On My Bookshelf

Rediscovering more and more books...heres a great one today. It is easy to place French cuisine on a pedestal. Not only does it maintain an air of mysticism with its fancy culinary terms such as brunoise (cutting into dice), ballotine (rolling up and stuffing boned meat), not to mention mousselines, quenelles and détrempes, but La Belle France has given birth to some of the biggest and most important thinkers in food, Brillat Savarin, Carême and Escoffier. Michael Steinberger’s compelling book ‘Au Revoir to all that’ is by no means hot off the press, it was published back in 2009, but it is a must read for French food aficionados, and those who are a little skeptical about the universal praise of French cuisine. The book traces the history of French cuisine from the breaking with Medieval eating habits identified in Le Cuisinier Francois, a cookery book dating back to 1651, through to the (hopeful) neo-bistrots currently shaping Paris’s dining scene. There is a particularly compelling chapter revealing some insights into the Michelin world, based on a series of interviews that Steinberger conducted with various ‘Michelin men’. But perhaps one of the most shocking revelations, and part of the evidence of the demise of French gastronomy that Steinberger is putting forward, is that of the Gallic hunger for ‘Mcdo’, the second most profitable market for the American fast food chain. Even if you don’t agree with some of the arguments Steinberger puts forward, The Rise and Fall of French Cuisine is a fun and informative read, and one that I happily house on my Maison De L'Orb bookshelves. Au Revoir to All That: The Rise and Fall of French Cuisine