ANNMARY'S STOVE
We are back... and just about to caramelize the pending menu. As good gourmets that you are, I invite you to taste the main course and dessert, ending the gastronomic “Yesterday of Today”.
My goodness, they don't know what awaits them....
To begin with, it is necessary to know about the Italian gastronomic contribution in the Middle Ages. It was the awakening of a new era in the culinary art, a rebirth of knowledge and flavors was felt, which at the same time influenced the forms of service and skills of the staff in charge, as well as the ability and mastery of assembling and designing a table, always taking care of the protocol and good manners.
It is important to mention Bartolome Scappi (1500-1577), known as the cook of five Popes, secretly rendering his services to Pope Pius V. As a reference we have the writing of his authorship «Of the Art of Cooking», which is a practical theoretical treatise that describes the rules and formality of service and presentation of the palace tables, as well as that of the cardinal conclaves; it also deals with the general principles of the culinary art and a complete collection of recipes classified by sections according to the specialty such as: meat, fish, pasta, pastries, cooking for the sick among others, plus a glossary of culinary terms that guide the processes of techniques and methods. As if that were not enough, the author included a profile of the qualities, requirements and competencies that a chef must have to be designated as such.
Taking a historical retrospective within the culinary art of the Italian and French Renaissance, Catherine de Medici (1519-1589) is another worthy representative, making her go down in tradition as the main promoter of the culinary revolution that laid the foundations of French gastronomy, which survives to this day.
Catherine, wanting to feel comfortable in a foreign country, spared no expense in being accompanied by an imposing entourage with more than a hundred ladies-in-waiting, numerous artists and also Italian cooks at her service, causing a real sensation at the French court. Before her arrival in Paris, the fork was not known as part of the useful cutlery on a table. In the same way, he introduced the taste for enjoying pasta, in its various presentations; artichokes, spinach served Florentine style, with white sauce, among others. Referring to the above, when you find in a menu the term "Florentine", you can be sure that it will contain spinach.
Another innovation of the time is ice cream, served as a dessert; as well as fruits are presented as appetizers (a novelty that attracts attention), an infinity of sweets and candies; brandies and liquors are used as culinary ingredients to give a distinctive taste in the flavors, in this aspect the use of olive oil in the preparations stands out. Catherine's influence was also noticeable in the luxury of the highly acclaimed banquets held at the palace of Fontainebleau: it became customary to decorate the tables with floral arrangements and tasteful decorations of great refinement and delicacy.
The star product of our final tasting has been chosen with success: the “Emperor of the World's Cuisines”, title awarded by Kaiser Wilhelm I of Germany, to the “Knight of the Legion of Honor and the Official Rosette of the Legion”, awarded by the President of France, Raymond Poincarcé, for having enhanced the prestige of French Cuisine, being the first Chef to receive such an honorable distinction.
With you... Auguste Escoffier, (1846-1935).
Escoffier is remembered beyond the material and physical for his contribution legacy in the area, all very important: he raises the status of the cook, creates a standard work uniform and establishes rules of hygiene and food handling, emphasizing respect for the product. With this same purpose, he organized, planned, classified and ordered the kitchen, dividing it into hot and cold kitchens, creating the Kitchen Brigades. The dishes would no longer be prepared entirely by a single cook but by several, where each one specializes in a certain part of the preparation, and each brigade has a chief of departure who supervises the final product. Thus, in the hot kitchen brigades, it corresponds according to the specialty, as defined below: Entremetier (starter preparer), Legumier (vegetable cook), Potager (stew cook), Salcier, (sauce maker), prepares the sauces, heats the Hors d'oeuvres, Rotisseur (rotisserie), Poissonnier (fish cook). And in the cold kitchen: he completes the dishes to be plated, this is usually one of the most respected positions in the Grand manger.
As a curious thing, he created numerous dishes honoring illustrious guests, such as the Melba Peach for the Australian opera singer Nelle Melba or the Rossini Tournedos in honor of the great Italian composer Gioacchino Rossini. But the work that immortalizes him is undoubtedly “Le Guide Culinaire”, which is an accumulation of techniques, procedures and recipes resulting from the collection and improvement over the years, so it is considered the very essence of Escoffier, for cooks it is our bible and we always carry it under our arm.
Our icing on the cake, the dessert, is simply a very succinct analogy of our menu relating Yesterday and how it became the gastronomic Today.
The Italian contributions of Scappi and Catalina, ahead of their time, caused a true gastronomic revolution: the use of the fork with the aim of eating in a more refined way, olive oil, spinach, artichokes, ice cream, as well as large dessert tables and the implementation of flowers in the decoration for the parties offered within the court. Today we enjoy all this legacy.
That in table service and the importance given to good manners laid the foundations to establish the rules of protocol and etiquette, highlighting the Manual de Urbanidad y Buenas Maneras by Venezuelan Manuel Antonio Carreño Muñoz, which in the sixties and seventies was part of the home and school library. How much we need it nowadays...
That the essence of Esoffier remains alive day by day in all the kitchens of the world, because its techniques, know-how, respect for the food and the customer, commitment to the profession and positive attitude in service are constantly applied, providing the customer with excellence in service experiences.
I hope that at the end of the day you agree with my analogies and that you have enjoyed tasting the information given, just as I have enjoyed preparing it. As I was telling you in our previous meeting, there are very nice and interesting topics of the history of gastronomy and I already tell you that I love the idea of being able to continue talking with you, a little bit of this world, which goes beyond the unthinkable.
“Bon Appétit”
Ana Maria Perrone
