French Cuisine-

How did it get to its international leadership status?

EXCELLENCE – INNOVATION – TRADITION

France, a Brief Overview

• 22 regions• 3 different Seas/ocean• A diversified topography: plains, mountains,

valleys, hills• Quite a few different climates: continental,

temperate oceanic• A central geographical and historical place in

Europe• Throughout the years: Explorers,

colonization, invasions, & Immigration

Its agriculture:• France is the leading country in Europe for

the production of: cereals, poultry, beef and wine.

• It is second, behind Germany, for milk and sugar beet.

• France is the top European Agricultural exporter and second in the world, behind the United States of America

French, the Language of Cuisine

A la carte Bain-MarieBiscuitBlanch Bon appetitBrunoiseCafé au laitCanapéConsomméCrème BruleeEntréeFlambeGratinJusMacaronMayonnaisePetits foursQuicheSautéTable d’hoteVelouté

• Catherine de Medicis: As a member of the eminent Italian family, she came to Paris in 1533 to become the queen of Henry II. This period in time was called the “Renaissance”. She is accredited in bringing refinement and a renewed appreciation for the arts in the French royal court. While Catherine de Medicis dazzled the French court with her sumptuous banquets of unusual dishes, the greatest shock must have been her introduction of the fork. Spoons and knives had been used before, but to dine with a fork was revolutionary. The art of making breads, cakes, and pastries, the preparation of fresh vegetables, and the serving of fruits and cheeses were appreciated, but a great favorite was ices and ice cream.

• The first known modern restaurant (1765):Monsieur Boulanger, a tavern owner, solely sold soups, which he called restaurants, derived from the French word restaurer (to restore or fortify). Since the 16th century, “restaurants” described rich and highly flavored soups or stews capable of restoring lost strength.

• Jean Anthelm Brillat-Savarin (1755-1876) �He labored for twenty-five years to produce “Physiology of Taste” (La Physiologie du Gout). Still a reference for understanding the evolution of the appreciation of food in French culture.

• Marie-Antoine Carême (1784-1833):A great chef of the time whose career spanned 30 years and was the chefs to kings, heads of state and wealthy persons. He developed Grand Cuisine, characterized by meals with dozens of courses of elaborately and intricately prepared, presented, garnished, and sauced foods. His books contain the first real systematic account of cooking principles, recipes, and menu making. He was one of the primary reasons cooking of the Middle Ages was brought into the modern era.

History of French Cuisine

• Before the French Revolution (1789), great chefs worked for nobility and the royal court, and food service was controlled by guilds.

• The “Sommelier” was the person who was in charge of the transport and the stocking of the supplies for the French nobility.

• The revolutionary government abolished the guilds, which left many chef without work.

• Many of these chefs opened restaurants, which allowed the public access to skills and creativity of sophisticated chefs.

• The guilds’ system although without any official political power, indirectly survived through the strong communities which revolved around specialized fields in agriculture and food transformation.

The French Revolution

Georges-Auguste Escoffier (1847-1935)

• Escoffier brought French Cuisine into the twentieth century and is considered to be the father of twentieth-century cooking.

• Escoffier rejected the “general confusion” of the old menus in which quantity seemed to be the main emphasis.

• He called for order and diversity and a careful selection of one or two items per course. His dishes had to be harmonious, and delight the taste with their delicacy and simplicity.

• His main life’s work was to compile and codify the techniques, language and ingredients involved in Cuisine, pulling away from a recipe by recipe approach and elevating food transformation as a structured technical science.

• He published “Le Guide Culinaire” in 1903, which is largely viewed as the inspiration for the “Larousse Gastronomique”, published in 1938, and recognized globally as the culinary “Bible” of the 20th century. Still to this day his recipes and books are quality references for chefs around the world.

• Escoffier’s second major accomplishment was reorganizing the kitchen, creating a streamlined workplace. He called this system “the brigade system” and is still used today around the world.

The Classic Brigade

The chef is the person in charge of the kitchen. In large establishments he might be called the executive chef.

The sous chef is normally second in command and controls production and staff supervision.

