THE HISTORY OF THE GAULT & MILLAU FRENCH GASTRONOMY GUIDE
Authors: Romanchuk Olha , Nykyha Oksana , Koval Rostyslav , Holod Andrii 
Published: August 2023

The article presents the development of the famous French gastronomic guide Gault & Millau based on the analysis of the most relevant works of foreign scientists. Using genealogical sites, where information can be entered only by verified users, biographical information about its founders Henri Gault and Christian Millau has been presented. The attention has been paid to the reasons which led to the beginning of the New cuisine (Nouvelle cuisine), its distinctive features, as well as to its importance for French gastronomy. The purpose of the article is to highlight the history of the Gault & Millau gastronomic guide. During the studies, such research methods as historical, descriptive, comparative, systematization and generalization have been used. It has been established that in fact guides, in particular Michelin and Gault & Millau, which represent French gastronomy, are the most famous in the world and play an important role in the development of modern tourism industry. One of the leading French novelists and gastronomic critics, Maurice Edmond Sailland (Curnonsky), said that a gourmet should travel, with regard to satisfy his / her gourmet needs.

The history of the Gault & Millau guide begins in the 1960s, when its founders, Henri Gault and Christian Millau, traveled much around France to find restaurants that they considered worthy of their interest. They discovered what was soon known as New cuisine (Nouvelle cuisine). It was originated from forgotten tastes, simplicity and lightness. In 1969, Henri Gault and Christian Millau with some friends of theirs, started the publication of the monthly magazine «Le Nouveau Guide permanent», which was titled «Le Nouveau Guide Gault-Millau» since May, 1970. In 1970 they published «Le Guide Gourmand de la France». Finally, in 1972, the first Gault & Millau guide to France («Le Guide Gault-Millau de la France») was published. They ranked all the restaurants they considered fit to be recommended to the public. The main criteria for them were not the richness of the establishment, the food or the cleanliness, the values supported by Michelin, but the taste, presentation and imagination of the chef. Points in the Gault & Millau guides were given for the quality of the food, with comments on service, price and general atmosphere.

The term «New French Cuisine» («Nouvelle Cuisine Française») was used for the first time in the 54th issue of the magazine «Le Nouveau Guide Gault-Millau» (1973). The new cuisine was characterized by a return to the fundamental / basic taste of food, offering ten guidelines for it. At the same time, their article «Vive la nouvelle cuisine française» was published. In response to the conservative Michelin guide, which valued quality and tradition, Henri Gault and Christian Millau launched Nouvelle Cuisine as a movement with a strong emphasis on innovation. The presented evaluation and expert opinions had a significant impact on the rating and success of the establishment. Henri Gault also offered the aforementioned guidelines, a clear and comprehensible decalogue that summed up their passion for modern and innovative cuisine. The instructions concerned, in particular, the reduction of cooking time, the use of fresh and high-quality products from the market that exclude the sauce base prepared the day before, and the reduction of menu choices.

The Gault & Millau guide changed the tourism and culinary image of France. Its founders emphasized the principles of dietetics and the creativity of chefs. Christian Millau also came up with the idea of gathering food columnists around the wine theme to single out French wines. The first special issue on wines appeared in September 1978. In September 1984, the wine guide «Le guide des vins de France. Le 1er pratique guide: 1500 vins en direct sélectionnées pour leur excellent rapport qualité / prix» was published. Thanks to the international success of the Gault & Millau guide, in February 1980, Henri Gault and Christian Millau appeared on the cover of the American weekly «Time», where the article about them was published. However, Henri Gault and Christian Millau stopped their mutual professional activities in 1986.

The obtained practical results will make it possible to expand specialized training courses in higher education institutions of Ukraine, where personnel for tourism, hotel and restaurant industry are trained.

Key words: Gault & Millau Guide, History, Nouvelle Cuisine, Gastro-Tourism.