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Freeze: 120 delicious batch-cooking recipes for all the family
by Justine Pattison+0.5"> Cook Now. Eat Later. It's time to re-think how to use your freezer Take the stress out of cooking with 120 delicious freezer-friendly recipes perfect for all the family. From pies and lasagnes to curries and cakes - Fill Your Freezer shows you how to create tasty dishes everyone will love with minimal effort.With easy-to-follow recipes, mouth-watering photographs and top tips on how to safely prep, freeze and defrost your meals, this cookbook is ideal for those looking to save money as well as time!Recipes include:· THAI CHICKEN AND COCONUT CURRY· 30-MINUTE MEATBALLS· SPICED RED LENTIL SOUP· FABULOUS FREEZER FISH PIE· SUPER-QUICK STICKY TOFFEE PUDDINGand many more! The ultimate fuss-free cookbook, this indispensable freezer guide will make your life that little bit easier.This ebook was previously published under the title Freeze.
Freeze: Super-nourishing meals to batch cook, freeze and eat on demand
by ByRubyDo you dream of having delicious, nutritious meals to hand on those lazy days or extremely busy weeks? Then Freeze is for you. It offers the perfect solution, providing brilliantly healthy and nourishing batch cook recipes that will fill your freezer and can be enjoyed as if fresh at little to no notice.With smart meal-prep solutions, ByRuby have developed the very best ways to get the most out of your food when it is frozen, and they will offer practical tips, hacks and suggestions to ensure freezer cooking is fool-proof for everyone. With instructions on how best to defrost, reheat or cook direct from the freezer, this is convenient cooking that will enable the whole family to eat well when they have little time to spare.Even with limited cooking ability, by making big batches of delicious food and filling your freezer, you can have healthy meals every single day of the week, without any of the usual stress.CONTENTSChapter one: Easy Midweek MealsIncluding Keralan vegetable curry, Wild mushroom risotto and Thai sweet potato soupChapter two: Hearty DinnersIncluding Famous chicken pie, Ruby's fabulous fish pie and Spinach and ricotta cannelloniChapter three: Family FoodIncluding Best-ever macaroni cheese, Kiddie korma and Mini savoury frittata bitesChapter four: All About the SidesIncluding Indian turmeric potatoes, Foolproof ratatouille and Ruby's super grainsChapter five: The EssentialsIncluding Super-duper tomato sauce, Salsa verde and Classic chicken brothChapter six: Sweet TreatsIncluding Brilliant brownies, Passionfruit tart and Chocolate chip cookies
Freeze: Super-nourishing meals to batch cook, freeze and eat on demand
by ByRubyDo you dream of having delicious, nutritious meals to hand on those lazy days or extremely busy weeks? Then Freeze is for you. It offers the perfect solution, providing brilliantly healthy and nourishing batch cook recipes that will fill your freezer and can be enjoyed as if fresh at little to no notice.With smart meal-prep solutions, ByRuby have developed the very best ways to get the most out of your food when it is frozen, and they will offer practical tips, hacks and suggestions to ensure freezer cooking is fool-proof for everyone. With instructions on how best to defrost, reheat or cook direct from the freezer, this is convenient cooking that will enable the whole family to eat well when they have little time to spare.Even with limited cooking ability, by making big batches of delicious food and filling your freezer, you can have healthy meals every single day of the week, without any of the usual stress.CONTENTSChapter one: Easy Midweek MealsIncluding Keralan vegetable curry, Wild mushroom risotto and Thai sweet potato soupChapter two: Hearty DinnersIncluding Famous chicken pie, Ruby's fabulous fish pie and Spinach and ricotta cannelloniChapter three: Family FoodIncluding Best-ever macaroni cheese, Kiddie korma and Mini savoury frittata bitesChapter four: All About the SidesIncluding Indian turmeric potatoes, Foolproof ratatouille and Ruby's super grainsChapter five: The EssentialsIncluding Super-duper tomato sauce, Salsa verde and Classic chicken brothChapter six: Sweet TreatsIncluding Brilliant brownies, Passionfruit tart and Chocolate chip cookies
Freezer Cocktails: 75 cocktails that are ready when you are
