Food is a complex dynamic, "a system of communication, a body of images, a protocol of usages, situations, and behavior" as Roland Barthes effectively stated, which transpires through the design, structure, and narratives of French recipe books. But what constitutes “French” food per se? One may ask how recent cookbooks on so-called “French Cuisine” stage and re-present French culinary practices and foodstuffs. What do these food narratives tell us about French cultural and national identities today, and about France’s colonial legacy? Which ingredients, savoir-faire, and traditions are highlighted in these recipe books, and whose voices do we hear? This presentation seeks to re-evaluate and critique French cuisine through a decolonial exploration of Tessa Kiros’ “From Provence to Pondicherry: Recipes from France and Faraway,” Chef Anto’s "Goût d’Afrique – Recettes et rencontres", and Nathalie Brigaud Ngoum’s "Mon imprécis de cuisine", among others. These food writers, bloggers, and chefs are portraying French cuisine and gastronomy in very different ways, either reinforcing the exoticism of “faraway lands” and establishing a Eurocentric hierarchy of taste, or decentering the narratives on food and culinary traditions in France to embrace a more inclusive, multifaceted mosaic of foodstuffs, culinary practices, and flavors that enrich and modernize French cuisine.

Authors:
Audrey Brunetaux, Colby College, United States

About the Presenter(s)
Professor Audrey Brunetaux is a University Associate Professor/Senior Lecturer at Colby College, United States

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