Haddock Goujons, Rosemary Frites, and the History of the Restaurant
A recipe inspired by
THE FRENCH BRASSERIE
The earliest eating establishment resembling a restaurant was mentioned in an Ancient Egyptian record, dating back to 512 B.C. What was on it’s menu? It appears the single dish served was a plate of cereal, onions, and wild fowl.
Later, throughout Ancient Greece and Rome, people without private kitchens enjoyed the thermopolium, establishments that sold ready-to-eat beverages and food, or, ancient fast food. Thanks to the catastrophic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D., we know that there were 158 active thermopolia in the town of Pompeii, each buried under meters of ash and pumice.
The Romans also had the popina, a wine bar that also offered a sampling of simple foods like olives, bread, cheese, stews, sausage, and porridge. The popinae were known as places for the plebeians of the lower classes of Roman society to socialize.
Early eating establishments recognizable as restaurants in the modern sense emerged in Song dynasty China during the 11th and 12th centuries. In large cities, such as Kaifeng and Hangzhou, food catering establishments catered to merchants who travelled between cities.
The emergence of a restaurant culture in Japan can be traced back to the 16th century, when local tea houses began to evolve. The creator of the kaiseki multi-course meal tradition, Sen no Rikyū, was a tea house owner. His grandsons further developed the tradition by incorporating specialty dishes and cutlery that complemented the aesthetic of the food.
In Europe, inns which offered food and lodgings and taverns where food was served alongside alcoholic beverages were common into the Middle Ages and Renaissance. They typically served common fare of the type normally available to peasants. In Spain, such establishments were called bodegas and served tapas. In England, they typically served foods such as sausage and shepherd's pie. Cookshops were also common in European cities during the Middle Ages. These were establishments which served dishes such as pies, puddings, sauces, fish, and baked meats. Customers could either buy a ready-made meal or bring their own meat to be cooked. As only large private homes had the means for cooking, the inhabitants of European cities were significantly reliant on them.
France has a rich history with the development of inns and eateries, which eventually led to the modern restaurant. In the 13th century, French inns offered a variety of food such as bread, cheese, bacon, roasts, soups, and stews, usually served at a common table. Parisians could also buy take-out food from rôtisseurs who made roasted meat dishes and pastry-cooks who made meat pies and other elaborate dishes. Municipal laws stated that official prices per item had to be posted at the entrance, which is the first official reference to menus.
Taverns and cabarets both served food, but cabarets offered a different dining experience. Unlike taverns, cabarets served food at tables with tablecloths, provided drinks with the meal, and charged by the dish rather than by the pot. Cabarets were known for serving better food than taverns, and some, like the Petit Maure, became famous. While some cabarets had musicians or singing, the majority were simply places for convivial eating until the late 19th century. The first café opened in Paris in 1672 at the Saint-Germain fair. By 1723, there were almost 400 cafés in Paris, but their menu was limited to simpler dishes or confectionaries such as coffee, tea, chocolate, ice creams, pastries, and liqueurs.
The first establishments to use the word "restaurant" in Paris were those that served bouillon, a broth made of meat and egg that was believed to restore health and energy. The first restaurant of this kind opened in 1765 or 1766 by Mathurin Roze de Chantoiseau on Rue des Poulies, now part of Rue de Louvre. The owner's name is sometimes given as Boulanger. Unlike earlier eating places, this restaurant was elegantly decorated and, in addition to meat broth, offered a menu of other "restorative" dishes, including macaroni. Chantoiseau and other chefs took the title "traiteurs-restaurateurs." While it wasn't the first establishment where one could order food or even soups, it is considered to be the first to offer a menu of available choices.
In June 1786, the Provost of Paris issued a decree giving the new type of eating establishment official recognition, allowing restaurateurs to receive customers and offer meals until 11pm in winter and midnight in summer. As a result, ambitious cooks from noble households began to open more elaborate eating places. The first luxury restaurant in Paris, the La Grande Taverne des Londres, opened at the Palais-Royal at the beginning of 1786 by Antoine Beauvilliers, a former chef of the Count of Provence. It featured mahogany tables, linen tablecloths, chandeliers, well-dressed and trained waiters, a long wine list, and an extensive menu of elaborately prepared and presented dishes. Dishes on its menu included partridge with cabbage, veal chops grilled in buttered paper, and duck with turnips. This is considered to be the "first real restaurant." According to Brillat-Savarin, the restaurant was "the first to combine the four essentials of an elegant room, smart waiters, a choice cellar, and superior cooking."
After the French Revolution, the number of restaurants greatly increased. Many cooks from aristocratic households, who were left unemployed due to the mass emigration of nobles, went on to establish new restaurants. One such restaurant, started in 1791 by Méot, the former chef of the Duke of Orleans, offered a wine list with twenty-two choices of red wine and twenty-seven of white wine. By the end of the century, there were a collection of luxury restaurants at the Grand-Palais such as Huré, the Couvert espagnol; Février; the Grotte flamande; Véry, Masse and the Café de Chartres, which is still open today and is known as Le Grand Vefour.
Among the types of establishments that evolved from the original restaurant was France’s brasserie, a relaxed restaurant serving comforting dishes like crispy fried fish goujons and heaping plates of frites.
Haddock Goujons and Rosemary Frites
INGREDIENTS
2 haddock fillets
1 cup of flour
2 cups of panko bread crumbs
2 large eggs, whisked
2 medium-large russet potatoes
1 tablespoon rosemary, minced
Salt, pepper, and olive oil
DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 170 degrees.
Place the flour, panko bread crumbs, and the whisked eggs each into separate bowls.
Season the haddock fillets with salt and pepper and then cut each into six pieces. Dredge each piece in flour, egg, and then the bread crumbs. Set aside on a plate.
Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large pan. Add enough that the oil reaches a height of 1/4-inch in the pan. When hot, add the goujons and fry until golden, about 3-4 minutes on each side.
While the goujons are frying, scrub the potatoes and cut into 1/2-inch thick sticks.
Remove the goujons from the pan, place on a baking sheet, and keep warm in the oven until the frites are done.
Add the potatoes to the pan and pan-fry until crispy, turning as necessary, for about 10 - 12 minutes.
Transfer the frites to a bowl and toss with salt, pepper, and the rosemary.
Remove the gouchons from the oven and plate them alongisde the frites.
Serves 2
