codified. Le Viandier (an anonymous work erroneously attributed to Taillevent, Head of the Royal Kitchens under Charles VI) and Le Ménagier de Paris (compiled from existing cookery books by an elderly Parisian bourgeois who aimed to teach his young wife the virtues of economy as well as cooking) were hugely successful and served as the benchmark for works up to the beginning of the 17th century.

Le Cuisinier Français by La Varenne, published in 1651, marked the birth of French haute cuisine. Ever since then, from Antonin Carême to Auguste Escoffier, from Curnonsky to Ginette Mathiot, the complex history of culinary techniques, fashions, and tastes has been woven by numerous authors, chefs, gourmets, critics, and housewives. Hardly a day passes it seems without a cookbook being published, or a chef writing his own.

All of this literature extends far beyond the daily requirements of most people, often into the realms of fiction. In the past, recipes included few if no details concerning quantities and preparation and cooking times, as can be seen in the recipe for Mock Sturgeon made from Veal. Today's cookbooks are not always more practical for the novice, either due to lack of experience—the best chefs are not necessarily the best teachers—or lack of time. Still, the vast array of culinary works that have been published have contributed greatly, just as much as the actual cooking and eating, to the aura of refinement that surrounds French cuisine.

ESTURGEON CONTREFAIT DE VEAU

(Mock Sturgeon made from Veal)

For six servings: either the night before or early in the morning, take six calves' heads, without skinning them. Scald them in warm water, as you would a pig, and then cook them in wine; add a mug of vinegar, salt and boil them until overripe meat falls from the bones. Then leave the heads to cool before boning. Then take a large piece of rough canvas, wrap it tightly round the heads, sew it up like a square pillow, place it between two planks and set a very heavy weight on top. Leave it standing like this all night. Cut into slices, removing the skin, as with venison, season with parsley and vinegar. Only two slices per serving,

Le Mênagier de Paris, circa 1393

Chartier, on the rue du Faubourg Montmartre is one of the few surviving examples of the celebrated bouillons in Paris. Opened in 1896, it has been declared a historical monument.

In Paris, the City of Lights, dining out is a must. In the 16th century, the courtiers of Henri III were already patronizing the Tour d'Argent, and Henri VI was most partial to their heron pate. This reputed hostelry, established in 1582, has since become a restaurant—one of the most famous in the world—and has moved from the ground floor up to the sixth. It is a shining example of the continuity of Parisian traditions.

The term "restaurant, “ which used to refer to a fortifying meat broth and, by analogy, the establishments which served it to their clients, acquired its modern meaning in 1765 when a certain Monsieur Boulanger proposed individual tables to his diners at his establishment on the rue du Louvre, as well as an extensive choice of dishes at fixed prices (including the famous broth). It was an outstanding success. In 1782, Antoine Beauvilliers, former chef to the Count of Provence (the future Louis XVIII) opened his Grande Taverne de Londres on rue de Richelieu, aimed at a refined clientele, following a model that had become highly popular in England. The whole of Paris society flocked to it and the establishment did not finally close its doors until 1925. At the time of the Revolution, Paris boasted less than 100 restaurants; a few years later there were more than 500, of which several still exist today. Their arrival proved to be the knockout blow for the various guilds that had formed during the Middle Ages (for example, caterers lost the privilege of being the sole vendors of cooked meat), while chefs of the various aristocrats who had fled into exile now switched their talents to altogether different customers. Public life experienced unprecedented growth. The two centuries that followed more than confirmed Monsieur Boulanger's intuition, and Paris now boasts some 10,000 establishments (though not all can be recommended, alas!). Although chefs, styles, and neighborhoods can be built up and then sent crashing down by the vagaries of fashion, restaurants remain essential and firmly embedded parts of Parisian culture and tradition, with the best houses enjoying remarkable longevity.

RECIPE FOR A « RESTAURANT »

OR RESTORATIVE MEAT BROTH

The restaurant is made from beef, mutton, veal, capon; young pigeon, partridge, onions, root vegetables and fine herbs. It is steamed, but without using any liquid, in a pot whose lid is sealed with pastry. The pot is put in a bain-marie for five to six hours, after which this decidedly succulent broth is sieved and the fat removed. Once this operation has been completed, then a loaf of bread is hollowed out and is filled with the minced and seasoned meat from capons and other fine cuts, before being poached in the bubbling broth. Before serving, it is garnished with cockscombs, calf sweetbread and other delicacies browned in smoked bacon.

Today, the great restaurants are the heirs of sophisticated and costly aristocratic culinary traditions (one of the most reputed establishments of Paris employs a team of 48 people for 45 covers). Smart restaurants and trendy bistros evoke the establishments of the 18th and 19th centuries as depicted in art and literature. The brasseries that grew and prospered in the 19th century have seen a renewal of interest over the last few years, due to their traditional bourgeois cuisine and flamboyant decor. The more earthy bistros with their plats du jour (daily specials) and their menus photocopied or chalked-up on blackboards are reminders of the old bouillons where bank clerks, administrative pen-pushers and shop assistants would have regaled themselves a century ago with good homely fare at modest prices. Whatever social castes they cater to, they have their regulars and nothing is more pleasing to a Parisian's vanity than being recognized, greeted by name and treated with respect wherever he may choose to eat, regardless his wealth or social status. Prick up your ears in a Parisian eatery and you will hear nothing but praise, criticisms, and opinions concerning the food and drink, for in Paris there is no pleasure without comment.

Le Train Bleu, the station restaurant at the Gare de Lyon, was inaugurated by the French president in 1901. It is the most striking example of the Belle Epoque style in France.

To complete the picture, it is important to add that the Louis XIV complex, which is still virulent, and the attachment to the "greatness" of France, nay the certitude of her superiority, do little to encourage a more open approach on the part of the French towards other culinary styles. Cuisine from all over the world can be found in Paris, with any exotic whim catered to, not to mention the gradual integration of certain "foreign" ingredients (such as Parmesan and Balsamic vinegar), but do they consider it to be "real" cuisine? It is true however that this French ethnocentrism, while doing little to improve a nation's command of foreign languages or its respect of basic rules of hospitality, serves our purposes to perfection.

Every great culinary tradition, as well as being a breeding ground of inventiveness and experimentation is first and foremost a keeper of traditional tastes and practices.