Editing French cuisine (section)

===Ancien 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 ''[[Rue Mouffetard]]'', and similar smaller versions in other cities were very important to the distribution of food. Those that gave French produce its characteristic identity were regulated by the [[guild]] system, which developed in the [[Middle Ages]]. In Paris, the guilds were regulated by city government as well as by the French crown. A guild restricted those in a given branch of the culinary industry to operate only within that field.<ref name="Wheaton" />{{rp|71–72}}

There were two 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 chef|pastry cook]]s, sauce makers, poulterers, and [[caterer]]s. Some guilds offered both raw materials and prepared food, such as the ''[[charcuterie|charcutiers]]'' and ''rôtisseurs'' (purveyors of roasted meat dishes). They would supply cooked meat pies and dishes as well as raw meat and poultry. This caused issues with butchers and poulterers, who sold the same raw materials.<ref name="Wheaton" />{{rp|72–73}}

The guilds served as a training ground for those within the industry. The degrees of assistant cook, full-fledged cook and master chef were conferred. Those who reached the level of master chef were of considerable rank in their individual industry, and enjoyed a high level of income as well as economic and job security. At times, 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 after leaving the service of the royal kitchens. This was not uncommon as the Paris cooks' Guild regulations allowed for this movement.<ref name="Wheaton" />{{rp|73}}

During the 16th and 17th centuries, French cuisine assimilated many new food items from the [[New World]]. Although they were slow to be adopted, records of banquets show [[Catherine de' Medici]] serving sixty-six turkeys at one dinner.<ref name="Wheaton" />{{rp|81}}  The dish called [[cassoulet]] has its roots in the New World discovery of [[haricot bean]]s, which are central to the dish's creation, but had not existed outside of the Americas until the arrival of Europeans.<ref name="Wheaton" />{{rp|85}}

''Haute cuisine'' ({{IPA|fr|ot kɥizin|pron}}, "high cuisine") has foundations during the 17th century with a chef named [[François Pierre La Varenne|La Varenne]]. As an author of works such as ''Le Cuisinier françois'', he is credited with publishing the first true French cookbook. His book includes the earliest known reference to [[roux]] using pork fat. The book contained two sections, one for meat days, and one for [[fasting]]. His recipes marked a change from the style of cookery known in the Middle Ages to new techniques aimed at creating somewhat lighter dishes, and more modest presentations of pies as individual pastries and turnovers. La Varenne also published a book on pastry in 1667 entitled ''Le Parfait confitvrier'' (republished as ''Le Confiturier françois'') which similarly updated and codified the emerging ''haute cuisine'' standards for desserts and pastries.<ref name="Wheaton" />{{rp|114–120}}

Chef [[François Massialot]] wrote ''Le Cuisinier roïal et bourgeois'' in 1691, during the reign of [[Louis XIV]]. The book contains menus served to the royal courts in 1690. Massialot worked mostly as a freelance cook, and was not employed by any particular household. Massialot and many other royal cooks received special privileges by association with the French royalty. They were not subject to the regulation of the guilds; therefore, they could cater weddings and banquets without restriction. His book is the first to list recipes alphabetically, perhaps a forerunner of the first culinary dictionary. It is in this book that a [[marinade]] is first seen in print, with one type for poultry and feathered game, while a second is for fish and shellfish. No quantities are listed in the recipes, which suggests that Massialot was writing for trained cooks.<ref name="Wheaton" />{{rp|149–154}}

The successive updates of ''Le Cuisinier roïal et bourgeois'' include important refinements such as adding a glass of wine to [[stock (food)|fish stock]]. Definitions were also added to the 1703 edition. The 1712 edition, retitled ''Le Nouveau cuisinier royal et bourgeois'', was increased to two volumes, and was written in a more elaborate style with extensive explanations of technique. Additional smaller preparations are included in this edition as well, leading to lighter preparations, and adding a third course to the meal. [[Ragout]], a stew still central to French cookery, makes its first appearance as a single dish in this edition as well; prior to that, it was listed as a garnish.<ref name="Wheaton" />{{rp|155}}