Reay Tannahill who recently died (November 2007) first published this book back in the 70’s. Since then food has undergone a revolution of sorts in that what was available in a standard supermarket then is vastly inferior to what is available today. People have gained a new found (or at least reinvigorated) love of food. This can be witnessed through the proliferation of ingredients that used to be labeled as somewhat exotic and that today are listed as commonplace. Especially in this great country, Canada, because of the wealth of immigrants that we have to this country. Who, unlike other travelers, to other countries, have to abandon much of what they were in order to assimilate. Here we decided that our tapestry is enriched by the incorporation of multiple cultures into our own and vice versa. I for one am thrilled that food has been one of the many areas that has been enriched by this factor.
Tannahill looks at the history of food from as far back as 10,000 BC. At that time the lifespan for the average human was less than forty years. This is largely due to factors such as climate, lack of appropriate nutrition, shelter and clothing. As humanity made advances in each of these areas there was an advance in our lifespan as well as our appetite.
One of the interesting points that she makes early on is that many of the “advances” we have made with regard to food and food science are in fact based on ancient principles that lacked the scientific and technological advances that we have today. She points out that the first deliberate use of fire is somewhere between 1,400,000 and 500,000 years ago depending on which theory of human evolution you ascribe to (meaning the African centered development or the Asian). With the purposeful use of fire humanity began to use that tool to cook meat that previously was eaten raw (and in my estimation may have directly led to such a low lifespan).
The importance of agriculture can not be understated. It is by far the single greatest thing that humanity has accomplished in terms of survival. By eliminating the need to forage and thus move from place to place humanity laid down the basic roots to civilization. Permanent settlements seem to have developed in order to collect harvests that used to be moved to caves, etc. That distance could have been as far as fifty miles or more. Agriculture seems to have taken hold over a 2000 year period somewhere between 9000 to 7000 BC. This shift is clearly delineated by a move from gathering to cultivating.
Perhaps through trial and error and incredible powers of observation humanity learned that by cultivating a harvest too well the next years harvest would not be as great. As such we started to leave portions of the harvest for two reasons, one to produce a better crop and two for regeneration of the crop.
With the advent of agriculture it became necessary for humanity to domesticate animals. The reason for this is simple; animals would travel around from place to place wrecking havoc on crops. This mandated a response from early settlers which was limited to three possibilities. The first was to defend the fields in a non lethal way. Force the animals to go somewhere else. The second option was to mount a battle against the animals which would lead to mass slaughter and the waste of a valuable food source and the third (ultimately the best and winning option) was animal domestication. The first animals domesticated were sheep and goats.
These two animals are clearly important to the early survival of humanity. They played multiple roles in our development. First as a food source they both were brilliant. Their importance is further understood by the use of lambs as a burnt offering to the gods first and then as society advanced the one true God, whether Christian or Jewish (and eventually Muslim). The second reason for their importance is that these animals are natural foragers. The goat was an exceptional tool for clearing fields once deliberate farming had begun. Sheep moreover were capable of clearing more than a hundred times their weight of green space in a single week. It took approximately another two thousand years for humanity to domesticate the pig predominantly because they were never a threat to crop harvests. Pigs like the same food as humans and so until such a time that there was a food surplus pig farming did not develop. Cows became domesticated somewhere between 6100 and 5800 BC.
Where did cooking develop first? Why did it develop? Is it possible to mark the delineation by saying that from fire and cultivation came settlement? What we do know is that somewhere around 5000 BC was the first evidence of “pit cooking” of meat. What we do know for certain is that the shift from pottery as the main cooking tool to metal also greatly advanced humanities cooking procedures and indeed the very flavour of foods.
From settlement it is somewhat easier to mark the dawn of civilization. Civilization, once settlement began to my mind became a fore gone conclusion. With permanent settlements there was a spread of knowledge through migrating tribes which would visit and then bring that knowledge elsewhere. That pattern continued and continues unabated today. With rapid advances of food surplus so too came population explosion. The correlation between the two is massive and had there not been the ability to produce surplus perhaps we would not know the world we know today.
