''Haute cuisine'' (; ) or ''grande cuisine'' is the cuisine of "high-level" establishments, gourmet restaurants, and luxury hotels. ''Haute cuisine'' is characterized by the meticulous preparation and careful presentation of food at a high price.

Early history

''Haute cuisine'' represents the cooking and eating of carefully prepared food from regular and premium ingredients, prepared by specialists, and commissioned by those with the financial means to do so. It has had a long evolution through the monarchy and the bourgeoisie and their ability to explore and afford prepared dishes with exotic and varied flavors and looking like architectural wonders. ''Haute cuisine'' distinguished itself from regular French cuisine by what was cooked and served, by obtaining premium ingredients such as fruit out of season, and by using ingredients not typically found in France. Trained kitchen staff was essential to the birth of ''haute cuisine'' in France, which was organized at the turn of the century by

August Escoffier Georges Auguste Escoffier (; 28 October 1846 – 12 February 1935) was a French chef, restaurateur and culinary writer who popularized and updated traditional French cooking methods. Much of Escoffier's technique was based on that of Marie-Ant ...

into the

brigade de cuisine (, "kitchen brigade") is a system of hierarchy found in restaurants and hotels employing extensive staff, commonly referred to as "kitchen staff" in English-speaking countries. The concept was developed by Georges Auguste Escoffier (1846–1935) ...

. The extravagant presentations and complex techniques that came from these kitchens required ingredients, time, equipment, and therefore money. For this reason, early ''haute cuisine'' was accessible to a small demographic of rich and powerful individuals. Not only were professional chefs responsible for building and shaping ''haute cuisine'', but their role in the cuisine was what differentiated it from regular French cuisine. ''Haute cuisine'' is influenced by

French cuisine French cuisine () is the cooking traditions and practices from France. It has been influenced over the centuries by the many surrounding cultures of Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Germany and Belgium, in addition to the food traditions of the re ...

with elaborate preparations and presentations that serves small, multiple courses prepared by a hierarchical kitchen staff, historically at the grand restaurants and hotels of Europe. The cuisine was very rich and opulent, with decadent sauces made out of butter, cream, and flour, the basis for many typical French sauces still in use today. The 17th-century chef and writer La Varenne (1615-1678) marked a change from cookery as known in the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

, to somewhat lighter dishes, and more modest presentations. Subsequently, Antonin Carême (1784-1833) also published works on cooking, and he simplified and codified an earlier and even more complex cuisine. Nineteenth-century French ''haute cuisine'' interacted with the development of

fine dining Fine may refer to: Characters * Sylvia Fine (''The Nanny''), Fran's mother on ''The Nanny'' * Officer Fine, a character in ''Tales from the Crypt'', played by Vincent Spano Legal terms * Fine (penalty), money to be paid as punishment for an of ...

Britain Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...

Cuisine classique

Georges Auguste Escoffier Georges Auguste Escoffier (; 28 October 1846 – 12 February 1935) was a French chef, restaurateur and culinary writer who popularized and updated traditional French cooking methods. Much of Escoffier's technique was based on that of Marie-Antoi ...

is a central figure in the modernisation of ''haute cuisine'' as of about 1900, which became known as ''cuisine classique''. These were simplifications and refinements of the early work of Carême,

Jules Gouffé Jules Gouffé (1807 – 28 February 1877) was a renowned French chef and pâtissier. He was nicknamed ''l'apôtre de la cuisine décorative'' (french: The apostle of decorative cuisine). He had a deep impact on the evolution of French gastr ...

and

Urbain Dubois __NOTOC__ Urbain François Dubois (26 May 1818 – 14 March 1901) was a French chef who is best known as the author of a series of recipe books that became classics of French Cuisine, and as the creator of Veal Orloff, a popular dish in Russian c ...

. It was practised in the grand restaurants and hotels of Europe and elsewhere for much of the 20th century. The major developments were to replace service ''à la française'' (serving all dishes at once) with service ''à la russe'' (serving meals in courses) and to develop a system of cookery, based on Escoffier's ''

Le Guide Culinaire ''Le Guide Culinaire'' () is Escoffier's 1903 French restaurant cuisine cookbook, his first. It is a classic and still in print. Escoffier developed the recipes while working at the Savoy, Ritz and Carlton hotels from the late 1880s to the time ...

