Cooking 101: Professionalism and History

July 7, 2008

This post is part of a series called Cooking 101, which introduces the basics of cooking. The series follows the book Culinary Fundamentals. Check out the previous posts here.

Unit 1: Professionalism

The first chapter examines the history of the culinary profession and the current landscape for the professional chef. The New Cook is about learning to cook at home and integrating it into your life, so this chapter is somewhat irrelevant, but I want to cover every chapter, so every chapter it is. I did find interesting, however, the short discussion on the history of the profession, so that’s what I’ll cover here.

Pre-19th Century

The first cookbook for professionals is attributed to Apicius, who lived in the 1st century A.D., but the book may have actually been written sometime in the 3rd century A.D.

One interesting anecdote is about Monsieur Boulanger, a tavern-owner in France in the mid to late 18th century. He served sheep’s feet in white sauce, but was taken to court because that recipe was apparently owned by a different guild. Recipes could be monopolized! Thankfully he won the case and was allowed to continue, and the book notes a movement in France towards choice on menus, as opposed to a set menu for all guests.

Grande Cuisine

The first main movement in the culinary profession is credited to Marie-Antoine Carème in the early 19th century and is called grande cuisine. Careme both simplified and refined cooking for upper class households. He wrote multiple books and “laid important groundwork for the culinary arts as a profession.”

Cuisine Classique

Grande cuisine evolved over the next century and Escoffier codified the new, simplified cuisine classique or haute cuisine in his book Le Guide Culinaire. Escoffier also established the “brigade system” of hierarchy in kitchens, which is still in use today.

Nouvelle Cuisine

The final style, nouvelle cuisine, was developed in the 1970’s. New ingredient combinations, smaller portions, and Japan-influenced, artful presentation were hallmarks of the style, in addition to further simplification.

Present

Modern cooking has branched off in a number of directions. One major theme is globalization, whether bringing ethnic foods to other regions or combining different flavors in “fusion” cooking. Regionalism is also becoming more important, with many looking to local, fresh ingredients and some chefs trying to discover local, ethnic cooking styles. Another movement is in the “molecular gastronomy” direction, using new technology to alter food.

More or less - cooking is incredibly diverse! It’s no longer simply a mastery of traditional french style (although this book may focus on it), and it can appear a daunting undertaking to learn how to cook. But you have to start somewhere.

Next up: Nutrition

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