Some Notes on the History of the French Cuisine. From the Middles Ages to late 20th century. Carlos Mirasierras

A type of refined cooking developed in
the late Middle Ages that set the
standard among the nobility all over
Europe. Common seasonings in the
highly-spiced
sweet-sour
repertory
typical of upper-class medieval food
included verjuice wine and vinegar in
combination with spices such as black
pepper, saffron and ginger. These, along
with the widespread use of sugar or
honey, gave many dishes a sweet-sour
flavor. Almonds were very popular as a
thickener in soups, stews, and sauces,
particularly as almond milk.
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Ancient régime
During the ancient régime, Paris was the
central hub of culture and economic
activity, and as such, the most highly
skilled culinary craftsmen were to be
found there. Markets in Paris, such as
Les Halles, La Mégisserie, those found
along La Rue Mouffetard, and similar
smaller versions in other cities were very
important for the distribution of food.
Those that gave French produce its
distinctive identity were regulated by the
guild system, which was developed in
the Middle Ages. In Paris, the guilds
were regulated by city government as
well as by the French crown.
There were two basic groups of guilds –
first, those that supplied the raw
materials: butchers, fishmongers, grain
merchants, and gardeners. The second
group were those that supplied prepared
foods: bakers, pastry cooks, sauce makers, poultry men, and other food suppliers.
There were also guilds that offered both raw materials and prepared food, such as the
pork-butchers and rôtisseurs (purveyors of roasted meat dishes). They would supply
cooked meat pies and dishes as well as raw meat and poultry. This caused problems
between butchers and poultry men, who sold the same type of raw materials. Guilds
served as a training ground for those within the food industry. The degrees of assistantcook, full-fledged cook and master chef were conferred by guilds. Those who reached
the level of master chef were of considerable rank in their individual industry, earned
quite a lot of money and enjoyed a high level of economic and job security.
Sometimes, those in the royal kitchens did fall under the guild hierarchy, but it was
necessary to find them a parallel appointment based on their skills once they had left
the service at royal kitchens.

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