The station chefs are in charge of specific areas of production:

The saucier – sauces, stews, stocks, hot hors d’oeuvres, and sauté.

The poissoner– fish dishes The rôtisseur– roasted and braised meats and

their gravies and broiled meats. The grillardin– broiled items, and maybe deep–

fried meats and fish. The garde manger – cold foods, including

salads, dressings, pâté, cold hors d’oeuvres, and buffet items.

The pâtissier– pastries and desserts. The tournant– relief cook. The expediter or aboteur – takes orders from

waiters and passes them on to cooks. In many ways one could see the vision of the works of

Careme and Escoffier when they laid the foundations for this structure as it totally relates to contemporary management structures with Executive, Supervisory and Technical levels being already defined almost 2 centuries ago.

The Classification of the Culinary Delivery Concepts• As the culinary techniques and the industry developed

in France, so were the service standards.• The French also took a technical and systematized

approach to service which is still in use today in most Food and Beverage operations.

• Towards the end of the 19th century most of today’s restaurant formats had already been conceptualized:

- Café- Salon de The - Patisserie - Boulangerie - Sandwicherie- Chocolatier

- Bar - Bistrot - Brasserie- Restaurant

Concepts related to French Cuisine - Art de Vivre

• Art de vivre is quite a difficult concept to define as it is no official definition for it. Literally translated it refers to the “Art of Living”. But by living the French mean the appreciation of the way and the environment in which you are living your life. This refers to a different value system and hierarchy that is part of the French psyche. In France there is a few things to consider before understanding the concept:

– Great emphasis on personal time – Constant quest for less tension, less drama, pleasure is not a

guilt.– The French like to think they are a highly cultured society,

they sometimes call themselves “Intellos”, they enjoy debating and engaging stimulating arguments to bolster creativity.

– There is a real appreciation for beauty and elegance, people value the substance of an object or a situation (concept, origin, technique…)

• One can probably sum up Art de Vivre as the French lifestyle, but it is interesting to see that they have incorporated the notion of Art in it.

• Also the French see Art de Vivre as a holistic approach meaning that the appreciation of a situation will be a result of the sum of its parts.

• For Cuisine this would mean that any culinary experience would be judged by all of its components and not just the food itself. There is always a relation between what you eat what you drink, the environment and the service you are getting. There will be a real appreciation for a perfect Marriage, a perfect combination (although this generally refers to a pairing of the food and the wine).

• Art de Vivre is also related to another concept the Art de la Table.

Concepts related to French Cuisine - Terroir

• Terroir was originally a French term in wine, coffee and tea used to denote the special characteristics that geography bestowed upon them. It is a group of agricultural sites in same region which share the same soil, weather conditions and farming techniques, which each contribute to the unique qualities of the crop. It can be very loosely translated as "a sense of place" which is embodied in certain qualities, and the sum of the effects that the local environment has had on the manufacture of the product. The amount of influence and the scope that falls under the description of Terroir has been a controversial topic in the wine industry. (Wikipidia 2009)

• Indeed it is a debatable concept but it is truly at the essence of French food local identities. One can argue that the concept of Terroir also encompasses the local culture and know how, which is transmitted generation after generation.

• As the French also are disciples of the concept of Art de Vivre, the local Terroir can also reflect a local lifestyle and in Cuisine a certain reflection of the eating experience which is available locally encompassing the specialties of the areas in recipes, wines, cheeses etc.

Concepts related to French Cuisine - The Appellation System

• Each region of France have a very distinct identity. Century after century, invasion after invasion, King after king, each region have shapen up quite differently from one another. It is interesting to know that the feudal system had split France into several self sustaining entities that were run by the different lords.

• The concept of terroir is at the base of the French wine “Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée” (AOC) system that has been model for appellation and wine laws across the globe. At its core is the assumption that the land from which the grapes are grown imparts a unique quality that is specific to that region.

