French Cooking: Why is French Cuisine Considered the Best in the World?

French cuisine-by Pierre So-Wikimedia Commons

French Cooking: Why is French Cuisine Considered the Best in the World?

Many people believe that French food is the most prestigious and reputable in the entire world. French cuisine has come to truly control the world thanks to its formal techniques, concentration on fresh ingredients and basic flavors, pride in presentation, and long and illustrious history, setting the groundwork for many other styles and specialties.

How do you define French cuisine?

Food of France logo-by Cuisine de France, Ltd-Wikimedia Commons

French cuisine consists of regional specialties and cooking techniques that are exclusive to France. French cuisine contains distinctive components that are used all over the nation and dishes like coq au vin and quiche have come to represent French cuisine, despite regional variations in styles and recipes.

What is special about France food?

French cuisine depends on straightforward mixes of savory, organic tastes to produce meals that are known around the world. In fact, French food is so well-known worldwide that UNESCO included it on its list of intangible cultural treasures in 2010.

How did French food become so well-known?

Let’s explore the many ways that French gastronomy has influenced global cuisine and culture.

10 Best Neighborhoods for Food in Paris

Medieval French Cooking

Jacques Lameloise, crayfish escabeche on asparagus and watercress gazpacho-by Arnaud 25-Wikimedia Commons

French food draws some of its inspiration from medieval culture. Back ago, while peasants had diets rich in vegetables and legumes, the elite enjoyed multi-course dinners made up of wild game, meat, fruit, and cereals. The elite’s kitchens frequently utilized expensive salt and foreign spices, which were seen as status symbols. Because there were few means to preserve food in ancient times, individuals chose what foods to use based on what was readily accessible. Additionally, fresh, in-season ingredients are used in modern French cuisine.

These seasonal foods were frequently used by members of the upper class to prepare banquets or feasts that displayed their affluence. The lavish presentation of these dishes was done so as to dazzle the guests, and current French cuisine still places a strong focus on presentation.

practical information

Book with us: Paris Evening Cooking Class Including Dinner

The Spread of French Cuisine

French cuisine changed and evolved over time along with societal shifts and cultural changes. French cuisine started to take shape during the Middle Ages as cooking became more streamlined and meals started to resemble those we are more familiar with today. Cookbooks and published methods, however, didn’t appear until the 1600s. Le Cuisinier Francois, the earliest French cookbook, was published in 1651 by Francois Pierre La Varenne. Many cooks were motivated by this to document their work.

The French Revolution in 1789 contributed to the growth of the study of cooking by dismantling government-imposed limits on employment. Furthermore, more and more French individuals started preparing their own meals. Later, French cuisine spread internationally, and cooks from all over the world studied these books. Throughout the 1700s and 1800s, as the French colonized various nations, including regions of Asia, Africa, North America, and the Caribbean, they also extended their culinary expertise and cooking methods.

practical information

book with us: Paris: Small-Group French Cooking Class

Haute Cuisine

Herring under a fur coat (salad), haute cuisine style-by Amakuha-Wikimedia Commons

You’ve probably heard of haute cuisine if you’ve ever studied French cooking in any depth. Haute cuisine, which translates to “high cuisine,” is a change in French cooking that shifted the focus from excess and quantity to moderation and quality. It is frequently said that Marie-Antoine Carême led this effort in the 1800s. His recipe books made French food more approachable, and he promoted it as a refined art form requiring technique and precision.

His recipe books made French food more approachable, and he promoted it as a refined art form requiring technique and precision. The contemporary era of haute cuisine was introduced by Georges Auguste Escoffier, also referred to as the King of Chefs and Chef of Kings and the namesake of our institution. He transformed French cooking’s foundations, including how food is prepared and presented. Escoffier updated haute cuisine with the publication of Le Guide Culinaire in 1903.

