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About the profession of a chef (history, art, interesting facts, etc.)
Recently, I have become interested in the topic of “Cook” in my works and I decided to study information about the profession of a cook in more detail.
Here is the information I gleaned from the Internet.
The profession of a cook developed along with civilization, so it can be said to be the oldest profession. The first courses simply looked like half-raw pieces of meat or fish burned over an open fire. People have used fire since at least the Middle Paleolithic, but these were not cooks. The first professionals who made a living from this craft are recorded from the Greek civilization on the island of Crete in 2600 BC. e. For the king's soldiers, food was prepared from selected products by a specially hired culinary master. It is safe to assume that the older cultures of Egypt, Phenicia and Sumer also had professional cooks working for the families of nobles and rulers. Later, concepts such as sanitary standards regulating the work of such specialists appeared.…
The history of human development from ancient times to the present day has known unprecedented ups and downs in the art of cooking. Either they praised food to the skies, considering it one of the best pleasures, or they treated it almost with contempt, believing that even talking about food and dishes was “unworthy of a true gentleman.” Take the ancient Hellenes. In Sparta they treated food with restraint: on campaigns and in war it was necessary to make do with food that was easy to prepare. And very close, in Athens, they were sophisticated in preparing an unheard of holiday dish: a tiny olive was baked inside a dove, a dove in a kid, a kid in a sheep, a sheep in a bull, all this was roasted on a spit, and the most honored guest got that same olive.
Over the course of its history, world cuisine has created tens of thousands of dishes. Cooks were taken into account; the prestige of this or that noble house depended on them. In ancient Rome, there were even uprisings of cooks who subjugated some cities. Under the emperors Augustus and Tiberius (around 400 AD), the first schools of culinary art were organized, headed by the wizard of the cauldron and ladle - the great cook Apicius. The chefs of Ancient Rome achieved unparalleled sophistication in preparing dishes, some of which cost fortunes. From generation to generation, people passed on the experience of cooking. They carefully preserved all traditions associated with food, understanding that food is the basis of life, health and well-being. Even in Ancient Greece, the cult of Axlepius, a mythical physician-healer, who received the name Aesculapius in Rome, arose. His daughter Hygeia was considered the patroness of health science, and their faithful assistant was the cook Kulina. Rumor gave Kulina the name of the tenth muse, of which there were nine before her. Among the Romans, the tenth muse was called Cooking. She became the patroness of cooking, which was called “cooking” (from the Latin culina kitchen). The most ancient written monuments of Babylon, Egypt, China and the Arab East already contain records of individual culinary recipes.
Then, after a long stagnation, at the end of the Middle Ages, thanks to the rapid penetration of spices from the eastern colonies, gourmet cuisine received further development. Italy, especially the south and Sicily, became the cradle of fine cuisine. Under King Louis XIV, France experienced a rise in culinary art, and since then these European countries have been in constant competition in the culinary field. Not only professional cooks, but also many scientists, philosophers, and statesmen participated in the development of the art of cooking. It is known that the inventors of new dishes were Richelieu, Mazarin, Michel Montaigne wrote the book “The Science of Food”. To this day, dishes invented by the composer Rossini are popular in Italian restaurants. France is proud that Alexandre Dumas, his father, the great Balzac, contributed to national cuisine.
Powerful medieval Europe highly valued its chefs. In Germany, since 1291, the chef was one of the four most important figures at court. In France, only noble people became high-ranking chefs. The position of chief winemaker of France was the third most important after the positions of chamberlain and chief equerry. Then came the bread baking manager, the chief cupbearer, the chef, the restaurant managers closest to the court, and only then the marshals and admirals.
As for the kitchen hierarchy, and there was a huge number (up to 800 people) of interdependent workers, the first place was given to the head of meat. A position characterized by honor and trust of the king, for no one was safe from poison. He had six people at his disposal who selected and prepared meat for the royal family every day. Teilevant, the famous cook of King Charles the Sixth, had 150 people under his command.
