The profession of a cook is considered one of the most ancient. It was as professionals that chefs appeared in Greece on the island of Crete in 2600 BC. e. Then a special master of the culinary craft prepared food for the soldiers and received money for this. Surely in ancient Egypt, Phenicia, Sumeria there were also professionals in this business who prepared food for their rulers and representatives of the nobility.
The culture of cooking in different countries has been honored in different ways. Somewhere it was believed that everyone should be able to cook the most simple food for themselves, and somewhere at the same time, the first works of art were created from the most common products and various cooking techniques were learned.
The culinary profession was very honorable, and wealthy homes could boast of the skill of their personal chef. Under the emperors Augustus and Tiberius (about 400 AD), the first schools of cookery were organized, led by the great cook Apicius.
Cooking skills were passed down from generation to generation, new dishes cost a lot of money, food was considered a symbol of health and well-being. In ancient Greece, the cult of Axlepius, a mythical doctor-healer, arises. His daughter Hygea was considered the patroness of health science. They had an assistant – the cook Kulina. It was she who became the tenth muse of Greece and Rome and received the name cookery (from the Latin culina cuisine). The oldest treatises in Babylon, Egypt, China and the East contain records of culinary recipes.
At the end of the Middle Ages, a huge number of oriental spices appeared, thanks to which the cuisine was further developed. Italy comes out on top, especially its southern part and Sicily. France did not lag behind her.
Not only chefs, but famous scientists, philosophers, statesmen took part in the development of the culinary business. Richelieu, Mazarin, Michel Montaigne contributed to the history of the development of cooking.
In Germany, the chef was one of four important figures at the court, while in France only noble people could become chefs. After the honorary position of the chief winemaker of France, followed the manager of bread baking, chief butler, chef, restaurant managers, and only then did the marshals and admirals.
Due to the high risk of poisoning the rulers with poison, only people with a good reputation were allowed into the kitchen. Sometimes up to 800 people cooked food, and in England at the court of Richard II there were 1000 chefs who served 10 people daily.
Interesting facts about chefs
– The white chef’s hat at work began to be worn in the 18th century at the request of King George II of England. This headdress protected the dishes from getting hair from the head of the cooks. Today, the requirement for wearing it is enshrined in the sanitary standards of many countries of the world.
– In ancient Rome, there were whole revolts of cooks, which demanded subordination and control over entire cities.
– The first ever Olympic champion in 776 BC e. became a certain cook from Elis named Koreb.
-The richest chef of our time, according to Forbes magazine, is British Gordon Ramsay. His fortune is estimated at $ 38 million. Ramzi is the owner of a chain of first-class restaurants, showman, author of books and TV shows.
– In England there is a restaurant called The Clink, where about 30 prisoners work as cooks. The institution serves up to 96 people a day.
– For many centuries, the French and Italians have been arguing about which of them cooks better. Gourmets believe that some of them are the best desserts in the world, while others masterfully work with fish and seafood.
– Increasingly, in cooking, they resort to the help of robotic chefs. One of them, named Fua-Men, works in a restaurant in the Japanese city of Nagoya. He not only washes dishes and chops vegetables, but also prepares main courses.
– It is believed that the best chefs are men. They delve deeper into all processes and subtleties, are more balanced. Another fact in favor of men is that the temperature of their hands is 2 degrees lower than that of women. For this reason in Japan, women cannot prepare sushi and desserts.
– On October 20, culinary experts from all over the world celebrate their professional holiday – the Day of the Cook, which was established by the Congress of the World Association of Culinary Communities in 2004.