by J. M. Hirsch'One of the best cookbooks of the summer season' ForbesThis ingenious collection of 75 cocktails made directly inside the bottle to store in the freezer means your drink is ready when you are.There is a time and a place for meticulous home mixology. But more often than not, what we really want is a shortcut to our favourite cocktail that's at the ready whenever we want it. Pour. Sip. Simple!Build your drinks in batches right in the spirit bottle, then keep them on call in the freezer for whenever the mood strikes. That means a perfectly chilled Negroni or a sweet and minty Mojito is always on hand, whether you're unwinding after a long day or hosting a few friends.This creative collection of 75 ready-to-pour cocktails shows how to make freezer door versions of your favourites, from Margaritas and Manhattans to Cosmopolitans, Espresso Martinis and beyond.These classic and new drinks include:- Moscow Mule- Coconut-Lime Daiquiri Colada- Mai Tai- Chocolate Negroni- Mexican Old FashionedOrganized by spirit, Freezer Cocktails also covers the science behind the simplicity, including how the freezing point of alcohol changes based on volume of water, juice and/or sweetener added, as well as how to use this information to craft your own recipes.Praise for Freezer Cocktails'Whether you're a casual cocktail maker or one with plenty of experience shaking, stirring and straining, you'll appreciate food and drink writer J. M. Hirsch's genius collection Freezer Cocktails' Forbes'A range of original and rejiggered classics, formulated to hold in the cold but never freeze...A bottle of water frozen for four hours is an icicle; a bottle cocktail treated the same is a perfect drink' Washington Post'This clever collection will appeal to anyone who wants the convenience of a cocktail in a can without sacrificing flavour' Publishers Weekly
Freezer Door Cocktails: 75 Cocktails That Are Ready When You Are
by J. M. HirschFreezer door cocktails are perfectly crafted and always ready when you are—in this "genius" (Forbes) collection of 75 drinks made directly inside the liquor bottle to store on the freezer door. There is a time and place for meticulous home mixology. But more often, what we really want is a shortcut to our favorite cocktail that&’s at the ready any time we want it. Pour. Sip. Simple! You build these drinks in batches right in the liquor bottle, then keep them on call in the freezer for whenever the mood strikes. That means a perfectly chilled Negroni or sweet and minty Mojito is always on hand, whether you&’re unwinding after a long day or hosting a few friends. This creative collection of 75 ready-to-pour cocktails shows how to make freezer door versions of your favorites, from Margaritas and Manhattans to Cosmopolitans, Espresso Martinis, and beyond. These classic and new drinks include: Moscow MuleCoconut-Lime Daiquiri ColadaMai TaiChocolate NegroniThe Last WordMexican Old FashionedPaper Plane
Freezer Meals: 50 Essential Recipes for Today's Busy Cook (The Best of Everything®)
by Adams MediaEverything® cookbooks are a popular choice for home cooks looking for fresh, original recipes that only taste you’ve spent all day in the kitchen. But now we’ve collected fifty of our most delicious, freezer-ready recipes. Here’s all you need to get started making tasty, satisfying recipes from Grilled Honey Mustard Chicken to Hot Fudge Sundae Pie.
Freezing Effects on Food Quality (Food Science And Technology Ser. #72)
by JeremiahThis work presents a comprehensive overview of existing knowledge regarding the influence of freezing, frozen storage and thawing of specific food-stuffs. It delineates how freezing processes alter the colour, appearance, palatability, nutritional value, intrinsic chemical reactions, microbiological safety and consumer acceptance of foods. The fundamental concepts upon which food-freezing technologies are based, are reviewed.
French Appetizers
by Marie AsselinLearn the authentic recipes and techniques for the French tradition of L&’apéro from the author of the award-winning blog Food Nouveau.L&’apéro consists of before dinner drinks served with finger foods and small bites. This collection presents a rich variety of French appetizer recipes perfect for entertaining, cocktail hour, or giving a lunch box or picnic basket that &“something extra-special.&” Many recipes include simple formulas for endless variation, allowing your taste buds and creativity to go wild. Fresh, modern, and versatile these French-inspired appetizers and small servings—from basic tapenades and hummus, to savory cakes, quiches, tarts, mini sandwiches, soups, skewers, and sweet treats—are perfect as a prelude to dinner, or even in place of an evening meal.
