3 Culinary History Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Objective Explain why it is important to study

3Culinary History

Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

Objective

• Explain why it is important to study culinary history.


Culinary History

• Understanding the past helps chefs understand how the eclectic American cuisine was shaped

• By studying culinary history, chefs learn about– the social customs, ingenuity, values, and

religious beliefs of the time– past culinary practices


Objectives

• Understand influences on culinary practices from ancient times through the 1900s.

• Summarize the progression of the various styles of cuisine.

• Explain the origins of American cuisine.


Ancient Cooking

• In early times, cooks, hunters, and gatherers assured human survival

• As agriculture developed, – the struggle to find food was eased– small cities appeared– standards of living rose– more complex cooking practices developed


Ancient Egypt

• This journey through culinary history begins in ancient Egypt from about 3100 BC to 300 BC

continued

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Ancient Egypt

• The ancient Egyptians– made yeast-raised and flat breads– tended bees– cooked assorted fishes from the Nile River– raised animals for both their milk and meat


Ancient Greece

• Ancient Greece (750 BC–146 BC) rose to power as ancient Egypt declined

continued


Ancient Greece

• The cuisine of ancient Greece focused on food products, rather than on elaborate cooking techniques

• Cooking techniques centered around spit roasting, boiling, baking, and grilling

• Greek cuisine mainstays included olives, honey, cheese, seafood products, grain products, lamb, and wild herbs


Ancient Rome

• Ancient Rome (625 BC–476 AD) followed ancient Greece as the dominant power

continued


Ancient Rome

• The social elite enjoyed a refined cuisine, while the largest part of the population existed on simple ingredients prepared simply

• The wealth of ancient Rome allowed chefs to develop their art with a wide variety of imported and rare products at their disposal

continued


Ancient Rome

• Apicius wrote the first complete Western cookbook, De re coquinaria, during this time

• Apicius’ book describes challenging culinary dishes with complex flavor profiles


Cooking of the Middle Ages

• With the fall of Rome to invading armies in 476 AD, Europe entered the Middle Ages

• The Middle Ages lasted for at least 1,000 years

• During these years, Europe was carved into smaller kingdoms that wrestled one another for power


The Religious Influence

• During this time, the Catholic Church filled the power vacuum and influenced European life and dining habits

• Catholic monasteries preserved records of ancient cooking practices

• They also preserved and improved the art of baking as well as cheese, wine, and beer making


The Influence of Arab Culture

• In the Middle Ages, the Arabs invaded and ruled southern Europe and northern Africa

• With Arab culture came new ingredients, recipes, techniques, and culinary traditions including– almonds– citrus fruits– eggplant– distilltion

– addition of sugar and ground nuts to savory dishes


Meals for the Masses

• Societies consisted of a small aristocracy and a large majority of common people

• Common people subsisted on local agricultural products, which each family grew

• Foods were often cooked using simple techniques

• Survival was difficult in winter months because less food was available


Meals for Royalty

• Royalty often ate well and employed many cooks to create lavish banquets

• Use of costly spices and complex edible visual creations were the norm

• People ate using a knife, occasionally a spoon, or with trenchers


Cooking of the Renaissance

• Starting in the 1400s and ending in the 1600s, Europe was slowly transformed by the Renaissance

• Sauces became lighter and more refined, while dishes were streamlined and simpler to prepare

• Cooking for the masses did not change much

continued


Cooking of the Renaissance

• During the Renaissance, the exchange of culinary traditions between France, Spain, and Italy increased greatly

• This slow and steady refining of French cooking eventually lead to the popularity of French cuisine around the world


Cooking Ingredients Crisscross Continents

• When explorers discovered the New World, new foods were discovered

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Cooking Ingredients Crisscross Continents

• Tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, corn, chocolate, beans, and vanilla traveled from the New World to Europe

• Wheat, citrus fruit, sugar, cattle, and pigs made the voyage from Europe to the New World


Cooking of the 1700s and 1800s

• Prior to the beginning of the French Revolution, chefs worked in the homes of the wealthy

