This is a comprehensive account of France’s rich culinary history, not only full of tales of haute cuisine, but seasoned with myths and stories from a wide variety of times and places; from snail hunting in Burgundy to female chefs in Lyon, and from cheese appreciation in Roman Gaul to bread debates from the Middle Ages to the present. It examines the use of less familiar ingredients such as chestnuts, couscous and oysters, French food in literature and film, the influence of France’s overseas territories on the shape of French cuisine today, and includes historical recipes for readers to try at home.
Maryann Tebben is Professor of French and head of the Center for Food Studies at Bard College at Simon’s Rock, Massachusetts. She is the author of Sauces: A Global History (Reaktion, 2014).
Introduction
One: Gallic Origins
Annotated Literary Interlude (Gaul)
Two: Medieval and Renaissance France: The Age of Bread
Annotated Literary Interlude (Medieval and Renaissance)
Three: French Innovations: Cookbooks, Champagne, Canning and Cheese
Annotated Literary Interlude (French Innovations)
Four: The Revolution and Its Results: Butchers, Bakers, Winemakers
Annotated Literary Interlude (Revolution)
Five: The Nineteenth Century and Carême: French Food Conquers the World
Literary Interludes (Nineteenth Century: Paris and not-Paris)
Six: Literary Touchstones
Seven: Outside the Hexagon: Terroir Across the Sea
Annotated Literary Interlude (Outside the Hexagon)
Eight: The Modern Era: Peasants Forever
Annotated Literary Interlude (Modern Era)
Conclusion
Historical Recipes
References
Select Bibliography
Acknowledgements
Photo Acknowledgements
Index