French Bakes Made Simple: From macaron to millefeuille and more
by Edd Kimber'Baking requires skill and perfection, and Edd's got it.' Mary Berry'Edd Kimber has made everyone's favourite French desserts and pastries accessible and easy to make. From buttery sable cookies to crusty canelés and flaky croissants, anyone can bake and enjoy the best French pastries, right in their own kitchen!' David Lebovitz'Edd's desserts taste as good as they look - these delicious recipes inspire the baker in all of us.' Philippe ConticiniThis is a new edition of Edd Kimber's ultimate baking cookbook that will help you recreate all the wonderful treats you'd find in a traditional French patisserie. With easy-to-follow step-by-step guides, Edd takes you through the techniques you'll need to make your own classic French bakes, from a moist and tasty genoise sponge to that quintessential icon of French pastry: the flaky, buttery croissant.Chapters include:- Sweet Treats: Classic Financiers, Canelés and Eclairs- Desserts & cakes: Cherry Clafoutis and Buche de Noel- Pastry: Easy guides to making Pâte Sablée and Pâte Sucrée, and recipes for delicious tarts to use them in- Basics: Essential icings and creams, such as Mousseline and Crème ChantillyEdd's mouthwatering recipes use bakeware found in most household kitchens, removing the need for expensive or complex equipment and allowing you to create the perfect patisserie in your own home.
French Bakes Made Simple: From macaron to millefeuille and more
by Edd Kimber'Baking requires skill and perfection, and Edd's got it.' Mary Berry'Edd Kimber has made everyone's favourite French desserts and pastries accessible and easy to make. From buttery sable cookies to crusty canelés and flaky croissants, anyone can bake and enjoy the best French pastries, right in their own kitchen!' David Lebovitz'Edd's desserts taste as good as they look - these delicious recipes inspire the baker in all of us.' Philippe ConticiniThis is a new edition of Edd Kimber's ultimate baking cookbook that will help you recreate all the wonderful treats you'd find in a traditional French patisserie. With easy-to-follow step-by-step guides, Edd takes you through the techniques you'll need to make your own classic French bakes, from a moist and tasty genoise sponge to that quintessential icon of French pastry: the flaky, buttery croissant.Chapters include:- Sweet Treats: Classic Financiers, Canelés and Eclairs- Desserts & cakes: Cherry Clafoutis and Buche de Noel- Pastry: Easy guides to making Pâte Sablée and Pâte Sucrée, and recipes for delicious tarts to use them in- Basics: Essential icings and creams, such as Mousseline and Crème ChantillyEdd's mouthwatering recipes use bakeware found in most household kitchens, removing the need for expensive or complex equipment and allowing you to create the perfect patisserie in your own home.
French Bistro: Restaurant-Quality Recipes for Appetizers, Entrées, Desserts, and Drinks
by Maria Zihammou Åsa DahlgrenThe corner bistro offers all the highlights of French cuisine: crepes, bouillabaisse, ratatouille, and beef bourguignonne-all with rustic flair, simple ingredients, and impeccable flavors. Now, with Maria Zihammou's French Bistro, you can cook up the authentic tastes of France in your own kitchen. Each recipe shows how intricate meals steeped in culinary tradition can be re-created with simple techniques using modern ingredients and equipment. This is a tribute to proper French cuisine, featuring bistro takes on such classics as:Marinated olivesCroque-monsieur and croque-madame: open sandwich with ham and cheesePan-bagnat: picnic sandwich with tuna and veggiesQuiche lorraineSoupe à l'oignon: French onion soupEntrecôte with béarnaiseAnd many more mouthwatering dishesIn addition, a chapter on cheese shows the proper making of a cheese course-a French tradition.French Bistro takes you into the world of cozy French neighborhoods and cuisine with a charming design and gorgeous, photographs. Discover the joys of French cooking and be inspired by passionate food!
