The hub for france-american exchange

Lots of questions…and the answers lie in the continuous exchanges which have taken place between the two countries and the two continents over the last 500 years.
 

Globalization has been going on for thousands of years and the very first products to be traded were foodstuffs. It’s not surprising that the discovery of the “New World” provoked an incredible culinary curiosity on the part of Europeans. The tomato and the potato were not fully embraced at first due to certain legends tied to their common botanical solanacée roots. But once this reticence was overcome, these and many other fruits and vegetables from the New World became emblematic of the numerous classic French dishes which they inspired.
 

And what of the turkey? Benjamin Franklin would have preferred the indigenous pacific turkey to be the national bird of the new nation instead of the well known worldly eagle. The turkey got its English name from Turkish merchants who brought the bird from Spain to England in the 16th century where it was first called a “Turkish Chicken” …this was shortened to turkey. The French word “dinde” is also a contraction of its first appellation “Poularde d’Inde”. After all, the New World was first thought to be India. In America, Thanksgiving simply can’t be celebrated without this marvelous bird and it has also become an integral part of the festive table in France at Christmas time, “la dinde de noël”.
 

As America began to become a world player in the 19th century she needed to organize, rationalize and codify the grand receptions of the upper classes, “les nouveaux riches”. The world standard for quality food and refinement in high society at the time was the French “Art de Vivre”. Americans took to this style and did their best to copy it at most meals however they kept their own traditions concerning the copious breakfast meal. French restaurants abounded in big American cities till 1921 when prohibition took away what was one of the essential ingredients of French cuisine at the time. How could one make “Boeuf Bourguignon” without red wine? New French restaurants came back in force after the Second World War.
 

There has always been a lively exchange between France and America. This has never been a one way street. New foodstuffs came to France, cooking techniques and taste came to America and some items made the round trip and became transformed in the process. Cases in point; the brownie and the crumble, both popular treats in France which have an American cache…but are really French in origin. The brownie is nothing more or less than a “fondant au chocolat”, and the crumble, now also available in savory form as well, is the traditional Alsatian “streusel” which is put on top of many tarts and pastries in Eastern France. What better proof of mutual respect and admiration.
 

Cooking is now undeniably accepted as an art form…and how have the artists and painters expressed their relation with food on both sides of the Atlantic? How have the palate, the palette and the plate become intertwined in images invoking the deeper meaning of what goes into the setting of a table, the making of a meal or just the pleasure one gains from regarding a voluptuous “Nature Morte”? Oh yes, art and food have definitely teamed up for the betterment of both French and American culture.
 

Let’s make a short leap from art to science. Much has been said and written about “Molecular Gastronomy” and “Molecular Cuisine”. Briefly, molecular gastronomy is the scientific discipline which attempts to find out how and why things work in the area of food. The applications of this research can be for the food industry or in the kitchen of the great chefs of today and even in your home kitchen. Why do egg whites fluff up? But most importantly…how can we do it better or fix it when it doesn’t work? Molecular cuisine is the application of the science in every day cooking. This allows chefs to better understand how things work and to create new dishes. Molecular cuisine may be in fashion at this time and will certainly evolve from its current status but the science which has helped create its development will continue to advance.
 

Does science explain what has been going on in the traditional French or American kitchen? Well yes, perhaps, but the tricks and turns of “magic” of certain cooks makes us look on in wonder. With a few simple, locally grown and raised ingredients regional cooks have been marveling curious gourmets for centuries in France. All the great chefs of the finest restaurants in France began their careers in the tasty traditions of simple homemade foods. The transformation from family food to cuisine bourgeoise  to haute cuisine is one of the marvels of French culture which has effected all the cuisines of the world. The influence of French cuisine on American food is undeniable by the simple fact the most of the culinary terms used in the U.S. are French…to say nothing of the French chef’s hat, “la toque”.
 

Can a French chef make French food in America? Can an American make French food in France? The borders which once defined who we are, what we eat and where we come from have become hazy. Ingredients, cultures and identities have been mixed, tossed and blended to point where it’s become possible for just about anyone to do just about anything anywhere. The definitions of what is good have expanded greatly and have given rise to a new generation of curious cooks who are not bound to traditions and use their freedom to stimulate, excite and enlighten a demanding clientele.