And in England, for example, at the court of Richard the Second there were 1,000 cooks and 300 footmen who served 10,000 people at the court every day. A dizzying figure, demonstrating that it was not so much about feeding as it was about demonstrating wealth.
Cook in Russia
For a long time, cooking was a purely family affair. As a rule, they were led by the oldest woman in the princely family. Professional cooks first appeared at courts, and then in monastic refectories. Cooking in Rus' became a special specialty only in the 11th century, although mention of professional cooks is found in chronicles already in the 10th century. The Laurentian Chronicle (1074) says that in the Kiev-Pechersk Monastery there was a whole kitchen with a large staff of monastic cooks. Prince Gleb had an “elder cook” named Torchin, the first Russian cook known to us. During the times of Kievan Rus, cooks were in the service of princely courts and rich houses. Some of them even had several cooks. This is evidenced by the description of one of the houses of a rich man of the 12th century, which mentions many “sokachiyas,” that is, cooks, “working and doing in the dark.”
Russian chefs sacredly preserved the traditions of folk cuisine, which served as the basis of their professional skills, as evidenced by the most ancient written monuments “Domostroy” (XVI century), “Painting for the Royal Dishes” (1611-1613), and the table books of Patriarch Filaret and the boyar Boris Ivanovich Morozov, monastic consumable books, etc. They often mention folk dishes such as cabbage soup, fish soup, porridge, pies, pancakes, kulebyaki, pies, jelly, kvass, medki and others.
However, the Russian “cooks” borrowed many secrets from the Tsargrad masters who came to Muscovy, “skillful men, highly experienced not only in painting icons, but also in kitchen art.” Getting to know Greek-Byzantine cuisine turned out to be very useful for our cuisine. The influence on Russian cuisine and our eastern neighbors of India was no less strong. China, Persia. The Russians learned a lot from the famous book by Afanasy Nikitin “Walking across Three Seas” (1466-1472), which contains a description of unfamiliar products in Rus': dates, ginger, coconut, pepper, and cinnamon. And the book by Vasily Gagara (written in 1634-1637) broadened the horizons of our compatriots. They learned about the products that were consumed by residents of the Caucasus and the Middle East.
But our ancestors mastered not only practical cooking techniques. They also thought about the essence of the phenomena occurring. A long time ago they mastered the secrets of preparing yeast dough, which is mentioned in the chronicles: the monks of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra knew how to prepare custard bread that did not go stale for a long time. Already in the 19th century. The Russians knew many rather complex techniques for preparing kvass, honey, and hops. They can be found in famous ancient Russian herbal books, as well as in various “lives”. Thus, wheat kvass, honey kvass, apple kvass, yash kvass, etc. were widely known. Our ancestors were well versed not only in the intricacies of preparing various types of kvass, but also in the mechanism of action of sourdough and yeast, as evidenced by numerous instructions of the ancients.
Cooking as a science arose in Russia only at the end of the 18th century. The development of professional cooking is associated with the emergence of out-of-home catering enterprises. They originated in Ancient Rus'. At first these were taverns (from the Slavic root “fodder”), in which travelers could find shelter and food. Then roadside taverns (from the Latin “trakt”, path, stream) and hotels with a dining room and kitchen appeared. At the same time, along with taverns, restaurants began to appear in large cities of Russia (from the French “restauration”, restoration). In Russia, the first cookbook “Cook Notes” was compiled by S. Drukovtsov in 1779. The first culinary school was opened in St. Petersburg on March 25, 1888 on the initiative of Professor I. E. Andrievsky and culinary specialist D. V. Kanshin.
The first cooking school in Europe appeared in the 19th century in England, then culinary schools began to appear in other countries. In France, it was believed that it was necessary to learn cooking from the age of 6-7, otherwise the cook would not be able to be truly skillful.
Chronology of appearance of some dishes:
Approximately 10 thousand years BC. e. Beer and bread appeared in the human diet (beer was bottled in 1568)
Approximately 6 thousand years before. n. e. The appearance of cottage cheese and cheese.
