Arranging the Meal: A History of Table Service in FranceThe sequence in which food has been served at meals has changed greatly over the centuries and has also varied from one country to another, a fact noted in virtually every culinary history. Most food writers have treated the more significant alterations as stand-alone events. The most famous example of such a change occurred in the nineteenth century, when service à la française—in which the stunning presentation made a great show but diners had to wait to be served—gave way to service à la russe, in which platters were passed among diners who served themselves. But in Arranging the Meal, the late culinary historian Jean-Louis Flandrin argues that such a change in the order of food service is far from a distinct event. Instead he regards it as a historical phenomenon, one that happened in response to socioeconomic and cultural factors—another mutation in an ever-changing sequence of customs. As France's most illustrious culinary historian, Flandrin has become a cult figure in France, and this posthumous book is not only his final word but also a significant contribution to culinary scholarship. A foreword by Beatrice Fink places Flandrin's work in context and offers a personal remembrance of this French culinary hero. |
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Arranging the Meal: A History of Table Service in France Jean-Louis Flandrin No preview available - 2007 |
Arranging the Meal: A History of Table Service in France Jean-Louis Flandrin No preview available - 2007 |
Common terms and phrases
banquet beef Beignets bien traiter blancmange broth capon carp chapter cheese cold cooked court bouillon cream Crême Cuisine classique Cuisinier françois Cuisinier royal Cuisinière bourgeoise custard d'oeuvres daube dessert Dictionnaire dinner eaten eggs eighteenth centuries Émile Bernard entrées entremets excellent de cuysine Flandrin fourteenth fowl France French fried fritters fruits Frumenty Grimod hors d'oeuvres hypocras jelly L'Art de bien lard Le Cuisinier françois Le Cuisinier royal Le Viandier Livre fort excellent Massialot meat roast meat-day meatless days meatless meals meatless roasts Ménagier de Paris mentioned menus Nouveau Cuisinier organ meats Pasté pasties peas Pierre de Lune pies pigeons platter Potage ragoust ragoût recipes relevés Reynière roast course roasted meats Rost rosties royal et bourgeois salads salt sauce second course sequence served seventeenth and eighteenth seventeenth century sixteenth century soups spit-roasted entrées stuffed sugar supper sweet Taillevent third course trées tremets veal veau vegetables venison verjuice