With cultivation of these new agricultural centers came new foods that people would eat. A lot of these foods came out of weeds or off shoots of the predominant plant. For example from wheat came rye and from maize and beans came the tomato. This type of cross breading also resulted in a much larger food supply which again correlates to the furthering population explosion. By 7000 BC wheat and barley were being intentionally cultivated over vast swaths of land. By 6000 BC peas and lentils. By 5000 BC Persian Gulf farmers (think Mesopotamia and modern day Iran) had figured out irrigation to a distance as far as 3 miles. This is an incredible achievement which resulted in the further development of permanent settlement along flat lands near fresh water. By 4000 – 3000 BC olives, figs, dates, grapes and pomegranates.
A note on fresh water. As we all know fresh water is the life blood of humanity. Without it we would cease to exist the way we do today. As the Persians figured out irrigation this led to the need for an administration of some sort for the canals and ditches dug to irrigate the land. This administration led directly to administration of towns and eventually to cities. Once cities began to pop up in earnest this is the true mark for me of the dawn of civilization. People were now more free to concentrate on other things that food and water. Arts, Philosophy, Medicine, etc. all began to rise up in the great civilizations and gave rise to what we know today. It took less than 7000 years for humanity to go from massively independent survivalists to interdependent members of civilization.
The dawn of civilization gave rise to new issues. One such issue has still not been resolved today. Before this paradigm shift men and women were essentially equal partners in life. The means for survival were equally dependant on the man and the woman. The woman was responsible largely for the gathering (for specific evolutionary reasons) while the man was responsible largely for hunting. As civilization developed this equality was quashed. The woman became the “home” keeper. While men tended to the flock which gave them time to think, to dream, to develop. This dawn of civilization saw massive population explosion that went from 3,000,000 at the true dawn to 100,000,000 in a 7000 year period. That is remarkable growth that ONLY could have happened with the domestication of animals and purposeful farming of crops. We had become so efficient in our farming techniques that early Egyptian farmers (peasant farmers) were capable of producing enough food for their family in a multiple of three times or more. Hence the development of trade. To put this into perspective even more crop yields in the 1950’s in Egypt were roughly equivalent to crop yields in 1000 BC. That is a truly remarkable fact.
The next post is going to deal with beer and its importance on humanity.
W.R. Whitney once said; “In the advance of civilization, it is new knowledge which paves the way, and the pavement is eternal.”
Dream big and inspired!
A la prochaine
SDM
Showing posts with label Food in History. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Food in History. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Food in History by Reay Tannahill (file under books one must read if serious about food)
Reay Tannahill has an interesting approach to the subject of food as it relates to history. She goes back to the beginning of time and examines the relationship between food and people.
Some of the interesting points that she caused me (a true student of history) to examine include;
The genetic difference between men and women that made men better hunters while women were better gatherers. It appears that men have a natural ability to judge distance and to accurately throw something at a target where as women have a keener sense of hearing and can see better in the dark. She posits that there is a genetic difference that caused this development.
She points to evidence that seems to suggest that Neanderthal humans knew that animal protein tasted better when the kill was not anticipated by the animal. This is something we know to be absolutely true today as if an animal senses its impending demise it releases a furious mix of chemicals that affect the meat.
Tannahill also points out that everything we know about survival today is in fact based on ancient knowledge that has always been with us. In fact she claims that it goes back to our earliest development and further that the science of the 19th and 20th centuries has helped identify some of these ancient principles. Moreover that these principles were frustrated only by a lack of the technology that enabled them (much as was the case with Leonardo Da Vinci with Helicopters and Submarines).
She points out that the bow and arrow was just as important to the development of mankind as gunpowder was and gives the most understandable reason for it. Prior to the bow and arrow mankind hunted with spears or harpoons. Each of these weapons took time to make and required a sure shot lest the weapon be lost. However with the advent of the bow and arrow, hunters were free to carry more weapons (multiple arrows) and the construction of the arrow was not as time consuming and thus allowed the hunter to take shots that in the past he may not have taken.