Approximately 3 thousand years BC. e. People learned to cook soup.
In 1500 BC. e. Started eating chocolate.
The chocolate bar appeared only in 1849, and milk chocolate in 1875.
Around 1000 BC. e. Cucumbers are pickled for the first time.
Around 500 BC. e. The first sausage is ready.
In 490 B.C. n. e. The first pasta is cooked. The first recipe for macaroni and cheese was recorded in 1367. Spaghetti was invented in 1819.
In the 4th century BC. n. e. The first salad recipe that has come down to us (white bean salad) has been recorded.
2nd century AD e. Sushi (a Japanese dish of rice and seafood) was prepared for the first time.
7th century A recipe for the famous Korean sauerkraut, kim chi, has been created.
15th century Pancakes were made for the first time.
1487 “Hot dogs” were invented - buns with sausage, which became the national dish of Americans. 1610 Bagels were baked for the first time.
1621 For the first time, a technology for the production of “puffed corn” (popcorn) was created.
1680s. French fried potatoes appeared.
17th century Ketchup 1739 entered the world menu. Crackers.
1756 Mayonnaise sauce was invented.
1798 Lemonade (that is, a carbonated soft drink) appeared.
1845 Jelly was made for the first time.
1871 A recipe for beef Stroganoff (beef Stroganoff) has been written down.
1924 Frozen food. Emergence of the convenience food industry
Some interesting facts from history:
After the Black Death wiped out half of Europe, meat became more accessible. This was facilitated by the release of jobs and the conversion of abandoned fields into pastures. A notorious glutton, the Roman Emperor Heliogabalus used grated pearls as a seasoning and “played jokes” on guests by serving them dishes made of ivory or stuffed with broken glass. When he was finally killed (in the toilet), they tried to push the emperor's body into the sewer, but it did not fit there. Tea appeared in Europe only at the end of the 16th century, coffee at the beginning of the 17th. At the same time, bananas began to be imported to the north of Europe. Charles Darwin had not only a scientific, but also a gastronomic interest in animals. At Cambridge, he was chairman of the Glutton Club, where weekly tastings of unusual dishes were held (once students even ate an old eagle owl). While traveling on the Beagle, Darwin ate a variety of exotic animals, from parrots to armadillos.
Types of profession
The chef prepares requests for the necessary food products, semi-finished products and raw materials, ensures their timely receipt from the warehouse, controls the timing, range, quantity and quality of their receipt and sale. Based on a study of consumer demand, provides a variety of dishes and culinary products and compiles a menu. Carries out constant control over food preparation technology, standards for laying raw materials and employees’ compliance with sanitary requirements and personal hygiene rules. Arranges cooks and other production workers. Creates a schedule for cooks to work. Conducts quality control of prepared food. Organizes accounting, preparation and timely submission of reports on production activities, implementation of advanced techniques and labor methods.
The pastry chef specializes in confectionery products.
The cook-technologist organizes the process of preparing food. Determines the quality of raw materials, calculates their quantity to obtain portions of finished products, calorie content of the daily diet, draws up menus and price lists. Distributes responsibilities within the cooking team. Controls the process of preparing culinary products, develops recipes for new signature dishes and draws up technological maps for them. Prepares necessary documentation and instructs cooks. Maintains complete records of material assets, equipment, raw materials, and finished products.
The cook must have the following qualities:
Developed visual olfactory perception good taste creative imagination physical endurance good visual and figurative memory long-term verbal logical memory.
Patience, observation and kindness.
Synonyms for "cook":
Culinary – a person skilled in cooking, a cook. Cook, cook - in everyday life, a woman who prepares food. Cook - one who works in the kitchen, prepares food, cook (an outdated word). Cook - a cook in a military unit or in a workers' artel (special). Cook - marine, ship, ship, sailor's cook. An officer is called a cook. Kukhmister (from German chenmeister) is a qualified cook or owner of a small restaurant, canteen (obsolete).
