For the curious or even those passionate about cooking, Laurent Mariotte and his columnists return this week in the program "La Table des bons vivants" on the origins of the oldest French cookbook, "Le Viandier" by Taillevent.
A book from the 14th century that allows us to better understand contemporary cuisine.
If in combination, the reference book is Bescherelle, in cooking, it is
Viandier
de Taillevent.
The oldest French cookbook in the world.
Ideal for cooking afterwards like a great chef if we are to believe Yves Camdeborde: "you have to start with the basics to be able to emancipate yourself later".
A return to origins is therefore necessary, carried out by Laurent Mariotte and his chroniclers in
La Table des bons vivants
around this treasure of French gastronomy published for the first time in the 14th century!
>> Find La Table des bons vivant in podcast and in replay here
Cooking in the Middle Ages
"Le
Viandier
de Taillevent is, as its name suggests, a work on meats", explains Luc Menapace, curator of the French National Library.
"But that's not all, since the term meat in the Middle Ages - when the book was written - actually means" to live "in the general sense. And so, multitudes of recipes follow one another to correspond to the different times. of the life of the time. "
Finally, if you are wondering what legitimacy Taillevent had, know that he was the cook of kings including Charles IV, Philippe VI, Charles V and finally, Charles VI.
Longevity at the heart of quality.
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Recipes of yesteryear
Among the recipes in the collection, we find, for example, stuffed spit eggs.
"For that, make small holes at the end of the eggs. And put what is inside outside. Then take sage, marjoram, ginger, saffron and sugar then place the stuffing in the shells of the eggs. small skewers and put on the grill over low heat to roast everything. "
An original recipe, a little hard to make nowadays and which would hardly suit our current palates (although).
But one thing is certain, it is indeed the origins of cooking, which you must inevitably be aware of in order to best understand French culinary art and be able to grasp it.
"I really advise all young chefs to immerse themselves in this book and learn from it", strongly advocates Yves Camdeborde.