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A Little Culinary History of Paris

Few people would dispute that Paris is the gastronomical capital of the Western world, and has been for several centuries.

Apart from the enormous care taken in the preparation of food in France it must also be remembered that its agricultural resources are vast, it being the only country in Europe with climactic temperatures that range from sub-arctic in the mountains to extreme heat in the south. It also possesses a northern cold seacoast, Atlantic and Mediterranean waters that account for the very large variety of fish and shellfish. It is a sustainable country resulting in a great variety of delicious regional cuisines.

 

In 1765 a soup-seller named Boulanger in the St. Honore Quarter gave the name restaurant to the world. A sign above the door of his soup kitchen read, “Boulanger debite des restaurants divins” Boulanger sells divine restoratives. He wanted to expand his menu but he was not a member of the powerful corporation of traiteurs. He did it anyway, adding sheep’s trotters in white sauce. He was immediately sued by the traiteurs, it became a cause celebre, Parliament decreed in his favor and the public rushed to sample his food! Many of the market cafes around the now extinct Les Halles, Paris’ central market since the Middle Ages, were famous for good, inexpensive food and remained open throughout the night to serve the market workers. One of the specialties was and still is Soupe a l’Oignon Gratinee, followed by a prime cut of beef or pig’s trotters.

 

The old nobility of France used to be known as “Le Gratin” or the English expression, “The Upper Crust” of society - a gratin being the glazed crust obtained by cooking the top of certain dishes under an open flame. Today, in Paris one simply needs to order, “Gratinee” and it’s understood!  

 

Coquilles St. Jacques means shells of St. James - In Christian history, Saint James was an Apostle. The scallop shell was the symbol of the crusaders of the Order of Saint James. History holds that he saved the life of a drowning knight who emerged from the sea covered with scallop shells. Scallops were then re-named Coquilles St. Jacques’ in St. James honor, as was the dish.

 

Traiteurs - from the French word to treat - were places where meats, game and fowl were roasted whole, and unless the establishment also sold wine, the food could not be eaten on the premises. In 1770 Brillat-Savarin wrote, “Visitors to Paris have few resources. It is possible to go to the traiteur, but they sell only whole pieces, so people leave the city without knowing the resources and delights of Parisian cuisine!”

The preparation and serving of food has always been an art form, and it is this approach that makes French cuisine so consistently good. The rotisseurs (roasters) known in the 14th century were very highly regarded and had a powerful guild that never hesitated to resort to arms to maintain their monopoly. In royal households, the carving of the meat and poultry was executed by a nobleman known as the esquire trenchant. The last teacher employed to complete a young nobleman’s education was a master carver.

 

The French Revolution saw the abolition of the various food guilds allowing for the establishment of many restaurants, some run by chefs from exiled noble families.

 

The table d’hote was the forerunner of the restaurant, where diners were seated together a one large table. The carving was done at the table with the best parts going to those seated at the head and the late-comers fairing very badly, created the expression still used today, to get the cold shoulder!

It was not until late in the 18th century that service a la Russe was introduced, presenting diners their food already carved and seated at separate tables. The 1st restaurant was established in 1782 by Anton Beauvilliers

 

The word "Sorbet" is French, although many food historians believe that the Roman Emperor Nero invented sorbet during the first century A.D. He dispatched runners along the Appian Way to pass buckets of snow hand over hand from the mountains to his banquet hall where it was then mixed with honey and wine and served to his guests. The Chinese have made concoctions from snow, juice, and fruit pulp for several thousand years. Marco Polo brought a recipe for a sorbet-like dessert back to Italy from China in the late 13th Century. Frozen desserts are believed to have been introduced in France in 1533 by Catherina de Medici when she left Italy to marry the Duke of Orleans, who later became Henry II of France. By the end of the 17th century, sorbet was served in the streets of Paris, England and the rest of Europe.

  • Sorbet is often confused with Italian ice and sherbet, that’s sherbet NOT sherbert.
  • Sorbet is from non-dairy, fruit juice based products.
  • Sherbet includes dairy ingredients, sorbet does not.
  • Products with higher milk fat content are defined as ice cream
  • Products with lower milk fat content are defined as ices.

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