French Bread Baking for Beginners: The Essential Guide to Baking Baguettes, Boules, Brioche, and More
by Katie Rosenhouse KuczynskiBake delicious French breads at home with simple, authentic recipes Crusty baguettes, tender brioche, and flaky croissants are some of the world's most delicious and beloved breads—and now you can make them yourself in your own kitchen! This top choice in baking books simplifies the French bread-making process for beginners, providing everything you need to re-create your boulangerie favorites.What sets this French baking cookbook apart:French bread basics—Learn what makes French bread so special, what important baking terms mean, and which tools and ingredients you'll need to have on hand to start baking.Step-by-step instructions—Find detailed directions and expert tips for the entire French bread-making process, from combining ingredients and kneading dough to adding finishing touches and baking to perfection.20 beginner-friendly recipes—Discover straightforward recipes for a mouthwatering variety of French breads—plus a handful of bonus recipes that feature your finished bakes, like Pain Perdu with Whipped Crème Fraiche.Capture the magic of a Parisian bakery at home with this instructional French cookbook.
French Classics Made Easy: More Than 250 Great French Recipes Updated and Simplified for the American Kitchen
by Richard GrausmanClassic French food is hotter than ever. But one thing hasn’t changed—few of us have the time, the patience, the technique, or the cream and butter allowance to tackle the classics as presented by Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking. The good news is—we don’t need to. For the past 40 years Richard Grausman, America’s premier culinary teacher, has been training American chefs in a simpler, better way of French cooking, and in French Classics Made Easy—a refreshed and updated edition of his original collection, At Home with the French Classics—he shares all of his extraordinary innovations and techniques. Golden soufflés in ten minutes. A light and luscious chocolate mousse that can be made as a cake, a chocolate roll, soufflé, or pudding. Plus Cassoulet, Boeuf Bourguignon, Coq au Vin, Bouillabaisse, Poached Salmon with Beurre Blanc—in all, 250 impeccably clear, step-by-step recipes in range of anyone who knows how to boil water or dice an onion. When a step isn’t critical, Grausman eliminates it. If something can be done in advance, he does it. Plus he’s cut the amount of butter, cream, egg yolks, salt, and sugar; the result is health-conscious recipes that don’t compromise the essential nature of the dish. Techniques are illustrated throughout in line drawings. It’s the grandness of French cuisine, made accessible for both entertaining and everyday meals.
French Comfort Food
by Hillary DavisThe cooking instructor and author of Cuisine Niçoise shares traditional French comfort food recipes from French Onion Soup to Burgundy Beef Fondue. While France is famous for its haute cuisine, the French also take pride in the culinary traditions of their regional heritage—the timeless dishes that remind them of home. In French Comfort Food, Hillary Davis collects cherished recipes from friends she made while living in France, with added tips and information from her hundreds of well-worn French cookbooks. Here are family recipes handed down through generations as well as modern remakes of classic favorites. There are recipes for family meals and dinners with friends. You&’ll also find fondues and souffles, soups and stews, brunches, breakfasts, and desserts. Drawn from Normandy, Alsace, the Alps, and elsewhere across the country, these recipes will inspire you to bring the home-cooked flavors of France to your own kitchen.
French Cooking for Beginners: 75+ Classic Recipes to Cook Like a Parisian
by François de MélogueFrom Paris direct to your table—the complete French cookbook for beginnersThe French may not have invented cooking, but they certainly have perfected the art of eating well. In this definitive French cookbook that's perfect for beginners, you'll discover how to make the timeless, tasty cuisine served up at French dinner tables and in beloved bistros and brasseries.Author François de Mélogue breaks down classic French cookbook dishes like Duck Confit with Crispy Potatoes, Bouillabaisse, and Coq au Vin into easy-to-follow steps perfect for the newcomer. Along the way, you'll learn how to put together a cheese board any Parisian would be proud of, fry the perfect pommes frites, and pair food and wine like a pro. Let's get cooking the French way! Bon appetit!This essential French cookbook for beginners includes:Classic flavors—Discover more than 75 recipes you'll love, from Steak Tartare to Tarte Tatin.A taste of Paris—Learn to shop like a Parisian and how to prepare 4 classic cocktails from the City of Light.Essential extras—Beyond French cookbook recipes, you'll find 12 tips for souffle success, expert advice on how to make a pan sauce, and a guide to French wines.Classic Parisian cooking comes home in this French cookbook for beginners.
