The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-07-07
ORIGIN OF THE REsrAURAN t.
Modern Palaces Had Humble Begin.
ning in Frenee q Centurv 60.


ming in France Century Ago.
From the Cincinnati Commercial Gazette.
The restaurant is of comparatively
modern origin. The first French revolu-
ton, at the close of the last century, wit
messed its birth. Previous to that time
the best cooks were in the employ of the
nobility, whose ruin threatened them
with equal disaster Ahappy inspiration,
however, led them to open places of pub
lie entertainment, which leaped at once
int immense popular favor inaSmuch as
previously, while the French people were
endowed with the instincts of delicate
cookery, they We're unable to crafty
their tastes through the absence of
resorts available for the purpose.
The proprietOrs of many of these estab-
lishments quickly acquired a widespread
fame and large wealth. Coincident with
the birth of the restaurant in France an
immense impulse was given to the publ
cation of popular treatises on the art of
cookery, composed by the most famous
cooks. These were rapidly disseminated
among the people, who, gifted with nat
ural genius for gastrOnomy, promptly
aVailed of the new sources Of knowledge
to perfect themselves in an art of which
they have become the foremost opponents
of the world. Among these publications
was the AlmanaCh des Commands, estab-
lished in 1904 one of the classics of Gull
nary learning. Two writer's of France
have attained to great distinction in cpl
curean Gterature-Sayarin and Baron
Brisse.
The last. a most picturesque character,
who, apart from his great literary merits,
possessed u knowledge of the gastrOnOmiC
arts which on occasion enabled him fOrCi-
bly, to accentuate his superior technical
abilities. He regarded as the highest at
tribute in a cook the knowledge of how to
prepare the most enticing dishes from the
most unpromising materials. He gave an
example of this in the famous dinners
which he concocted at the jockey club,
in Paris, during the siege by the Germans
in the war of 1870 He supplied the place
of beef, veal, chickens and game, which
were not to be procured with rat pie,
roast dog salted horse and ass outlets,
with cOnsummate success which delight
cd and astonished his guests.
Baron Brisse, in his devotion to the gas
tronomic art, elcvates the delicacies of the
table far above the charms of women. In
one of his rhapsodies hesays: "Ihe pleas
ures of the table are those which we first
experience, which desert us last and
which we taste the most frequently. Is
there a woman-the most beautiful the
imagination can paint, with the head of
Nlllt. lCCdllAltIs WIFI JllC uCtl iLl, LllC Cll-
chanting graces and the smile of the
world S chief beauties-whois worth those
admirable cartridges of Languedoc and
the Cevennes, the divine favor of which
surpasses all the sweetness of Arabia?
Would you put her on the line with the
daintiness of foie gras orof duck, to which
the towns of Strasbourg, Toulouse and
Auch owe the better part Of their celeb
rity2 What is she in comparison with
the sausages of Boulogne? Who will dare
compare her with the delicate veal of
Rouen3'
In addition to the restaurant and the
two most eminent writers on gastrOnOmy
France has produced four great historical
coOks-Pierre de la Varonne, who served
Louis XIV, and may be considered the
father of modern cooking; Vatal, who
committed suicide on account of the tardy
arrival of a fish, of whom Nine. de Sc.
vigne says, "a man distinguished for
! capacity above all others whose splendid
head was capable of managing the affairs
of state" Careme, who had charge of
the kitchen of the Prince de Talleyrand,
whose soothing connections, ii is said,
softened the antagonists Of hostile am
bassadors and paved the way for some of
Frances greatest diplomatic triumphs;
Soyer. who, in all probability, would not
have been included in this group had it
not been for his services to the English
during the Crimean war.