History of French Cuisine Timeline

Prior to the late-18th century, diners who wished to 'dine out' would visit their local guild-member's kitchen and have their meal prepared for them, predating the modern restaurant.

Image source: Restaurant

In Bordeaux, during the period 1708–1789, thirty-three bad harvests occurred, contributing to chronic grain shortages that affected the diets of ordinary French people.

From 1725 to 1789, there were fourteen years of bad yields responsible for low grain supplies, leaving many of the nation's people dependent on bread as their primary food source.

Bread was a significant food source among peasants and the working class in the late 18th century, with much of the nation's population depending on it for survival.

Image source: Bread

In 1782, Antoine Beauvilliers, pastry chef to the Count of Provence (the future King Louis XVIII), opened one of the most popular restaurants of the time—the Grande Taverne de Londres—in the arcades of the Palais-Royal.

Image source: Antoine Beauvilliers

Other restaurants were opened by chefs of the time who were leaving the failing monarchy of France, in the period leading up to the 1789 French Revolution, spreading fine dining beyond the aristocracy.

Image source: French Revolution

The substantial discretionary income of the nouveau riches of the French Directory period (1795 to 1799) helped sustain these new restaurants, allowing Parisian dining culture to flourish.

Image source: French Directory

Marie-Antoine Carême was born in 1784, five years before the Revolution. He would grow up to become one of the most celebrated chefs in history, often called the founder of haute cuisine.

Central to Carême's codification of French cuisine was Le Maître d'hôtel français (1822), one of several landmark works that systematized the art of grand cooking.

Image source: Marie-Antoine Carême

Carême continued his codification of French cuisine with Le Cuisinier parisien (1828), further defining professional standards for chefs.

Carême's L'Art de la cuisine française au dix-neuvième siècle (1833–5) completed his monumental effort to define and refine classical French haute cuisine.

The Savoy Hotel, managed by César Ritz, was an early hotel in which Escoffier worked, beginning his rise as one of the most influential chefs in the world.

Image source: Auguste Escoffier

A modern version of Taillevent's Le Viandier was published in 1897, connecting contemporary chefs like Escoffier with the medieval roots of French gastronomy.

Much of Escoffier's influence came during his management of the kitchens in the Carlton from 1898 until 1921, where he refined and popularized French haute cuisine internationally.

Escoffier's largest contribution was the publication of Le Guide Culinaire in 1903, which established the fundamentals of French cookery and remains a cornerstone reference for chefs worldwide. It drew on recipes from Carême and Dubois as well as ideas from Taillevent's Le Viandier.

Escoffier published a series of articles in professional journals outlining the proper sequence of courses, culminating in the publication of his Livre des menus in 1912.

In 1912, Escoffier finally published his Livre des menus, formalizing the structure and presentation of elaborate French meals based on his journal articles about course sequencing.

Starting in the 20th century, culinary tourism and the Guide Michelin helped acquaint commoners with the cuisine bourgeoise of urban elites and the peasant cuisine of the French countryside.

Image source: Michelin Guide

In November 2010, French gastronomy was added by UNESCO to its lists of the world's 'intangible cultural heritage', formally recognizing the cultural importance of the French meal and its culinary traditions.

Image source: Lists of Intangible Cultural Heritage elements

Since the 2014 administrative reform, the ancient area of Auvergne, known for its distinctive regional food traditions, is now part of a larger region, reshaping France's regional culinary map.

Image source: Auvergne