French Country Cooking
by Elizabeth DavidFrench Country Cooking - first published in 1951 - is filled with Elizabeth David's authentic recipes drawn from across the regions of France.'Her books are stunningly well written ... full of history and anecdote' ObserverShowing how each area has a particular and unique flavour for its foods, derived as they are from local ingredients, Elizabeth David explores the astonishing diversity of French cuisine. Her recipes range from the primitive pheasant soup of the Basque country to the refined Burgundian dish of hare with cream sauce and chestnut puree. French Country Cooking is Elizabeth David's rich and enticing cookbook that will delight and inspire cooks everywhere.Elizabeth David (1913-1992) is the woman who changed the face of British cooking. Having travelled widely during the Second World War, she introduced post-war Britain to the sun-drenched delights of the Mediterranean and her recipes brought new flavours and aromas into kitchens across Britain. After her classic first book Mediterranean Food followed more bestsellers, including French Country Cooking, Summer Cooking, French Provincial Cooking, Italian Food, Elizabeth David's Christmas and At Elizabeth David's Table.
French Country Cooking: Authentic Recipes from Every Region: 180 delicious recipes from the foundations of French gastronomy
by Francoise BrangetHere are 180 recipes of traditional French appetizers, entrees, and desserts that members of the French National Assembly, representing the myriad regions of their native country, have decided to share with the world. From a challenging slow-cooked hare recipe that predates the French Revolution to the simplest bread, The Cuisine of the French Republic is both wittily political and warmly personal. It comes with fascinating legends of La France profonde, historical information, and a great deal of Gallic charm. None of the recipes are chic, trendy, minimalist, or Nouvelle Cuisine. Here is the real thing. The diversity and originality of these recipes are representative of France’s rich culinary heritage. The Cuisine of the French Republic offers a unique chance of entering La France profonde that no, or few tourists ever penetrate. This comprehensive cultural and gastronomic insider view into private kitchens, farms, replete with ancestral recipes passed on through generations will enchant the armchair traveler as well as inspire to visit the many different regions of France—a country so rich, with many cuisines. “Cooking is our soul,” Branget says, “but political life, politics intrude. These recipes are testimony to our small pleasures, our contribution to history. ”
French Country Cooking: Meals and Moments from a Village in the Vineyards
by Mimi ThorissonA captivating journey to off-the-beaten-path French wine country with 100 simple yet exquisite recipes, 150 sumptuous photographs, and stories inspired by life in a small village "Francophiles and armchair travelers who loved Dorie Greenspan's Around My French Table and David Lebovitz's My Paris Kitchen will gladly add this classic title to their collections."--Library Journal, starred review Readers everywhere fell in love with Mimi Thorisson, her family, and their band of smooth fox terriers through her blog, Manger, and debut cookbook, A Kitchen in France. In French Country Cooking, the family moves to an abandoned old château in Médoc. While shopping for local ingredients, cooking, and renovating the house, Mimi meets the farmers and artisans who populate the village and learns about the former owner of the house, an accomplished local cook. Here are recipes inspired by this eccentric cast of characters, including White Asparagus Soufflé, Wine Harvest Pot au Feu, Endives with Ham, and Salted Butter Chocolate Cake. Featuring evocative photographs taken by Mimi's husband, Oddur Thorisson, this cookbook is a charming jaunt to an untouched corner of France that has thus far eluded the spotlight.From the Hardcover edition.
French Country Cooking: Meals and Moments from a Village in the Vineyards
by Mimi ThorissonA captivating journey to off-the-beaten-path French wine country with 100 simple yet exquisite recipes, 150 sumptuous photographs, and stories inspired by life in a small village "Francophiles and armchair travelers who loved Dorie Greenspan's Around My French Table and David Lebovitz's My Paris Kitchen will gladly add this classic title to their collections."--Library Journal, starred review Readers everywhere fell in love with Mimi Thorisson, her family, and their band of smooth fox terriers through her blog, Manger, and debut cookbook, A Kitchen in France. In French Country Cooking, the family moves to an abandoned old château in Médoc. While shopping for local ingredients, cooking, and renovating the house, Mimi meets the farmers and artisans who populate the village and learns about the former owner of the house, an accomplished local cook. Here are recipes inspired by this eccentric cast of characters, including White Asparagus Soufflé, Wine Harvest Pot au Feu, Endives with Ham, and Salted Butter Chocolate Cake. Featuring evocative photographs taken by Mimi's husband, Oddur Thorisson, this cookbook is a charming jaunt to an untouched corner of France that has thus far eluded the spotlight.From the Hardcover edition.