Chefs in art:
Snyders France (1579-1657) wrote a lot of paintings about cooking and cooks, apparently he loved to eat
Aertsen Pieter (1508–1575)
Chardin Jean-Baptiste Simeon (Chardin, 1699-1779)
• “We Came to a Chef Competition” (film, USSR, 1977) • “A Cook, a Thief, His Wife and Her Lover” (film, Great Britain-France, 1989) • “A Thousand and One Recipes for a Cook in Love” (x /f, Georgia-France, 1996) • “American Kitchen” (film, France-USA, 1998) • “Cook-Thief” (film, Germany-Austria, 2004, directed by Pepe Dankart) • “Cook (film)" (film, USA, 2008, directed by Gregg Simon) • "Berlin Roast Hare" • "Ratatouille (cartoon)" - American full-length animated film, comedy directed by Brad Bird. • “Taste of Life (film)” - romantic 2007. • “Kitchen (TV series)” - a 2012 comedy. • “Chef” (film France-Spain) 2012 starring Jean Reno
Parable about the profession of a cook “Why the student returned”
Philosophers once gathered and argued about which profession was more important. One said: “The teacher is the most needed.” Without education, progress will stop. “Without builders, a person will have nowhere to hide, and humanity will lose beautiful buildings,” said the second philosopher. – Musicians, artists and poets make our lives special. Art distinguishes man from animals, exclaimed the third philosopher. Here the student and at the same time the servant of the owner of the house intervened in the conversation. – Dear scientists, you have forgotten about the profession of a cook. – You are not supposed to interfere in our conversation. Cooking is not an art. “Go cook dinner,” the owner got angry. The student silently left the room. On this day, the philosophers did not wait for lunch; the student disappeared. The owner had to prepare dinner himself. Unfortunately, after eating the philosophers felt ill and went home. The owner found another servant. Time passed, and the philosopher, the owner of the house, noticed that his friends stopped visiting him, and he himself was unable to think after eating. The philosopher thought, and then fired the new cook and sent a note to the former student with one phrase: “Cooking is not a craft, but an art.” Soon, pundits began to gather again in the philosopher’s house. The discussion was interrupted only by a delicious lunch prepared by the student. “Cooking is not a craft, but an art,” the owner said after dinner.
ODE TO CHEFS
The earth is also generous because there are cooks in the world!... Blessed are their simple destinies, And their hands are as if their thoughts are pure. Their profession is essentially good: An angry person will not stand at the stove. I know that it is older than any bible. Steep blocks of cookbooks... An inviting smell - tart and plentiful - Arose on the street, like music... Dishes puffing in the oven - touch-me-nots. And the naval borscht is agitated in the darkness. And the pancake blossoms in the frying pan. And the beshbarmak bubbles deliciously. Green pepper begins to communicate with meat in silver smoke. Science combines with shamanism and triumphs in spite of everything! It's happening! Now the marches would burst out... And the cook - a snow-white mountain - stands among the large pots like a marshal and says decisively: “It’s time!...” He told you everything. He does not expect a reward, There is a questioning chill in his gaze... And a strange reflection of the theater footlights Suddenly fills the kitchen to the basics. Let the chroniclers repeat about eternity, Let the tragedian sing about the dust of eras. And I - About prose. About food. About food. After all, if God exists somewhere, I see Him at the great slab, Steamed, with a ladle in his hand. With a mysterious, kind smile. And - of course - In a white cap.
R. Rozhdestvensky
The highest paid chefs in the world according to Forbes magazine for 2011-2012.
- The first position in the ranking is occupied by Gordon Ramsay.
This is a famous British chef who earned $38 million. He is the owner of restaurants in various parts of the world: London, Dubai, New York, etc. He takes part in culinary television shows “Ramsay's Kitchen” in England and “Hell's Kitchen” in the states.
- Second place goes to American Rachel Ray.
Rachel, a well-known presenter on the Food Network TV channel, is passionate about studying national cuisines around the globe. Earned $25 million. But in addition to her culinary hobbies, Rachel also writes books, publishes a magazine and appears in commercials.
