Whale, dolphin and porpoise were considered fish, so during Lent, the salted meats of these sea mammals were eaten. Fruits, nuts and root vegetables would be boiled in honey for preservation. Cucumbers were brined as well, while greens would be packed in jars with salt. Bacon and sausages would be smoked in the chimney, while the tongue and hams were brined and dried. Beef was often salted, while pork was salted and smoked. Livestock were slaughtered at the beginning of winter. Late spring, summer, and autumn afforded abundance, while winter meals were more sparse. The ingredients of the time varied greatly according to the seasons and the church calendar, and many items were preserved with salt, spices, honey, and other preservatives. Meals often ended with an issue de table, which later changed into the modern dessert, and typically consisted of dragées (in the Middle Ages, meaning spiced lumps of hardened sugar or honey), aged cheese and spiced wine, such as hypocras. Pies were a common banquet item, with the crust serving primarily as a container, rather than as food itself, and it was not until the very end of the Late Middle Ages that the shortcrust pie was developed. The sauces were highly seasoned and thick, and heavily flavored mustards were used. Food was generally eaten by hand, meats being sliced off in large pieces held between the thumb and two fingers. Multiple courses would be prepared, but served in a style called service en confusion, or all at once.
In French medieval cuisine, banquets were common among the aristocracy.
On the table to the left of the Duke is a golden salt cellar, or nef, in the shape of a ship illustration from Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry, circa 1410. The Duke is sitting with a cardinal at the high table, under a luxurious baldaquin, in front of the fireplace, tended to by several servants, including a carver. John, Duke of Berry enjoying a grand meal. In November 2010, French gastronomy was added by the UNESCO to its lists of the world's "intangible cultural heritage". Its criteria are used widely in Western cookery school boards and culinary education.
Knowledge of French cooking has contributed significantly to Western cuisines. Many dishes that were once regional have proliferated in variations across the country. Gascon cuisine has also had great influence over the cuisine in the southwest of France. Ĭulinary tourism and the Guide Michelin helped to acquaint people with the cuisine bourgeoise of the urban elites and the peasant cuisine of the French countryside starting in the 20th century. They play different roles regionally and nationally, with many variations and appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) (regulated appellation) laws. In the 17th century, chefs François Pierre La Varenne and Marie-Antoine Carême spearheaded movements that shifted French cooking away from its foreign influences and developed France's own indigenous style.Ĭheese and wine are a major part of the cuisine. In the 14th century, Guillaume Tirel, a court chef known as "Taillevent", wrote Le Viandier, one of the earliest recipe collections of medieval France. French wines are usually made to accompany French cuisine.įrench cuisine ( French: Cuisine française) consists of the cooking traditions and practices from France.įrench cuisine developed throughout the centuries influenced by the many surrounding cultures of Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Germany and Belgium, in addition to its own food traditions on the long western coastlines of the Atlantic, the Channel and inland.