French Countryside Cooking: Inspirational dishes from the forests, fields and shores of France
by Daniel GalmicheDaniel Galmiche, a Michelin-starred chef and author of the French Brasserie Cookbook shows how to make authentic French dishes, using the ingredients found in the rural parts of the country, from orchard to meadow, river to seashore, in sustainable and stunningly inventive ways.Multiple-Michelin-starred Daniel Galmiche presents a fresh approach to French cooking. Taking inspiration and ingredients from meadow and orchard, from field to forest, and from river to sea, each recipe takes authentic French rural classics and elevates them to sophisticated dishes, full of flavour and easy to create at home.French cooking centres around one maxim: start with quality ingredients, and the resulting flavour and freshness of the dish will shine. Daniel shows how to showcase the humblest of ingredients, with tips on how to source them sustainably and seasonally. Starters, mains, sides and desserts are organised by the origin of their key ingredient. From the orchard, spice a peach to make a mouth-watering accompaniment to duck. From the farmyard, make use of a chicken carcass to create a beautifully clear and nourishing broth. Or from the sea, home-smoke cod fillets with fennel-infused smoke and serve with a warm bean salad.With short ingredients lists and straightforward guidance on how to perfect chef-level techniques such as dehydrating and sous-vide without the fancy equipment, this book will allow you to master innovative French cuisine – and reduce food waste – with simplicity.
French Desserts
by Hillary DavisThe author of French Comfort Food shares her love of sinfully sweet desserts with recipes drawn from across France&’s regional culinary traditions. In French Desserts, Hillary Davis celebrates her favorite French sweets and treats, featuring specialties from Gascony, Alsace, the Ardennes, and beyond. Focusing on the homey comfort food that French people make in their own kitchens, the book includes both recipes for quick fixes and those with longer preparation times. You will find cakes, cookies, tarts, candies, verrines, puff pastries, waffles, crepes, and more. Recipes include Giant Break-and-Share Cookie, Fresh Orange Crepes Suzette, Chocolate on Chocolate Tart with Raspberries, Chocolate Soufflé, Tart Lime and Yogurt Loaf Cake with Sugared Lime Drizzle, and Peach Melba with Muddled Vanilla Ice Cream.
French Food at Home
by Laura CalderThe French cooking of everyday life is lighthearted, accessible, and suited to modern tastes. Whether it's getting weeknight dinners on the table fairly fast (Basil Beef, Rhubarb Chops, or Carrot Juice Chicken) or leisurely cooking for dining at a slightly slower pace (Lamb Tagine, Holiday Hen, or Fennel Bass), Laura Calder shares recipes she's created at home in her own French kitchen.
French Gastronomy in the US: Transatlantic Foodways and New Convivialities (Routledge Food Studies)
by Thérèse Migraine-GeorgeThis book focuses on the (re)invention of French food in the US, probing the intricate transatlantic dynamics underlying notions of cooking and eating French.By looking at French gastronomy as both a symbolic formation and an exclusionary practice closely tied to power, class, and race, this book re-centers histories that have been marginalized in traditional narratives of French gastronomy. Rather than focusing on food itself, this book explores transatlantic foodways and the complex and changing nexus of historical, socioeconomic, cultural, political, and ideological routes and trajectories, both real and imaginary, that have connected France and the US around a range of gastronomical practices and representations. Foregrounding the gastronationalism that subtends the idea of “eating French” in the US, this book also looks at how a diverse group of contemporary chefs is working to deconstruct stereotypical and constrictive representations of French food and to create new cuisines that are, in turn, more inviting, inclusive, hospitable, and convivial as well as more globally sustainable. Exploring the transatlantic relation between France and the US through the lens of food offers a significant point of entry into the ways in which imagined gastronomies reflect imagined communities past, present, and future in an ever-globalizing world.This book will be of great interest to students and scholars from a wide range of interdisciplinary fields of study including food studies, global French and Francophone studies, cultural studies, media studies, Black/African American studies, history, and ethnography.
