In Russian service, meals are served one course at a time, usually served in three courses. In French service the meal is served more as a banquet and is quite elaborate, but is still served in three courses. Carême's vision of what French cooking would be like for ever, or so he thought, was very defined in what was created and how it was prepared. He believed that all dishes should be served at the same time and should not be overly spiced, using mainly fresh herbs. The dishes should be elegant and artfully prepared. Sauces should be reduced to be reconstituted for future use making it much faster to prepare a sauce. One of the main reasons for the change to this new type of cuisine is due to the Revolution. During the Revolution there was a shortage of food, so when the country got through their Revolution their tastes in food had simplified. France changed to the nouvelle cuisine by the 1920's which was a much simpler family friendly version of cuisine. This led to a much simpler, affordable way for all classes to be able to have dinner parties without the need for grandeur.
French Food Service
With the change to nouvelle cuisine the French introduced certain rules into how dishes were prepared and presented. One such change is that sauces should go under the food instead of being on top of it. Soup is a meal only if it is thick and has bread or cheese with it. A meal must be more than just greens or sweet foods. The meal must have first the appetizer or soup, next the main course, and lastly dessert. Another change was that smaller, fancier portions were offered at restaurants. Because of this chef's started to offer less on their menus because the customer needs to order many items to fill their appetites and the items take longer to prepare. Having less on the menu means that the chef can prepare more in advance to a service so that the wait time for the guests is shorter. Flowers and glass are used to decorate the tables and the room must be pleasant and inviting. There should be four glasses at each table setting, one for each type of beverage. It is considered to be best when the guest count is small and they should arrive on time because the chef can never wait as this diminishes that beauty of the meal.
Russian Food Service
The Russian style of service directly impacted French service. The French ended up changing to the nouvelle cuisine because of it. The nouvelle cuisine is almost exactly the same as Russian service. Both are based on the a la russe style of service, this means, “a table tastefully adorned with flowers and fruits, and the triumphs of the confectioner's art; indeed, all the cold dishes. The hot dishes are served, carved apart, to the guests.” (W. Blanchard Jerrold 257)
Changes in Food Service
This led to a more civilized and refined way of dining with set standards that are not to be diminished. It led to more simplicity in the food itself without a lot of heavy sauces and the assertion to use only items that are fresh and currently in season. “Simplicity implied a host of other qualities-harmony, elegance, and above all, that notoriously slippery attribute, good taste.” (Priscilla Parkhurst Ferguson 45) It is important to remember that all of these changes stem from the Russian idea that simplicity is of greater value than excess. “Careme affirmed that French cuisine of the nineteenth century would remain the model for the future... a creation where no single element stands out either in any given dish or in the dinner as a whole.” ( Priscilla Parkhurst Ferguson 46)
References
- Ferguson, Priscilla Parkhurst. “Writing Out of the Kitchen: Careme and the Invention of French Cuisine.” Gastronomica. Summer 2003. 40-51
- Freedman, Paul. Food the History of Taste. 1st. London. Thames and Hudson Ltd, 2007. Print.
- Gault, Henri. “Nouvelle Cuisine.” In Cooks and Other People: Proceedings of the Oxford Symposium
- on Food and Cookery 1995, ed. Harian Walker, 123-127. London: Prospect Books, 1996.
- Giante, Denise. Gusto: Essential Writings in Nineteenth-Century Gastronomy. 1st. London. Routledge
- Taylor and Francis Group, 2005. Print.
- Visser, Margaret. The Rituals of Dinner. 1st. New York. Penguin Books USA inc. 1991. Print.
Tiffany Chavis - A classically trained chef, Tiffany works extensively with seafood, wild game and traditional American cuisines.
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