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French
culinary style
Classical French cuisine
a concise guide
for diners & travelers
Why classical
French cuisine is special
Classical French cuisine is the symbol of fine dining in the Western world.
Insights on classical
French cuisine
 Classical
French cuisine is also known as haute cuisine.
Classical
cuisine is cooked in distinguished restaurants in
many places in France, but it is mainly
concentrated in and around Paris.
The world-acclaimed haute cuisine of France is
essentially a system of cooking that has transformed regional dishes into elaborate ones fit for the most
discriminating epicure.
According to its rules, nothing but the finest
cooking ingredients, equipment, and talent should be employed. Recipes are exact and should be followed
faithfully. Therefore, contrary to widespread opinion, being a haute-cuisine chef is not a truly creative
profession.
Because the preparation of
many of the sauces requires an economy of scale and much time (measured in days), haute cuisine is better
suited for well-staffed restaurants than to homes.
History of classical
French cuisine
The traditional birth year of
classic French haute cuisine is 1533, when Catherine de
Medici moved from Florence to Paris to become the
child-bride of the future King, Henri II. She was so appalled by the qualities and manners of the French table
that, as part of her marriage agreement, she was allowed to bring an entourage of chefs from her homeland,
where fine cooking was an art form. In due course, the imported talent introduced the Parisian courtiers to
the glories that would soon develop into classic French cuisine.
In fairness to the French
pride, it must be pointed out that good local cooking existed long before Catherine's arrival, as is partially
substantiated by Taillevent's fourteenth century cookbook. Furthermore, Catherine merely precipitated and did
not - as some food writers are fond of telling us - create classic French cuisine. If she had not done so,
someone else would have performed the mission, because the time was right for the development of the latent
French palate, farming skill, and kitchen expertise.
The other most potent
influences on classic French cuisine include the eighteenth-century chef La Varenne, who wrote Le Cuisinier
Francois, the gourmet Brillat-Savarin (1755-1826), author of The Physiology of Taste; the
architecture oriented
chef Careme (1784-1833), who is probably the leading candidate for the title of "the father of classic
French cooking"; the chef Dubois (1818-1901) who is best noted for creating the previously
described Selle de Veau a la Prince Orloff, and for helping to establish in France the Russian-style table
service, where the diner receives the food already served on his plate, as opposed to serving himself from a
selection of dishes. The chef Escoffier,
(1847-1935), who helped simplify and put the final touches on
the codification of haute cuisine in his cookbook, Le Guide Culinaire.
Classical French cuisine
in the 21st century
Today classic French cuisine
is slowly disappearing because of the increasingly prohibitive costs of the required
ingredients - and the
growing reluctance of talented youths to undergo lengthy, slavelike, and financially unrewarding
apprenticeships. Its critics say, "Good riddance" - who needs so many calories, such a high
cholesterol count, and so much money spent on a meal while people around the world are starving? They would be
right, of course, if such cuisine were our steady diet.
Famous haute cuisine
specialties include ...
Tournedos Rossini - A sauteed beef filet
steak served on a circular crouton, then garnished with a foie gras slice, a truffle slice, and, finally, a
Madeira sauce.
Sauces are generally rich (lots of butter, eggs, cream, etc.) and the presentation of each dish is meant to
impress the eye.
Homard a la Parisienne - Made
by poaching
lobsters, removing the cooked flesh, then stuffing the empty shells with a mayonnaise-dressed vegetable
mixture which is topped with lobster meat.The lobsters are artfully arranged on a platter, and elaborately
garnished with such items as truffles and artichoke bottoms.
Poularde Derby Chicken
- Stuffed with rice, goose liver, and truffles, then roasted and lavishly garnished with more truffles and
foie gras.
Selle de Veau a la Prince
Orloff - The slices of a roasted saddle of veal are coated with Sauce Soubise, rice, and mushroom puree,
and then reassembled on the saddle in their original position. The roast is then covered with Sauce Mornay and
browned. This preparation exemplifies the ridiculous aspect of haute cuisine when taken to excess. The dish
was created in the nineteenth century for the veal hating Prince Orloff. To disguise the veal flavor, the
delicate meat was literally bathed with two relatively overpowering sauces. If one detests veal, why have it
in the first place and if one likes it, why mask its flavor?
Best city for gourmets
Paris is the top all around food city offering the
Classical cuisine style.
Criteria include cooking, food markets, cooking
ingredients, cooking schools,
beverages, dining and restaurants.
Click a French region to
learn about its cuisine
and famous dishes
Also learn
about these
exciting
world cuisines
My food & wine
credentials
My books have been critically acclaimed by major magazines and newspapers. Click
the button below to read a sampling (in Acrobat format).
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