Tannahill shows the two theories of the development of fire (Africa circa 1,400,000 BC or Asia circa 500,000 BC). Prior to the intentional use of fire all protein was eaten raw and could have negative effects on the human body. But once fire developed and could be used as a tool by mankind it was not long before shells and the like were being used as pots as were the stomach of kills used as a vessel with which to cook. Cooking increases the release of protein and carbohydrates and helps to break down fibre. Once harnessed the flame enabled mankind to grow stronger, faster and live longer due to the increase in health benefit of no longer eating meat raw.
One of the things that I started to ask myself related to the advent of culture. Once there was a shift away from the single-family unit to a more community based system. How did this shift affect culture? Can the rise of humanity living the way it does now be traced back to fire and the many uses it has?
We take most of the things that we do each day for granted but imagine for a moment that one day you had to eat a fish raw (and not like sushi either) but then the next day could cook it. What affect would that have on you as a person? What affect would it have on your family? How would it affect your mobility? And your desire to move?
Each of the things that I’ve just spoken about took place between (according to scientific theories currently explored) 1,400,000 and 10,000 BC. That is very important as we have a very skewed understanding of not only humanity but of cultural development. As I’m sure she is going to point out what happened with the shift to communal culture? What was the affect on our food consumption? What was the major diet shift? What does it mean today as we look back to then?
I’m thinking specifically of the great ancient empires. What of Egypt? How did that culture come into being the most powerful? I’m positive that food and the access to it in abundance had something to do with it. The Bible even gives us some understanding with regard to food production and consumption in the post Egyptian era. But what does it all mean in terms of food development? What was the affect on our taste buds? On our health? On our internal organs? On our BRAINS?
These are just some of the things going through my mind right now as I read this book.
Epicurus once said; “Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.” Food for thought.
Dream inspired. Be wild; fill your soul with intention and delight. Be you and soar.
A la Prochaine
SDM
Some of the interesting points that she caused me (a true student of history) to examine include;
The genetic difference between men and women that made men better hunters while women were better gatherers. It appears that men have a natural ability to judge distance and to accurately throw something at a target where as women have a keener sense of hearing and can see better in the dark. She posits that there is a genetic difference that caused this development.
She points to evidence that seems to suggest that Neanderthal humans knew that animal protein tasted better when the kill was not anticipated by the animal. This is something we know to be absolutely true today as if an animal senses its impending demise it releases a furious mix of chemicals that affect the meat.
Tannahill also points out that everything we know about survival today is in fact based on ancient knowledge that has always been with us. In fact she claims that it goes back to our earliest development and further that the science of the 19th and 20th centuries has helped identify some of these ancient principles. Moreover that these principles were frustrated only by a lack of the technology that enabled them (much as was the case with Leonardo Da Vinci with Helicopters and Submarines).
She points out that the bow and arrow was just as important to the development of mankind as gunpowder was and gives the most understandable reason for it. Prior to the bow and arrow mankind hunted with spears or harpoons. Each of these weapons took time to make and required a sure shot lest the weapon be lost. However with the advent of the bow and arrow, hunters were free to carry more weapons (multiple arrows) and the construction of the arrow was not as time consuming and thus allowed the hunter to take shots that in the past he may not have taken.
Tannahill shows the two theories of the development of fire (Africa circa 1,400,000 BC or Asia circa 500,000 BC). Prior to the intentional use of fire all protein was eaten raw and could have negative effects on the human body. But once fire developed and could be used as a tool by mankind it was not long before shells and the like were being used as pots as were the stomach of kills used as a vessel with which to cook. Cooking increases the release of protein and carbohydrates and helps to break down fibre. Once harnessed the flame enabled mankind to grow stronger, faster and live longer due to the increase in health benefit of no longer eating meat raw.
One of the things that I started to ask myself related to the advent of culture. Once there was a shift away from the single-family unit to a more community based system. How did this shift affect culture? Can the rise of humanity living the way it does now be traced back to fire and the many uses it has?
