Susan Herrmann Loomis (Photo: Francis Hammond)
French gastronomy has long been the benchmark for the world’s finest cuisine. The creativity bubbling up in French food today is rooted in thousands of years of culinary history, the collective heritage of a country that has always focused (sometimes obsessively) on everything that is put on the table. Susan Herrmann Loomis, author, cooking teacher, and French culinary expert, leads a lively tour through the centuries that showcases the rich history of a unique and beloved cuisine and the influences that shaped it.
Learn how the Egyptians “discovered” foie gras, and how the Jewish migration brought it to France; how the Gauls stumbled on the art of curing meats, which led to the French love of pork; and why Julius Caesar is responsible for the fine sea salt of Guérande. Duck confit? It dates back to at least two centuries in the region of Gascony. Croissants? Merci, Marie Antoinette, who came to France from Vienna in 1770 with her bakers, experts at layering dough and butter, which laid the foundation for the French pastry chef to be considered the best in the world.
Herrmann Loomis unlocks the mysteries and delights of a selection of iconic dishes and their origins and why they remain center-of-the-plate favorites in France—and shares how to make a few of them so that you can treat your family and friends. She also offers stories of French home cooks and how they adhere to historic culinary principles while evolving their cuisine to fit today’s trends.
Herrmann Loomis teaches French cooking skills and techniques in Normandy and Paris in a cooking school she founded 25 years ago. She is the author of 14 books focused on French cuisine and culture.
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