• As many of these wealthy elite either lost their lives or fled France, chefs lost their jobs

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• After the French Revolution, restaurants became the main source of jobs for chefs

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• During these two centuries, renowned chef, Antonin Carême (ahn tohn IN kahr EHM), practiced his art

• Carême authored several important cookbooks, in which he refined and systemized the grande cuisine


The US Melting Pot

• Early European settlers and Native Americans learned culinary techniques from each other and shared food products

• As the US grew, new immigrants brought their own culinary traditions

• These traditions affected what is referred to as a “melting pot cuisine”

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The US Melting Pot

• Regional cuisines slowly developed in the US• Regional differences resulted from the

merging of the following factors:– Cooking traditions of local Native Americans– Cooking traditions of the immigrants who settled

in the region– The region’s climate– The area’s indigenous (ihn DIH gehn us) foods


Food Safety and Availability

• During the 1800s, other important culinary advances took place such as– long-term preservation of food by canning– invention of pasteurization– advances in food transportation and refrigeration– invention of the first stoves


Cooking of the 1900s

• The 1900s began under the influence of revered chef, Auguste Escoffier (ehs kawf EEAY)

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• Escoffier’s contributions to cooking included– redefining the organization of the professional

kitchen – emphasis on professionalism– simplifying the grande cuisine of Carême– his book Le Guide Culinaire, which systemized

classic cuisine

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• In the years following Escoffier, France continued to be at the forefront of haute (OHT) cuisine

• Ferdinand Point (1897–1955) and his restaurant La Pyramide in southern France popularized regional cooking


Culinary Experimentation

• In the 1960s, some of the chefs who trained at La Pyramide introduced nouvelle cuisine

• Many of these chefs were influenced by Asian food traditions

• In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Americans began watching cooking demonstrations on TV

continued


Culinary Experimentation

• Ethnic cuisines, such as Thai, Mexican, Cajun, and Italian, were introduced to the American palate in the 1980s and 1990s

• Some chefs mixed the different cuisines to create various fusion cuisines

• Other chefs created variations of traditional regional American cuisines


Culinary and Technology

• Recent decades brought technological advances that dramatically changed the commercial kitchen such as– air transport of food products around the world– the microwave, food processor, convection

ovens, and induction cooking– computers providing easy access to large

amounts of information, and powerful software to manage food and labor costs


Review

• What three ancient cultures laid the foundations of Western culinary practices?

– Egypt– Greece– Rome

continued


Review

• During the Middle Ages, what religious group influenced European life and dining habits?

– Catholic Church

continued


Review

• How did the Arab culture influence the foods eaten in the Middle Ages?

– They brought new ingredients, recipes, and techniques

continued


Review

• In the Middle Ages, how were the eating habits of royalty different from those of common people?

– Royalty had lavish banquets and feasted on dishes containing numerous expensive spices

– Common people grew their own food and cooked them using simple techniques

continued


Review

• How did exploration during the Renaissance affect culinary history?

– Early explorers traveled from Europe to find a cheaper route to buy expensive spices, but instead landed in the New World. This lead to food from the New World being taken to Europe and food from Europe being brought to the New World.

continued


Review

• Why did restaurants gain popularity in the 1700s and 1800s?

– The French Revolution took place and chefs lost their jobs because their employers lost their lives or fled. So chefs began working in restaurants.

continued


Review

• What chef is credited with creating grande cuisine?

– Antonin Carême

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Review

• How did the melting pot cuisine develop in America?

– It developed as a combination of Native American cuisine, European cuisine, and the culinary traditions of immigrants

continued


Review

• What were some of Auguste Escoffier’s culinary contributions?

– Redefined the professional kitchen into its modern organization

– Stressed that cooks and chefs should act as professionally as possible

– Simplified the grande cuisine of Carême– His famous book, Le Guide Culinaire,

systemized classic cuisinecontinued


Review

• Describe fusion cuisine

– The merging of two or more ethnic cuisines into one cooking style

Documents

3 Culinary History Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Objective Explain why it is important to study