French Influences on American Food

By the time America was settled in the seventeenth century, the French dominated professional cookery in western Europe. They created cooking implements, defined food terms, and systematically ordered cooking processes. To foster their culinary empire, they established an apprentice system intended to prepare young men to become chefs. The English aristocracy hired French chefs or English chefs trained in France, such as Robert May, author of The Accomplished Cook (1685). However, most of the English were suspicious of French cookery. Specifically, French food was “dishonest,” the British believed, as its sauces, gravies, and other “made dishes” were designed to disguise the poor quality of French meat, poultry, and fish. Also, the French ate unusual and even repugnant foods, such as snails and frogs legs, which horrified English sensibilities.