'', which formalized the preparation of sauces and dishes. In its time, it was considered the pinnacle of ''haute cuisine'', and was a style distinct from ''

cuisine bourgeoise In French gastronomy, ''cuisine bourgeoise'' is the home cooking of middle class families as distinguished from elaborate restaurant cooking, ''haute cuisine'', and from the cooking of the regions, the peasantry, and the urban poor. The ''cuisine b ...

'' (the cuisine of affluent city dwellers), the working-class cuisine of bistros and homes, and cuisines of the French provinces. Jacques Lameloise DSCF6580

Nouvelle cuisine

The 1960s were marked by the appearance of ''nouvelle cuisine'', as chefs rebelled from Escoffier's "orthodoxy" and complexity. Although the term ''nouvelle cuisine'' had been used in the past, the modern usage can be attributed to authors

André Gayot André Gayot was a French people, French journalist. After a career in journalism he moved into culinary criticism and produced restaurant guidebooks known as the "Gayot Guides." Career Journalist Gayot started his career in 1949 at the ORTF, p ...

,André Gayot, "Of Stars and ''Tripes'': The True Story of Nouvelle Cuisine"

Henri Gault Henri Gault (, 4 November 1929 - 9 July 2000) was a French food journalist. He was co-founder of the Gault Millau guides with Christian Millau, and invented the phrase "nouvelle cuisine", though later he claimed to regret it.The Guardian '' ...

, and

Christian Millau Christian Dubois-Millot, pen name Christian Millau (, 30 December 1928 – 5 August 2017), was a French food critic and author. Born in Paris, he began his career as a journalist in the "interior policy" department of ''Le Monde'' newspaper. In 1 ...

, who used ''nouvelle cuisine'' to describe the cooking of

Paul Bocuse Paul Bocuse (; 11 February 1926 – 20 January 2018) was a French chef based in Lyon who was known for the high quality of his restaurants and his innovative approaches to cuisine. A student of Eugénie Brazier, he was one of the most prominent ...

Alain Chapel Alain Chapel (; 30 December 1937 – 10 July 1990) was a French chef, credited with being one of the originators of Nouvelle Cuisine. He earned three Michelin stars. Early life Chapel was born in Lyon, the son of Maître d' Charles and his wi ...

, Jean and

Pierre Troisgros Pierre Troisgros (3 September 1928 – 23 September 2020) was a French chef and restaurateur, best known for his restaurant Frères Troisgros. Pierre Troisgros and his brother continued their father's restaurant Hôtel Moderne, where they inven ...

Michel Guérard Michel Guérard (; born 27 March 1933) is a French chef, author, one of the founders of ''nouvelle cuisine'', and the inventor of ''cuisine minceur''. Early life and education Michel Guérard was born in 1933 in the Paris suburb of Vétheuil. At ...

Roger Vergé Roger Vergé (, 7 April 1930 – 5 June 2015) was a French chef and restaurateur. He is considered one of the greatest chefs of his time. The Gault Millau described him as "the very incarnation of the great French chef for foreigners". Personal ...

and

Raymond Oliver Raymond Oliver (27 March 1909 – 5 November 1990) was a French chef and owner of Le Grand Véfour restaurant in Paris, one of France's great historical restaurants. Oliver detested '' nouvelle cuisine'', preferring the rich ingredients favored ...

, many of whom were once students of

Fernand Point Fernand Point (, 25 February 1897 – 4 March 1955) was a French chef and restaurateur and is considered to be the father of modern French cuisine. He founded the restaurant La Pyramide in Vienne near Lyon. Early life He was born in Louhan ...

.Mennel, Stephan. All Manners of Food: eating and taste in England and France from the Middle Ages to the present. 2nd ed., (Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 1996), 163-164. In general, ''nouvelle cuisine'' puts an emphasis on natural flavours, so the freshest possible ingredients are used, preparation is simplified, heavy sauces are less common, as are strong marinades for meat, and cooking times are often reduced. ''Nouvelle cuisine'' was a movement towards

conceptualism In metaphysics, conceptualism is a theory that explains universality of particulars as conceptualized frameworks situated within the thinking mind. Intermediate between nominalism and realism, the conceptualist view approaches the metaphysical co ...

and minimalism and was a direct juxtaposition to earlier ''haute cuisine'' styles of cooking, which were much more extravagant. While menus were increasingly short, dishes used more inventive pairings and relied on inspiration from regional dishes. Within 20 years, however, chefs began returning to the earlier style of ''haute cuisine'', although many of the new techniques remained.

Early history

Cuisine classique

Nouvelle cuisine

References

Further reading