• After a period of maturation, the AOC system is now controlled by the Institut National des Appellations d'Origine (INAO)

• The INAO has 4 comittees:- Wine, Spirits and other Alcoholic Beverages- Dairy products, Agriculture and Forestry- “Indications Géographiques Protégées” (protected

geopgraphical labels), Meats and Traditional specialties

- Bio products and Eco- Agriculture• With these concepts of appelations comes the

development and the preservation of identities through comprehensive standards implementation. And control techniques

• Through this also came the concept of Traceability

France’s Culture for Excellence• The French have a historical and cultural connection to

their cuisine that they fully accept and carry as part of their national identity.

• The preservation of that heritage is being carried with this sense of belonging which is being stimulated through various ways:

- Strong local support at the national, regional and even deeper at the community level

- Every specialized field (Agriculture, Chefs, Exporters) have countless associations that try to further their industry’s leadership

- These organizations not only try to implement the strictest standards to follow, but also set up initiatives to stimulate innovation and competition through local or national contests

- International events like the SIAL, VinExpo the Paris Agricultural fair are windows into France’s culinary heritage to the world, and there is a massive participation from all actors.

- To complement this there are industry and public rankings that the French are very regarding of (IE Michelin guide).

- There is a very strong integration of internships in the education curriculum of the different culinary fields which is very well supported by the industry.

- Also there is a high degree of specialization depending on the culinary field

French Cuisine Perception in the World

• In February 2009, France’s leading Newspaper, Le Monde, did an international survey involving the French Diplomatic services around the world.

• Out of the 156 questionnaires that were sent, 110 responses were returned (70%). For the large majority, French cuisine was considered a “vital reference” (66%) and even an “passport to the future” (13%); on the other hand 7% felt that it was “old fashioned” while 14% were without opinion.

• The number of French restaurants is increasing in 30% of the countries, stable in two thirds and decreasing in

only 4%.

• Until the moment when this enquiry was launched no other tool of analysis was available to France to allow them to measure the extent of their cuisine. A rather paradoxical situation since France was proposing their culinary techniques to be included in the immaterial heritage with UNESCO!

• Perhaps it was considered too easy to answer the question simply by making circuit of the Michelin stars accumulated by its internationally acclaimed Chefs such as Joël Robuchon, Paul Bocuse or Alain Ducasse.

Supporting France’s Cuisine globally • In many countries, major hotels organise week-long

gastronomic events and the important distribution of wine fairs. Generally it is done through Sopexa (the organisation for increasing sales of food and agricultural products) which through their 35 branches are present in 28 countries. The ratio of products that are specifically French is at 94%.

• Wine is a major ambassador for French Cuisine as it is generally a gateway product that leads into the appreciation of it with food. The Beaujolais nouveau celebration is followed by millions in France and around the World.

• Another event which has been popularised over the last few years are the “Aperitif a la Francaise” which are being coordinated locallya and at the international level by the Sopexa.

• Another great ambassador for French Cuisine is its bread. It has become ubiquitous in many countries.

• Increasingly the demand for more refined pastries around the world is presenting opportunities for the French patissiers to spread their know how and have their already famous brands implement themselves locally. Events like St Valentine or Christmas are becoming global events where the demand is showing a lot of potential.

• France is the number one tourism destination in the world with over 70 million visitors each year. This access to the local culture is stimulating the adoption of French food when these tourists go home.

French Cuisine and Innovation

• Although French Cuisine has taken shape over many centuries. The industry has always been at the forefront of innovation and creativity.

• With the rapid changes in the consumer’s eating habits there is a need for global food cultures to reassess their strengths and develop new strategies.

• The global consumer has now access to more diversity and quality than ever before and for several reasons:

• With the improvements in global transport, importing and exporting are seeing major opportunities. Especially as local markets tend to push away from protectionism and re adopting more open market policies.

• The advances in biology, agriculture are enabling foods and ingredient to have an increase shelf life and are making them available all year around.

• Technological advances in refrigeration and wider adoption of sous-vide (vacuum-packed) in industrial and commercial production processes, is increasing the possibilities to find higher quality transformed foods.

• The future is just starting to become very interesting as high end science is teaming up with the culinary arts and were witnessing the development of new fields or application in cuisine.

Merci !