Patisserie In Need Of Protection
Jun 26th, 2008 | By admin | Category: FoodsThe myriad smells are completely alluring - there’s the buttery scent of shallots being braised, the sweet smell of chicken being roasted and, from the patisserie kitchen below, the tantalising aroma of tarte tatin wafting up the stairs.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy is asking the UN to award French cuisine Unesco humanity heritage status.
A parliamentary fact-finding commission is currently hearing arguments from top chefs and specialists about France’s candidacy for the status, but does French cuisine merit such a title?
Mr Savoy himself is busy preparing for the lunch-time rush. As he spoons Hollandaise sauce into glass egg-cups, the sous chefs stand still and stare at the master at work.
Because, with three Michelin stars to his name, this top chef knows pretty much all there is to know about food.
“French food is the best,” he tells me assuredly, “because it’s so diverse and there’s so much variety.”
He begins to list the specialities of each region - the charcuterie, the bread, the wine, the cheese and then shrugs his shoulders and smiles.
“We need to protect this heritage,” he says.
Guy Savoy is one of those supporting France’s candidacy for Unesco heritage status.
He believes French cooking has such outstanding universal value that it deserves official recognition and protection.
Previously successful candidates in this field have included a Belgian carnival and the royal ballet of Cambodia.
But can a coq-au-vin or a tete de veau really claim to merit more than a British steak and kidney pie or an Italian penne a l’arrabiata?
Deep in the Tarn valley, an hour-and-a-half’s drive east of Toulouse, I met food writer and chef Orlando Murrin.
Lured to France by his love of Gallic cuisine, Mr Murrin was inspired to set up a hotel and restaurant here.
He tells me he is fascinated by the way the French talk about food incessantly and the way everyone is so interested in the growing, catching and cooking of it.
Orlando draws his inspiration not from the top chefs of Paris but from the simple cooking of the neighbours.
He introduces me to Monsieur and Madame Bonne, an elderly couple in their eighties who believe firmly in the culinary principle of “le terroir” - sourcing all their food from the local land and region.
Tags: aim, arrabiata, dl, egg cups, fir, food inc, food writer, french cooking, french cuisine, french president nicolas, french president nicolas sarkozy, glass egg, guy savoy, humanity heritage, ins, love, master at work, nicolas sarkozy, orlando murrin, parliament, royal ballet, sous chefs, steak and kidney, steak and kidney pie, tarn valley, top chef, unesco heritage