THE SUBTLE TOUCH IN FRENCH COOKERY

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLIII, Issue 20669, 6 March 1937, Page 10 (Supplement)

THE SUBTLE TOUCH IN FRENCH COOKERY

What is really the difference between French and other methods of cooking food? Admitting French cookery to be superlative, which it is more often perhaps than that of other nations, this does not alone account for the general acceptance of it which causes menus to be written in the French language. The English table is often far better set. There are German and Austrian dishes which take a good deal of beating. Chinese cookery has a vast amount to be said for it, even though birds’ nests and bamboos are not generally available. One reason why French food is appetising is probably the habit of serving things separately. There is something gross about a piled-up plate, even where appetite is not lacking. The separation of meat and vegetables is more elegant and also allows longertime in which to appreciate meals. Then there are the little touches. A tough piece of beef, called a tournedos in a cheap restaurant may be made delicious by means of a piece of watercress. Such things as “beurre noir,” the bit of garlii rubbed round the salad, the touch of fresh butter with a dry, boiled potato—all these are not only tasty but they have the pleasant familiarity of an old tune.