Cooking in 1542 The Quattrocento revolution?

Art, architecture, science… During the French Renaissance, all these fields, influenced by the Quattrocento (first Italian Renaissance), underwent a revolution. But what about food?

Spices, sweet and sour and game

As you turn the pages of this invaluable work, the first observation becomes clear: the use of spices from India and Africa, such as cloves, cinnamon and pepper, has been perpetuated over the centuries, “not to disguise pheasant meat, as we sometimes read, but for taste”, explains Loïc Bienassis, and as a social marker.
Given their high price, spices were also a way for aristocrats to mark their rank and distinguish themselves, even if new sea routes made them more affordable. Another persistent element is the sweet-savory mix, on which many recipes are based.

At the table, culinary traditions are tenacious. Aristocrats continued to revel in roasted meat, game and poultry, with a pronounced taste for pie, crust and pate. However, around 1530, a novelty was introduced, imported from America: turkey. It was the only edible product from the New World to become established during the Renaissance, as the rise of the tomato and the potato only really took off in the 18th century.
Among the working classes and peasants, the diet was less meaty, and consisted mainly of bread, cakes and cereal porridges, but also fruits and vegetables such as cabbage, leeks and carrots.

Sweet and sour flavors

Despite this continuity with the Middle Ages, changes are underway. Starting with the massive use of sugar, which is becoming an everyday consumer product after having been used by the aristocracy or for therapeutic purposes.

“It was never used so much, even with acidic ingredients such as verjuice, vinegar or wine, to the point where sweet and sour flavors reached their peak during the Renaissance,” observes Loïc Bienassis. At the same time, spices and fruit were being candied, and jam was making its appearance.”

In recipes, butter became increasingly important, as we learn from the Livre Fort excellent de cuysine. It was used to prepare lean dishes (fish, vegetables and eggs). As for fruit and vegetables, hitherto neglected by the elite because they were eaten by peasants and therefore unworthy of their rank, they became the rage.
Artichokes became fashionable, as did eggplants, asparagus, cauliflowers, cucumbers and melons, which were grown in royal gardens.
But none of this is due to Catherine de Médicis, as we often read,” concludes Loïc Bienassis. She is credited with revolutionizing cuisine, importing pâte à chou, liqueurs, ice cream, the fork, etc. These are just legends. These are just legends that originated in the 18th century.
What is not a legend, however, and continues to this day, is the French taste for good food.