We take most of the things that we do each day for granted but imagine for a moment that one day you had to eat a fish raw (and not like sushi either) but then the next day could cook it. What affect would that have on you as a person? What affect would it have on your family? How would it affect your mobility? And your desire to move?
Each of the things that I’ve just spoken about took place between (according to scientific theories currently explored) 1,400,000 and 10,000 BC. That is very important as we have a very skewed understanding of not only humanity but of cultural development. As I’m sure she is going to point out what happened with the shift to communal culture? What was the affect on our food consumption? What was the major diet shift? What does it mean today as we look back to then?
I’m thinking specifically of the great ancient empires. What of Egypt? How did that culture come into being the most powerful? I’m positive that food and the access to it in abundance had something to do with it. The Bible even gives us some understanding with regard to food production and consumption in the post Egyptian era. But what does it all mean in terms of food development? What was the affect on our taste buds? On our health? On our internal organs? On our BRAINS?
These are just some of the things going through my mind right now as I read this book.
Epicurus once said; “Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.” Food for thought.
Dream inspired. Be wild; fill your soul with intention and delight. Be you and soar.
A la Prochaine
SDM
Destined for Greatness (file under One Step at a Time)
So I’ve now been at my dream for the past three months and I have learned so much. As you’ve seen and experienced with me I have completely immersed myself in something that is so incredible at times I need to give my head a shake. As always, without love, my beautiful and talented C, I would not have had the strength, courage or ability to go after my dream. You are a true companion, partner, confidant and best friend. Thank you for everything my love. You are the penultimate of all that is right, just, beautiful and wise in this world.
I have stated in an earlier post that it was my fervent desire (read goal) to make it to the line by May of this year. I want to be Garde Manger so bad I can taste it (pardon the pun). Yesterday, after seeing the new menu specs and going through them with the team it seemed obvious to me that this was an unrealistic goal. Unrealistic in that Executive Chef and Head Chef have taken a huge chance on me. They are imbuing in me a classical culinary education while at the same time paying me to work. When we first sat down at that fateful meeting they laid out to me what the next couple of years would look like. Excitedly I forgot to take into account a few things in making my goal. That said I now realize that I will not make it to Garde Manger until fall.
Yet in that time I will get some needed experience in our sister restaurants kitchen as well as when the patio opens I will be working those as well. You see, it doesn’t matter sometimes how badly you want something. What matters is that you allow time and experience to develop you into what you want to become. Hard work, patience, practice, all of these things are the cornerstone of anyone who is serious about what they are doing.
At first, when I came to this realization I was a little upset. Not with them and not with myself. More that I had not accurately been able to analyze my growth and myself. Which is not to say that my growth has not been great because it has. Executive Chef pointed out to me that my advancement in my short time there has been great and widely noticed. Moreover, he made it quite clear that in the arrangement we have (my words not his) that he does not want to do anything that would stifle my love, my passion or my ability to be a great Chef. It does not serve him nor Reservation if I get to the line prematurely and can’t handle the heat (thus getting out of the kitchen). He assured me that I would get to the line and that it would be when it was not a time that could crush me. He said that in the fall I would get closer to the line and be able to start my formal line training.
Thus, that means that I need to double and redouble my efforts. I need to continue working on my prep skills, knife skills and all around knowledge. I am taking this opportunity to look within myself and set goals that are workable for me. The end goal is to own my own restaurant by the time I am forty. No small feat I assure you. It is also a stated goal for me to make Saucier within two years. The next natural stage in development at that point is to become Chef De Cuisine or Chef De Partie.
I also spoke with Head Chef about my realization. He calmed my fears which he could see written on my face and let me know that I was doing everything well. That my development was plain to see and that my enthusiasm is infectious. I ask you, how do you feel, is my enthusiasm infectious. I believe it is. He also said that consistency was something that I need to strive towards, with my stock, my cuts, etc. Consistency is the mark of a true professional.
