who is said to have been the founder of classical french cooking
Auguste Escoffier Georges Auguste Escoffier (French: [ʒɔʁʒ ɔɡyst ɛskɔfje]; 28 October 1846 – 12 February 1935) was a French chef, restaurateur and culinary writer who popularized and updated traditional French cooking methods. Much of Escoffier's technique was based on that of Marie-Antoine Carême, one of the codifiers of French haute cuisine, but Escoffier's achievement was to simplify and modernize Carême's elaborate and ornate style. In particular, he codified the recipes for the five mother sauces. Referred to by the French press as roi des cuisiniers et cuisinier des rois ("king of chefs and chef of kings"[1]—though this had also been previously said of Carême), Escoffier was France's preeminent chef in the early part of the 20th century.
Bread in culture During the 18th century, the moral economy of France was based on wheaten bread. By supplying a sufficient amount of bread to the people, the government was able to demonstrate its strong political fitness. Wheaten bread was also thought to be indispensable to one's well-being after French medical chemists had associated gluten with several nourishing elements in plants. As bread had a high gluten content compared to other cereals, it was given a reputation of being the alimentary ideal. Consequently, consumers became extremely concerned with the quality of their wheaten bread, resulting in a meticulous surveillance of wheaten bread production; they did not want their bread to contain filler additives such as bran, rye, barley, and legume flour. At the time, bread was the most sought out food as it was considered to be essential, universal, and highly nutritive. It was typical for the average French citizen to believe that it was impossible to overindulge in bread. For many, bread became the centerpiece of every meal. All other foods such as fruits, vegetables, and meats were thought as subsidiary, or ancillary to nourishment.[11]