3. The third position is dedicated to the Australian chef Wolfgang Puck.
He started working in Los Angeles in 1982, in a nice restaurant called Spago. Wolfgang earns about $20 million annually from his calling. Now the famous chef owns such culinary brands as Chinois, Source and Cut.
4. Fourth place in the ranking went to cuisine specialist with a South American accent, Paula Din from the USA.
Paula earned $17 million from television (Food Network), cookbooks, courses and workshops.
5. Fifth place in the hands, or rather in the Italian kitchen, of Mario Batali.
Earned $13 million from owning a chain of Italian restaurants in the United States.
6. French chef Alain Ducasse earned $12 million.
Alain is the recipient of the Legion of Honor, the highest award in France. This is the most famous restaurateur, managing over 50 restaurants around the world.
7. American Todd English and his $11 million. in seventh place
One of the most popular chefs in the United States of America, a talented restaurateur, entrepreneur and TV star is a real celebrity.
8. World sushi specialist Nobu Matsuhisa is in fourth place.
During his career as a chef, the Japanese culinary specialist has changed restaurants in Alaska, Argentina, Tokyo and Peru. He earns $10 million and owns 17 Nobu restaurants around the world, serving sushi, of course.
- The famous American chef and TV cooking show host Bobby Flay is ranked ninth in the ranking of the most famous chefs in the world.
Bob's earnings are 9 million in US dollar equivalent. Owner of a restaurant chain and teacher at a French culinary institute.
10. And on the last line is Guy Fieri, USA - $8 million
Advice from the best chefs for every day
Getting your boss to reveal his professional secrets to you is very difficult. However, Food Network's cooking editors have dug their brains out from some of America's top chefs to come up with a list of 100 daily cooking tips. How should you approach the kitchen and ingredients so that everything works out like a real pro?
Chef Rick Tramonto: “Store spices in a cool, dark place, not on a shelf above the stove. Air humidity, light and heat will cause herbs and spices to lose their flavor."
Chef Marcus Samuelson: "If you're cooking for a special occasion—whether it's a dinner for your boss or a special occasion dinner—never rely on a new recipe or a new ingredient."
Chef Gerard Kraft: “After handling garlic, rub your hands vigorously over your kitchen sink for 30 seconds. Then wash your hands. This will remove the garlic smell.”
Chef Guy Fieri: “Pickle, my children, pickle! To ensure your bird is super flavorful, always soak it in brine.”
Chef John Chang: “When you finely chop the herbs, throw a little salt on the cutting board. It will keep the greens from slipping.”
Chef Norman Van Aiken: “When baking cookies, make sure the dough is well chilled before placing it on the baking sheet. This will even out the textural differences between all the ingredients in the dough.”
Chefs are robots
In our age of high technology, robot chefs have appeared. Below are some of them:
An unusual chef started working in one of the restaurants in the Japanese city of Nagoya. This is a Fua-Men robot that can perform both minor kitchen tasks, such as washing dishes or cutting and chopping food, and play the role of a chef, preparing main dishes and snacks with drinks for them. The speed of Fua-Men is such that an unusual chef can prepare up to 80 set meals per day.
Motoman SDA10 robot , created by Toyo Riki from Osaka, can fry the national Japanese flatbread okonomiyaki in such a way that homosapien cooks risk soon being left without work. Like a person, the Motoman SDA10 robot uses a pair of hands when preparing okonomiyaki - only mechanical ones.
Motoman SDA10 fries the tortillas on both sides, turning them over using the same spatulas, and then places them on a plate, asking the customer what sauce and seasonings he prefers. There is no word on how edible the result is.
Engineers from the Japanese company Suzumo Machinery presented their new Shari robot, which is engaged in cooking, and does it extremely quickly. During an hour-long demonstration, he prepared 3.6 thousand classic rolls - which means that his productivity is 1 roll per second.
And finally, about the main thing: on October 20, culinary specialists around the world celebrate their professional holiday - Chef's Day, which was established by the Congress of the World Association of Culinary Societies in 2004.