I’ve grown a lot as a man in the past three months. I’ve learned about myself and my position within the world. Where I was once confused and scared I am now certain and laser focused. Of course, life is filled with ups and downs but now my life seems to be filled with far more ups. I get excited, like a child on Christmas morning, each time I get a new knife, each time I learn a new skill, each time I gain some knowledge and insight into the kitchen, an ingredient, a mentor, the past and the future and in fact am giddy like a school child on the first day of school every time I walk into the kitchen.
I have already started working on what my restaurant will be. I am creating pictures in my mind of what it looks like. What the menu is like. What is on it. What the staff will wear. Signage! All of it. I find that looking into my dream with this amount of detail helps to keep me grounded and motivated. On a daily basis I explore my dream and my very apparent happiness and find that the answer to all my problems was to first find myself and then to apply the same attitude I have in helping others to help myself. As a result of this I smile genuinely all day. I laugh. I sing. I chop, cut, dice and just all around feel certain of what my future will bring.
I am excited for the summer. For what it will throw at me. To be sure there will be some curve balls but for the most part I am excited to see what the full out production is at a venue as big as ours. It will give me insight into the next few years and indeed my own life as a restaurateur.
So that’s where we stand. Me, a student and liver of life. Constantly striving for the stars because that’s where I belong. And I don’t say that with even the slightest amount of arrogance and I hope that you all see that. I decided to go this way to be the best and I will not settle until I am. My dream (and my love C) are what keep me grounded in reality, in life and in my dream itself.
C gets back on Friday and I am playing Iron Chef C. The secret ingredient is Tuna and man am I going to prepare a feast for her on her triumphant return from NYC. I can hardly wait to show her the new skills that I’ve developed and give her the most amazing sense of the love I have for her and the life I now forge on a daily basis. With a good attitude and a smile. Attitude is the key ladies and gentlemen. That and asking the universe the questions that you have to in order to determine for yourself who you are and what you want.
That said, I will be back as I’ve promised with a little bit of knowledge pulled from Food in History by Reay Tannahill.
I think this is rather on point to what I’m speaking about. John D. Rockefeller once said; “I do not think there is any other quality so essential to success of any kind as the quality of perseverance. It overcomes almost everything, even nature.” And as Frank Lloyd Wright says; “I know the price of success: dedication, hard work and an unremitting devotion to the things you want to see happen.”
So I continue on, smiling, shining, developing, learning, showing, explaining and practicing because I know where I belong and it is quite rightly and beautifully with my darling C and the kitchen. Soon to be my own kitchen (soon in the scheme of things anyway).
What about you? What is that place for you? Are you dreaming inspired? Are you working today toward what you want tomorrow? I am and you should be because that is what sets us free.
A la prochaine
SDM
I have stated in an earlier post that it was my fervent desire (read goal) to make it to the line by May of this year. I want to be Garde Manger so bad I can taste it (pardon the pun). Yesterday, after seeing the new menu specs and going through them with the team it seemed obvious to me that this was an unrealistic goal. Unrealistic in that Executive Chef and Head Chef have taken a huge chance on me. They are imbuing in me a classical culinary education while at the same time paying me to work. When we first sat down at that fateful meeting they laid out to me what the next couple of years would look like. Excitedly I forgot to take into account a few things in making my goal. That said I now realize that I will not make it to Garde Manger until fall.
Yet in that time I will get some needed experience in our sister restaurants kitchen as well as when the patio opens I will be working those as well. You see, it doesn’t matter sometimes how badly you want something. What matters is that you allow time and experience to develop you into what you want to become. Hard work, patience, practice, all of these things are the cornerstone of anyone who is serious about what they are doing.
At first, when I came to this realization I was a little upset. Not with them and not with myself. More that I had not accurately been able to analyze my growth and myself. Which is not to say that my growth has not been great because it has. Executive Chef pointed out to me that my advancement in my short time there has been great and widely noticed. Moreover, he made it quite clear that in the arrangement we have (my words not his) that he does not want to do anything that would stifle my love, my passion or my ability to be a great Chef. It does not serve him nor Reservation if I get to the line prematurely and can’t handle the heat (thus getting out of the kitchen). He assured me that I would get to the line and that it would be when it was not a time that could crush me. He said that in the fall I would get closer to the line and be able to start my formal line training.
