The French Phenomenon

As the seventeenth century progressed, the national culinary influences that had been perceptible throughout Europe faded in the astonishing culinary revolution that was brewing in France. Early on, the anonymous Le thresor de la santé, ou mesnage de la vie humaine (Treasury of Health, or Management of Human Life, 1607) already signaled a new and different direction, providing a missing link between the theories of Galen and the practical cookbooks that were appearing in ever-greater numbers. Gone was the depressing medical focus on the properties of foods and their effect on health. Thresor supplied instead a comprehensive seasonal guide to the joys of eating right. Like many doctors of the time, the author believed that pastries were not healthful, but he could not resist such Parisian treats as flamiches (savory breads), oublies (wafers), petites pâtisseries, beignets, and crêpes. His tempting recipes include pastas from Provence and Italy, one much like Martino’s Sicilian macaroni made of fine white flour, egg whites, and rose water. Thresor is essentially a guide to healthy eating in the modern style that was to mark the upcoming century.