Istanbul Gelişim University (İGÜ), Faculty of Fine Arts (GSF) Deputy Dean and Gastronomy and Culinary Arts Department of Assoc. Prof. Dr. Murat Doğan's article was published in Hotel Restaurant & Hi-Tech Magazine. The article took place in the December issue of the magazine under the title “Auguste Escoffier (1846-1935) Culinary Arts Master”. The text of the relevant article is given below.
My previous articles have tried to explain why French cuisine was ahead in the world gastronomy arena. However, in my article, I realized that I did not give information about the masters who brought French cuisine to today's position. As you know, the articles or essays written in magazines would be much better if they did not pass the words of a thousand.
Kitchen Arts
Today, I will tell you one of the two masters who have made a great contribution to taking French cuisine from the bottom of the bottom. One of the masters, the chef Auguste Escoffier (Agust Escoffier) you see in the title is Marie-Antoine Carême (Marie Antonin Karem), which I plan to talk about in my later articles. It is useful to say this from the beginning. If the equivalent of two masters had dealt with a master of Turkish cuisine in time, the whole world would have been talking about Turkish cuisine. You seem to be asking what I am based on this ambitious word. Let's look at the 1800s with an eye. On the one hand, there are a thousand kinds of food in the Turkish or Ottoman geography with a flavor feast with the sauce. On the other side, in French cuisine, there are dry-dried dishes without even sauce with a few cooking methods. Yes, the masters I will promise made the Renaissance of their kitchens (rebirth). They turned all French cuisine into a kitchen with written, standard, and visuality. For example, the inventor of all of the culinary titles we use today is Şefoffier. Let's go back to us. A similar classification was already in the Ottoman kitchen hierarchy. The biggest problem in us rather than writing is that our culture and thought structure are more prone to oral expression. We don't even like writing. It will be strange to you, but I would like to say one more thing. We learn the history of Turkish and Ottoman cuisine thanks to Western travelers coming to our geography. We only have saints. Of course, Western travelers interpret their perspectives. A Western traveler joins a feast in a mansion. He writes in his book: “At the end of the dinner, they brought soup. It's ridiculous. There's milk and rice. And even the soup is sweet. " When I read this article, I laughed a lot and I was strange. Then I gave the right. How should the water of the hand know? I don't want to extend the issue too much. But by the way, I could not pass without saying. Now let me remind the chef Auguste Escoffier, one of the two masters, and then reveal his contributions to French cuisine.
Auguste Escoffier
Escoffier, the founder of the French classic cuisine, stepped into the kitchen at the age of thirteen in his uncle's restaurant and did not leave the kitchen until he died. Escoffier has many titles. The most important of these is the World Kitchen Emperor. This title has not been given in vain. Kaiser, the King of Prussia, influenced the king of food Wilhelm II and the king told him the following.
“I am the king of Prussia, you are the king of all the kitchens.’
In addition, it has managed the restaurants and kitchens of the best hotels in Europe. Escoffier made radical changes in the kitchen and service organization, brought specialization in the kitchen, simplified the menus, and presented the dishes within a plan. I would like to give an example. Before Escoffier, all the meals were bored on the table - this is my definition - everyone would see that glory. The manners made a ceiling. Our chief has made the dishes served less and self-essential within an order. What he does is nothing more than providing excellent harmony with less material. He simplified Carême's magnificent, exaggerated, and chaotic menus. That was right. Carême's various and chaotic dishes in a regulation, simplified and revealed that the important thing is harmony. And most importantly, it has made all of them written. I am a minimalist approach to Escoffier. But in those years, this concept is neither on the agenda nor the essence. I can even say that it prioritizes sustainability, which is a contemporary issue. The idea of removing everything that needs more than our kitchen and menu. That sounds good. Yes, "it's more or less."
Auguste Escoffier's Legacy
In addition to his contribution to Escoffier gastronomy, he has written very valuable works. He did what was not done in Turkish cuisine. He said the word flies remain. His most well-known work, Kitchen Guide (Le Guide Culinaire) has given more than five thousand descriptions of classical kitchen art. Interest in cooking techniques and materials used in the food has given very detailed information. Something that we don't have, old masters keep their recipes and clues. All of them would go to the grave with them. Even the late Ottoman cookbooks, did not write proper weight and technique.
Legion Donnör (Légion d'honneur)*
In 1920, Escoffier rewarded the French kitchen art by the Legion Donnör, the greatest engagement of France as a person who introduced and increased his value by the prime minister of the period édouard Herriot.
There are some reasons why Escoffier is such a famous and good chef. Most importantly, it is that it has created kitchen ranks or in other words the kitchen hierarchy. In today's kitchen, we still use the ranks he has created. We call the highest-degree kitchen responsible Executive Chef, the assistant sous chef. Others, Chef de Partie, Demi Chef, and Comisi Chef know the ranking familiar with the kitchen.
A Humble Master
Escoffier was known for his humility and his devotion to his profession, despite his great success. The disciplined approach has led to the formation of standards that affect chefs around the world. He died on February 12, 1935, leaving a great legacy to the chefs and all world cuisine. His name was given to many cookery schools, associations, and awards, and his influence on the cookery profession was immortalized. Auguste Escoffier's life represents a kitchen journey in which innovation, excellence, and a deep love for kitchen art. Today, Escoffier's contributions continue to shape the world of gastronomy.
*It is the highest level of civilian engagement in France.
Stay health and enjoyable…
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Murat Doğan
