Savoir-Faire A History of Food in France Maryann Tebben

‘This is a chronicle of how French cuisine reflects its cultural traditions, with delightful meanderings about what workers ate, the influence of female chefs in the provinces, scientific and agricultural innovations, and how colonial products and dishes have been allotted space in the classical food pantheon. From the robust, pig-centric meals of the Franks, which set the table for “the embrace of pleasure over moderation,” Tebben charts the influential development of courtly Renaissance feasts and the first printed cookbooks, which staked out French gastronomic dominance with terminology, recipes, and cooking techniques that endure today.’ — Foreword Magazine

‘The book is admirably ambitious, crisply written and lively . . . It brims with an abundance of varied information . . . A very readable, wide-ranging and original synthesis on the subject.’ — Michael D. Garval, Associate Professor of French Studies, North Carolina State University

‘Savoir-Faire is a superbly researched and extremely comprehensive history of the complex food of France. Maryann Tebben's exhaustive documentation takes us from the salted pork of the Gauls to the bread of the middle ages, the 19th-century opulence of Carème’s buffet to the cuisine bourgeoise and les méres de Lyon. An all-encompassing work for anyone interested in the importance of cuisine in French culture.’ — Chef Jacques Pépin

‘So much has been said—and written—on the subject of French food that the author wisely does not set out to accomplish such an impossible task. Instead, she gives the reader a guided tour to select highlights. The journey begins with the remote and quasi mythical, culinary habits of Gaul at the time of the Franks (and Romans), and ends with the soul-searching of a 21st century that questions the definition/nature of an ever-evolving “French” cuisine. Both producers and consumers—in Metropolitan France as well as in the far-flung colonies—hold center stage in an unfolding story told with verve. And, throughout this narrative, emerges the centuries-long ability of French culture to write about and represent food, turning it into one of the most easily recognized cuisines in the world.’ — Allen J. Grieco, The Harvard University Center for Italian Renaissance Studies, Florence (Emeritus), co-editor-in-chief of 'Food & History' (IEHCA)