This we can be sure of: when a restaurant in the western world is famous
for its cooking, it is the tricolor flag that hangs above the stove,
opined one French magazine, and this is by no means an isolated example
of such crowing. Indeed, both linguistically and conceptually, the
restaurant itself is a French creation. Why are the French recognized by
themselves and others the world over as the most enlightened of eaters,
as the great gourmets? Why did the passion for
food--gastronomy--originate in France? In French Gastronomy,
geographer and food lover Jean-Robert Pitte uncovers a novel answer. The
key, it turns out, is France herself. In her climate, diversity of
soils, abundant resources, and varied topography lie the roots of
France's food fame.
Pitte masterfully reveals the ways in which cultural phenomena
surrounding food and eating in France relate to space and place. He
points out that France has some six hundred regions, or microclimates,
that allow different agricultures, to flourish, and fully navigable
river systems leading from peripheral farmlands directly to markets in
the great gastronomic centers of Paris and Lyon. With an eye to this
landscape, Pitte wonders: Would the great French burgundies enjoy such
prestige if the coast they came from were not situated close to the
ancient capital for the dukes and a major travel route for medieval
Europe?
Yet for all the shaping influence of earth and climate, Pitte
demonstrates that haute cuisine, like so much that is great about
France, can be traced back to the court of Louis XIV. It was the Sun
King's regal gourmandise--he enacted a nightly theater of eating, dining
alone but in full view of the court--that made food and fine dining a
central affair of state. The Catholic Church figures prominently as
well: gluttony was regarded as a "benign sin" in France, and eating well
was associated with praising God, fraternal conviviality, and a respect
for the body. These cultural ingredients, in combination with the
bounties of the land, contributed to the full flowering of French
foodways.
This is a time of paradox for French gourmandism. Never has there been
so much literature published on the subject of culinary creativity,
never has there been so much talk about good food, and never has so
little cooking been done at home. Each day new fast-food places open.
Will French cuisine lose its charm and its soul? Will discourse become a
substitute for reality? French Gastronomy is a delightful celebration of
what makes France unique, and a call to everyone who loves French food
to rediscover its full flavor.
