Evolution of CookingEvolution of Cookingan overviewan overview

Prehistoric timesPrehistoric times

• Wash in running water

• Selection of edible parts of animals and fruits

• Cracking of nuts and shellfish

• Grounding with rudimentary tools

First ImprovementsFirst Improvements

• Salt• Pottery• Fire

Rise of AgricultureRise of Agriculture

All around the world, at All around the world, at different periods in time, different periods in time, the beginning of agriculture the beginning of agriculture will lead to sedentary living will lead to sedentary living for mankind, to civilization for mankind, to civilization and to profound change in and to profound change in eating habitseating habits

First CivilisationsFirst Civilisations

• Food as social status symbol

• Food as part religious rites

• Food as a trade and as ART

Middle AgesMiddle Ages• From 450 to 1350

• Predominance of acid (verjus, vinegar) and spices flavours

• Sauces are thickened by purées

• Food is roasted or cooked in a pot over the open fire

• Le Viandier de Taillevent (Guillaume Tirel, 1680)

RenaissanceRenaissance• Catherine de Médicis is queen

consort of King Henry II of France from 1547 to 1559.

• Throughout 15th and 16th centuries food refinement will develop considerably as well as table manners and cooking techniques.

• Pastries, gelées, various fashions of cooking meats (roasts, stews and bouillis), fresh vegetables, usage of the fork, etc

Seventieth CenturySeventieth Century

• Louis the 14th is king of France and François Vatel makes a name for himself for inventing Chantilly cream.

• The colonies will provide numerous new foods: tomato, potato, chocolate, corn, and turkey being probably the most successful.

Eighteenth CenturyEighteenth Century• Antoine-Augustin Parmentier is

remembered as the promoter of cultivating the potato as a food source (for humans) in France and throughout Europe. However, this was not his only contribution to nutrition and health; he was responsible for the first mandatory smallpox vaccination campaign.

Haute CuisineHaute Cuisine

• Marie-Antoine Carême(1784–1833) is often considered as one of the first celebrity chef. Ironically, his name is French for lent, a time of the year when Christians are supposed to fast.

• He is the author or many books and his elaborate presentations pleased the elite in place in those years after the French Revolution (ended when he was 15, in 1799).

Nineteenth CenturyNineteenth Century

• Nicolas Appert was the French inventor of airtight food preservation. Appert, known as the "father of canning," was a confectioner. After 14 or 15 years of experimentation, Appert submitted his invention in 1810 to Napoleon.

Grand HôtelGrand Hôtelor Cuisine Classiqueor Cuisine Classique

• Georges Auguste Escoffier (1846–1935) was a French chef, restaurateur and culinary writer who popularized and updated traditional French cooking methods. He is a near-legendary figure among chefs and gourmets, and was one of the most important leaders in the development of modern French cuisine.

• Escoffier created many famous dishes. The Pêche Melba in honour of the Australian singer Nellie Melba and the Tournedos Rossini, in honour of the Italian composer Gioacchino Rossini are still served today.

Nouvelle CuisineNouvelle Cuisine

• Fernand Point (1897 – 1955) was a French restaurateur and is considered to be the father of Nouvelle French cuisine.

• From his restaurant "La Pyramide" out-of-the-way south of Lyon, trained a generation of French master chefs: Paul Bocuse, Jean and Pierre Troisgros, Georges Perrier, etc.

• From its kitchen came the modern lightly-thickened sauces, baby vegetables, and over adornments from previous trends were removed.

Paul Bocuse, (1926 - )Paul Bocuse, (1926 - )

California CuisineCalifornia Cuisine

• The emphasis of California Cuisine is on the use of fresh, local ingredients which are often acquired daily at farmers markets. Menus are changed to accommodate the availability of ingredients in season. Some restaurants create a new menu daily.

• Alice Waters (1944 - ), of the restaurant Chez Panisse, is usually credited with originating California cuisine and retains the reputation of offering the ultimate California cuisine experience. Her cuisine emphasizes the freshest ingredients which are in season and are procured solely from local farms.

FusionFusion• The term « fusion » refers to

the combination or blending of ingredients or techniques that are originally from foreign cultures.

• Wolfgang Puck (1949 - ), of (amongst many) Spago in Beverky Hills, is internationally know for his fusion of occidental and asian cuisines.

DeconstructivismDeconstructivism

• Charlie Trotter (1959 - ) is a Chicago chef and restaurateur who has developed may dishes where the traditional components are broken down into basic parts to enhance the degustation experience.

Molecular GastronomyMolecular Gastronomy• An approach to cooking

where the food is broken down to its molecular components and presented in unusual and disconcerting manner.

• Ferran Adrià Acosta (1962) chef of El Bulli in Catalonia.

• Heston Blumenthal (1966) is the chef and owner of The Fat Duck in England.

• Hervé This (1955) is a French physical chemist.

And now what?And now what?

• Raw food• Proximity food, 100 miles diet• New French Cuisine• Quebec Regional foods• Eco-friendly cooking• Socially responsible cooking• Hydrocolloids and alginates• Slow Food movement• Tasting menus and the possible end of the

“Main Course”

• Influence of food stylists on today’s gastronomy• Cuisine Bourgeoise• Integration of ordinary food and even fast food into

gastronomy (Poutine au foie gras – M. Picard Montreal, Coffee and doughnut – T. Keller Napa Valley)

• Sous Vide cooking• Preservation of heirlooms, terroirs and traditional

cuisines