Thus, that means that I need to double and redouble my efforts. I need to continue working on my prep skills, knife skills and all around knowledge. I am taking this opportunity to look within myself and set goals that are workable for me. The end goal is to own my own restaurant by the time I am forty. No small feat I assure you. It is also a stated goal for me to make Saucier within two years. The next natural stage in development at that point is to become Chef De Cuisine or Chef De Partie.
I also spoke with Head Chef about my realization. He calmed my fears which he could see written on my face and let me know that I was doing everything well. That my development was plain to see and that my enthusiasm is infectious. I ask you, how do you feel, is my enthusiasm infectious. I believe it is. He also said that consistency was something that I need to strive towards, with my stock, my cuts, etc. Consistency is the mark of a true professional.
I’ve grown a lot as a man in the past three months. I’ve learned about myself and my position within the world. Where I was once confused and scared I am now certain and laser focused. Of course, life is filled with ups and downs but now my life seems to be filled with far more ups. I get excited, like a child on Christmas morning, each time I get a new knife, each time I learn a new skill, each time I gain some knowledge and insight into the kitchen, an ingredient, a mentor, the past and the future and in fact am giddy like a school child on the first day of school every time I walk into the kitchen.
I have already started working on what my restaurant will be. I am creating pictures in my mind of what it looks like. What the menu is like. What is on it. What the staff will wear. Signage! All of it. I find that looking into my dream with this amount of detail helps to keep me grounded and motivated. On a daily basis I explore my dream and my very apparent happiness and find that the answer to all my problems was to first find myself and then to apply the same attitude I have in helping others to help myself. As a result of this I smile genuinely all day. I laugh. I sing. I chop, cut, dice and just all around feel certain of what my future will bring.
I am excited for the summer. For what it will throw at me. To be sure there will be some curve balls but for the most part I am excited to see what the full out production is at a venue as big as ours. It will give me insight into the next few years and indeed my own life as a restaurateur.
So that’s where we stand. Me, a student and liver of life. Constantly striving for the stars because that’s where I belong. And I don’t say that with even the slightest amount of arrogance and I hope that you all see that. I decided to go this way to be the best and I will not settle until I am. My dream (and my love C) are what keep me grounded in reality, in life and in my dream itself.
C gets back on Friday and I am playing Iron Chef C. The secret ingredient is Tuna and man am I going to prepare a feast for her on her triumphant return from NYC. I can hardly wait to show her the new skills that I’ve developed and give her the most amazing sense of the love I have for her and the life I now forge on a daily basis. With a good attitude and a smile. Attitude is the key ladies and gentlemen. That and asking the universe the questions that you have to in order to determine for yourself who you are and what you want.
That said, I will be back as I’ve promised with a little bit of knowledge pulled from Food in History by Reay Tannahill.
I think this is rather on point to what I’m speaking about. John D. Rockefeller once said; “I do not think there is any other quality so essential to success of any kind as the quality of perseverance. It overcomes almost everything, even nature.” And as Frank Lloyd Wright says; “I know the price of success: dedication, hard work and an unremitting devotion to the things you want to see happen.”
So I continue on, smiling, shining, developing, learning, showing, explaining and practicing because I know where I belong and it is quite rightly and beautifully with my darling C and the kitchen. Soon to be my own kitchen (soon in the scheme of things anyway).
What about you? What is that place for you? Are you dreaming inspired? Are you working today toward what you want tomorrow? I am and you should be because that is what sets us free.
A la prochaine
SDM
To Slice and Dice (file under Chop Chop, the right way)
The basic cuts that any chef should know are chopping, mincing, chiffonnade, julienne and batonnet, dicing, paysanne or fermiere, diamond or lozenge, rondelle, bias, oblique and roll cuts.