French Gastronomy: The History and Geography of a Passion
by Jean-Robert Pitte Jody GladdingThis we can be sure of: when a restaurant in the western world is famous for its cooking, it is the tricolor flag that hangs above the stove, opined one French magazine, and this is by no means an isolated example of such crowing. Indeed, both linguistically and conceptually, the restaurant itself is a French creation. Why are the French recognized by themselves and others the world over as the most enlightened of eaters, as the great gourmets? Why did the passion for food -- gastronomy -- originate in France? In French Gastronomy, geographer and food lover Jean-Robert Pitte uncovers a novel answer. The key, it turns out, is France herself. In her climate, diversity of soils, abundant resources, and varied topography lie the roots of France's food fame. Pitte masterfully reveals the ways in which cultural phenomena surrounding food and eating in France relate to space and place. He points out that France has some six hundred regions, or microclimates, that allow different agricultures, to flourish, and fully navigable river systems leading from peripheral farmlands directly to markets in the great gastronomic centers of Paris and Lyon. With an eye to this landscape, Pitte wonders: Would the great French burgundies enjoy such prestige if the coast they came from were not situated close to the ancient capital for the dukes and a major travel route for medieval Europe? Yet for all the shaping influence of earth and climate, Pitte demonstrates that haute cuisine, like so much that is great about France, can be traced back to the court of Louis XIV. It was the Sun King's regal gourmandise -- he enacted a nightly theater of eating, dining alone but in full view of the court -- that made food and fine dining a central affair of state. The Catholic Church figures prominently as well: gluttony was regarded as a "benign sin" in France, and eating well was associated with praising God, fraternal conviviality, and a respect for the body. These cultural ingredients, in combination with the bounties of the land, contributed to the full flowering of French foodways. This is a time of paradox for French gourmandism. Never has there been so much literature published on the subject of culinary creativity, never has there been so much talk about good food, and never has so little cooking been done at home. Each day new fast-food places open. Will French cuisine lose its charm and its soul? Will discourse become a substitute for reality? French Gastronomy is a delightful celebration of what makes France unique, and a call to everyone who loves French food to rediscover its full flavor.
French Gastronomy: The History and Geography of a Passion (Arts and Traditions of the Table: Perspectives on Culinary History)
by Jean-Robert PitteThis we can be sure of: when a restaurant in the western world is famous for its cooking, it is the tricolor flag that hangs above the stove, opined one French magazine, and this is by no means an isolated example of such crowing. Indeed, both linguistically and conceptually, the restaurant itself is a French creation. Why are the French recognized by themselves and others the world over as the most enlightened of eaters, as the great gourmets? Why did the passion for food—gastronomy—originate in France? In French Gastronomy, geographer and food lover Jean-Robert Pitte uncovers a novel answer. The key, it turns out, is France herself. In her climate, diversity of soils, abundant resources, and varied topography lie the roots of France's food fame. Pitte masterfully reveals the ways in which cultural phenomena surrounding food and eating in France relate to space and place. He points out that France has some six hundred regions, or microclimates, that allow different agricultures, to flourish, and fully navigable river systems leading from peripheral farmlands directly to markets in the great gastronomic centers of Paris and Lyon. With an eye to this landscape, Pitte wonders: Would the great French burgundies enjoy such prestige if the coast they came from were not situated close to the ancient capital for the dukes and a major travel route for medieval Europe? Yet for all the shaping influence of earth and climate, Pitte demonstrates that haute cuisine, like so much that is great about France, can be traced back to the court of Louis XIV. It was the Sun King's regal gourmandise—he enacted a nightly theater of eating, dining alone but in full view of the court—that made food and fine dining a central affair of state. The Catholic Church figures prominently as well: gluttony was regarded as a "benign sin" in France, and eating well was associated with praising God, fraternal conviviality, and a respect for the body. These cultural ingredients, in combination with the bounties of the land, contributed to the full flowering of French foodways. This is a time of paradox for French gourmandism. Never has there been so much literature published on the subject of culinary creativity, never has there been so much talk about good food, and never has so little cooking been done at home. Each day new fast-food places open. Will French cuisine lose its charm and its soul? Will discourse become a substitute for reality? French Gastronomy is a delightful celebration of what makes France unique, and a call to everyone who loves French food to rediscover its full flavor.