Who wrote Le Cuisinier français?
Q: Who wrote Le Cuisinier français?
A: François Pierre de la Varenne wrote Le Cuisinier français in 1651.
Q: What was the purpose of La Varenne's book?
A: La Varenne wrote his book for professional chefs and to codify French cuisine for the age of Louis XIV.
Q: What were some of the new ingredients introduced by La Varenne?
A: La Varenne introduced new vegetables such as cauliflower, asparagus, peas, cucumber and artichoke. He also replaced exotic spices with local herbs like parsley, thyme, bayleaf, chervil, sage and tarragon.
Q: How did La Varenne revolutionize French cooking?
A: La Varenne broke with Italian traditions that had revolutionized mediaeval French cookery in the 16th century. He gave special care to the cooking of meat in order to conserve maximum flavour and he focused on preparing food that respected its natural flavours instead of masking them with spices. He also introduced bisque and Béchamel sauce as well as roux for sauces instead of crumbled bread and butter instead of lard.
Q: What other works did La Varenne write?
A: In addition to Le Cuisinier françois, La Varenne wrote a book on confitures (jams, jellies and preserves) as well as a comprehensive work on pastry-making called Le Pâtissier françois which was published in Paris in 1653.
Q: When was an English translation of Le Cuisinier français released?
A: The English translation titled The French Cook was released in London in 1653. It became very popular; over 250 editions were printed until 1815.
Q: How many editions were there of Le Cuisinier français during its lifetime? A:Le Cuisinier français ran through some thirty editions over seventy-five years