The aim of all these cuts in consistency as well as uniform size and shape. It takes a lot of practice but you can get there. The following are the size of cuts. Where possible I have included a picture reference. Eventually I will add my own images but these are good for now. Moreover, some of these cuts are a lost art. I plan to ensure that I use some of the more less used cuts, Paysanne, lozenge, etc as a tribute to my culinary heritage and development.
Fine Julienne is a 1/16 Inch x 1/16 Inch with a length of one to two inches (http://www.dkimages.com/discover/previews/767/325011.JPG )
Julienne is 1/8 Inch by 1/8 Inch with a length of one to two inches (http://soniatasteshawaii.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/2007/07/25/bamboo_shoot_preparation_julienne.jpg )
Batonnet is ¼ inch by ¼ Inch with a length of 2 or 2.5 inches
Fine Brunoise is 1/16 by 1/16 by 1/16 inches (http://www.11er.at/Portals/0/Produkte/GV/Serviervorschlag/gv-sv-brunoise.jpg )
Brunoise is 1/8 by 1/8 by 1/8 inches
Small Dice is ¼ by ¼ by ¼ ( http://www.ehow.com/images/ehows/steps/cookrutabegas_2L.jpg )
Medium Dice is ½ by ½ by ½ inches
Large dice is ¾ by ¾ by ¾ inches
Paysanne is ½ by ½ by 1/8 inches (http://www.culinarycultures.com/Images/Other/PaysannePot.jpg )
Lozenge is a diamond shape and is ½ by ½ by 1/8 inches
Rondelle is 1/8 to ½ inches with your desired thickness
Tourne is two inches long with seven faces (looks like a football)
Each of these cuts requires a good eye, great hand eye coordination and lots of practice. I’m getting better with each of them and spend countless hours each week working on them both at work and at home.
I will be back with a post about my week at Reservation and then yet another about Food in History by Reay Tannahill.
As the great first century Roman author Publilus Syrus once said; “Practice is the best of all instructors”
Be Inspired. Dream. Love. Laugh and Love. These are the key to success in life.
A la prochaine
SDM
The aim of all these cuts in consistency as well as uniform size and shape. It takes a lot of practice but you can get there. The following are the size of cuts. Where possible I have included a picture reference. Eventually I will add my own images but these are good for now. Moreover, some of these cuts are a lost art. I plan to ensure that I use some of the more less used cuts, Paysanne, lozenge, etc as a tribute to my culinary heritage and development.
Fine Julienne is a 1/16 Inch x 1/16 Inch with a length of one to two inches (http://www.dkimages.com/discover/previews/767/325011.JPG )
Julienne is 1/8 Inch by 1/8 Inch with a length of one to two inches (http://soniatasteshawaii.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/2007/07/25/bamboo_shoot_preparation_julienne.jpg )
Batonnet is ¼ inch by ¼ Inch with a length of 2 or 2.5 inches
Fine Brunoise is 1/16 by 1/16 by 1/16 inches (http://www.11er.at/Portals/0/Produkte/GV/Serviervorschlag/gv-sv-brunoise.jpg )
Brunoise is 1/8 by 1/8 by 1/8 inches
Small Dice is ¼ by ¼ by ¼ ( http://www.ehow.com/images/ehows/steps/cookrutabegas_2L.jpg )
Medium Dice is ½ by ½ by ½ inches
Large dice is ¾ by ¾ by ¾ inches
Paysanne is ½ by ½ by 1/8 inches (http://www.culinarycultures.com/Images/Other/PaysannePot.jpg )
Lozenge is a diamond shape and is ½ by ½ by 1/8 inches
Rondelle is 1/8 to ½ inches with your desired thickness
Tourne is two inches long with seven faces (looks like a football)
Each of these cuts requires a good eye, great hand eye coordination and lots of practice. I’m getting better with each of them and spend countless hours each week working on them both at work and at home.
I will be back with a post about my week at Reservation and then yet another about Food in History by Reay Tannahill.
As the great first century Roman author Publilus Syrus once said; “Practice is the best of all instructors”
Be Inspired. Dream. Love. Laugh and Love. These are the key to success in life.
A la prochaine
SDM
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