by Dereck Foster
for the Herald

In its most basic level cooking has not altered since the first chunk of meat was accidentally burnt over the cave fire or in a jungle conflagration. The process of applying heat to food to alter its texture and flavour has been the art of cooking ever since.

However, how, when and why heat has been applied has not remained static over the centuries. By a combination of accident, chance and human ingenuity the art of cooking has undergone a slow but constant evolution which is still with us today. (Just think Ferran Adria and molecular cooking, for example, to understand what I mean). A cavewoman searing a couple of dinosaur ribs over an unruly fire  is difficult to imagine alongside todays housewife whipping up a cheese souffle to go with some  nicely broiled lamb chops, but the connection is there all the same. Whether in a dingy cave, a cavernous mansion or a tidy, modern kitchen, the act of altering food with the aid of heat to provide our appetites with what we desire, is the solid base upon which we conceive cooking today.

While the basic rule remains unalterable, the means by which it is applied is not. The style of cooking — how it is approached, organised and executed — is undergoing an almost constant modification which at times is pretty evident — molecular cooking and the fusion of East and West are two glaring examples that spring to mind — but frequently passes us by almost unnoticed. Perhaps the starting point from which we can trace the modern epoch of western cooking can be said to be the entry of Georges Auguste Escoffier on the European gastronomic stage.

Although he was not the first outstanding French chef to leave his mark on the ritual of food preparation and serving — Careme deserves equal billing here — it was Escoffier who, with Swiss friend and partner  César Ritz,  really transformed the style of image of French cuisine into what it still boasts today.
Curiously Escoffier, although born in France, spent most of his active life outside his native country. It was in Switzerland where he met Ritz, and it was in London where the two spent most of their time and created most of their outstanding successes.  To Ritz we owe much of what we take to be normal today in a top, starred hotel, while to Escoffier we owe the modern concept of how a kitchen should be organised and run.
Towards the end of the 19th century it became evident that diners no longer had the time or the desire to spend long hours at table, as was then the custom. It was necessary for kitchens to speed up their activity, and it was Escoffier who set about updating haute cuisine to meet this demand, and in the process he found it necessary to restructure the whole concept of the kitchen, as then conceived. It was the usual habit for kitchens at this time to operate as little independent fiefdoms. Each operated independently of each other with little communication, preparing their specialties in semi-secret. Escoffier changed all this. Each station was now separated by function rather than preparation. Thus the garde-manger was charged with the cold dishes, the saucier with sauces, the rotisseur with grilling and roasting, and so on. It was the assembly line approach, which today is so common in so many different industries and activities. The industrial revolution had entered the kitchen as well.

Preparation was but one of the areas where Escoffier noted that change was called for. The until then French tradition of  serving all dishes simultaneously  had been slowly giving way to the Service á la Russe in which dishes were brought in one at a time Escoffier used this system to redesign the classic menu, which was now divided into courses. He began with appetizers, followed by fish and meat dishes and finished with desserts. It was he who also created the a la carte menu, allowing diners freedom to construct their own meals rather than having to submit to an imposed banquet.

In addition to his administrative genius, Escoffier was also a great cook. It is said that he has created more novel dishes than any other chef in modern history. His two greatest creations — Peach Melba and Tournedos Rossini — are proof enough as to his culinary genius. And the next time you visit your favourite restaurant, give its kitchen a glance. If it is doing its job properly and the food is constantly good, give Escoffier a thought. His spirit, if not his actual presence, is there hovering over the steaming pots and pans, ensuring that all is right in the kitchen.