Evolution of Cooking

An overview
Prehistoric times
Wash in running water
Selection of edible parts of
animals and fruits
Cracking of nuts and
shellfish
Grounding with
rudimentary tools
First Improvement
Salt
Pottery
Fire
Rise of Agriculture
All around the world, at different
periods in time, the beginning of
agriculture will lead to sedentary
living for mankind, to civilization
and to profound change in eating
habits
First Civilizations
Food as social status symbol
Food as part religious rites
Food as a trade and as ART
Middle 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)
 Renaissance
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 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 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 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
resentations pleased the elite in
place in those years after the
French Revolution (ended when
he was 15, in 1799).
Nineteenth 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 Hôtel
or 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 Cuisine
Fernand Point (1897 – 1955) was a
French restaurateur and is
considered to be the father
ofNouvelle 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 - )
California 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.
Fusion
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 known for his
fusion of occidental and
asian cuisines.
Deconstructivism
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 Gastronomy
An approach to cooking where the
food is broken down to its molecular
components and presented in unusual
and disconcerting anner.
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?
•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