In Europe in the 17th century, France entered its heyday during the reign of Louis XIV, known as the Sun King. At that time, France ranked first in Europe in terms of military, politics, technology and culture, and was called the European hegemon. So in terms of food, what delicacies were available in the palaces of European overlords? Is it just like the kitchens of our Qing Dynasty, where the Manchu and Han banquets were the best choice.
Louis XIV himself advocated a luxurious life, so he set off a "golden" luxury style in the court, and spread this style throughout France. First of all, the tableware used by the king is made of gold, while the princes and nobles use gold-plated tableware. The king's steward shouted: "Let us share the meat given by the king!" Then he blew a few notes from a clarinet decorated with golden lilies (a symbol of the French royal family) to announce the official start of the dinner.
The serving dishes are also very particular. What is on the plate is the starter of this dinner: delicious meat and vegetable soup, carefully made meat fillings or rich-tasting bread soup. Drink soup first. The host usually prepares two to three different soups, such as nutritious soup (which is actually a meat and vegetable soup that has been simmered for a long time), and "queen" soup (a kind of soup in which partridge meat or pheasant meat is added) soup, sometimes with a little butter), and shrimp bisque sauce soup. In addition to delicious soup, there are also several kinds of meat fillings, artichokes, mushrooms and other ingredients and large breads for guests. The bread must be large enough for a man with a big appetite to eat, and even its crust must be big enough for a woman to dip into the soup. And the king's bread was always much softer than other people's, because Louis XIV had bad teeth.
Before serving the second course, the servant must change a new set of tableware for each guest and hand him a wet towel to wipe his hands. This is a necessary procedure before serving the dish. The second course is also a starter. It is a hodgepodge. The food is mainly small pieces of barbecue, hot pies, buns, ham, sausages, sausages, and fruits as a starter. A large plate full of food should never be placed in front of a more distinguished guest because it would block the guest's view and make it inconvenient for him to pass food or speak to others.
The banquet really reaches its climax in the third course. Beef, veal, and sheep can all be the protagonists of the third course. They are usually grilled, boiled in thick soup, or made into meat fillings. If it is barbecue, add oranges, lemons or olives in the middle of the meat to make the barbecue more delicious and oily but not greasy.
The ingredients for the next small barbecue are mostly birds. The swans, cranes, and herons that were popular in the Middle Ages had been replaced by pigeons, chickens, and ducks in the era of Louis XIV. The ducks supplied to the king were raised in Rouen in northwest France, and the chickens were raised in Le Mans. In order to make these poultry taste more meaty, some plant spices were added to the food when feeding.
Of course, fish is an integral part of the banquet: the most popular river fish are salmon and trout, while sea fish include cod and sole.
Cold cuts are the sixth course of the dinner. Green salad with colorful jelly placed in the middle of the table. Commonly used vegetables include mushrooms, cabbage, artichokes, chrysanthemum, and small peas, which Louis XIV was very fond of.
Fruits are the highlight of the banquet. Exquisite fruit baskets, a variety of liquid or solid jams, fennel beans wrapped in different flavored sugar coatings (musk and ambergris), marzipan, which is very popular among French people, and other snacks that have become popular in France. Chocolates are waiting for all guests.
Okay, this is the general process of the French court banquet. Do you think their food culture is different from the food culture that our Chinese dynasty is always proud of, or is it better or worse? You may wish to give your opinion and let's discuss it together.