With his inventive brigade de cooking system, which has a strong organizational framework and hierarchy, Escoffier also advanced the culinary industry by creating a well-run professional kitchen. This approach gave kitchens a military-style ethic to provide effective service under strong leadership, modernizing the culinary arts. Currently, the brigade system is still in use in kitchens all around the world.

Where to eat Basque Food in Paris

Practical information

book with us: Paris: Macaron Bakery Class at Galeries Lafayette

Nouvelle Cuisine

Scallop – tangerine-gastric-by stu_spivack-Wikimedia Commons

Nouvelle cuisine was created in the 1900s when French cookery continued to advance. The use of premium, fresh products, lighter meals, and straightforward but stunning presentations were the defining characteristics of this type of cooking. The numerous culinary ideas that French chefs have created and presented over the course of centuries serve as the foundation for modern French cuisine.

practical information

book with us: Paris: Learn to bake French Croissants

The Basics of French Cuisine

French cuisine is very sophisticated and has a long, rich history. However, the majority of chefs would concur that this cuisine’s key ingredients are technique, ingredients, and the dining experience.

Technique

French cooking skills demand perseverance, expertise, and meticulousness. These take years to master, but all ambitious chefs should learn them.

.Mise en Place

A crucial technique of kitchen organization is mise en place, which translates to “everything in its place.” A chef prepares, cuts, and measures the ingredients before beginning to cook a dish. When it’s time to cook, all of the ingredients should be nearby and prepared. To perform the skills necessary to produce works of art, a chef must be psychologically ready.

.Saute

Sauteeing is the process of cooking food over medium to high heat in a skillet covered with butter or olive oil. In a heated pan, ingredients jump, which is what the French verb Sauter signifies. Lamb chasseur is a traditional dish that uses this method.

.Braise

This cooking technique known as braising is used to cook meat or vegetables until they are tender in a covered pot over low heat. Usually, chefs use high heat to sear the outside of meat or vegetables, then they reduce the heat. After that, the ingredients are slowly cooked in fat, stock, or wine to create complex tastes and bite-sized pieces that are soft and supple.

.Confit

An ingredient must be salted and cooked in fat in order to be confited. Historically, meat was preserved using this method. This technique is used in the traditional French meal duck confit. However, many veggies, like potatoes or garlic, can be confited.

.Flambe

In flambe, flammable alcohol is used to cook delicacies like a cherry jubilee. When alcohol is ignited or flambeed, the alcohol burns away quickly while still emitting the aroma of the liquor’s primary flavor. For a long time, restaurants would flambé different foods at the table to showcase their skill and improve the diners’ experience!

Ingredients

Mbakhalou Saloum. Basic ingredients detail. 2. Dry and cured-by T.K. Naliaka-Wikimedia Commons

The use of premium ingredients is another characteristic of French cuisine that sets it apart from others. Simple ingredients are frequently converted into elegant dishes in France. French cuisine always uses locally sourced, fresh ingredients. A few mainstays are wine, cheese, olive oil, and seasonal veggies. Additionally essential to French cooking, herbs and spices may give otherwise understated meals a richer flavor. Herbs of Provence, tarragon, and nutmeg are a few that are frequently used in French cuisine.

Dining Experience

The dining experience, which calls for thoughtful presentation, elegance, and camaraderie when eating, is another tenet of French cuisine. A variation of this was served at aristocratic dinners as far back as the Middle Ages, although French cuisine underwent significant alterations to become what it is today. Meals shrank in size as haute cuisine gained popularity, and presentations improved. Precision in the presentation was even more valued in nouvelle cuisine. Nowadays, a lot of chefs in fine dining establishments are equally adept at cooking and serving meals. 

Even if it sometimes depends on personal preference, French cuisine is undoubtedly among the best in the world. Its culinary efforts are brave and both traditional and modern. The meals emphasize the use of fresh and local ingredients, so the cuisine is free of hormones and preservatives. Due to the fact that it is now recognized as an art form rather than just a way to sate one’s desire, it has continued to be among the best in the world.

Where to find Late Night Food in Paris

Here are the best cooking classes in pairs to choose from.