The Development of Gastronomy Over Time and Its Most Prominent Founders and Pioneers

The kitchen is not just a room in the house, but it is a cornerstone of the house, and it is the place where delicious smells come and from which goodness and food spread throughout the house.

The kitchen has a special charm and an atmosphere full of creativity and art of sumptuous beauty. Hence, the delicious food comes, the fresh delicious meals spread, and the lifestyle elevates. It is from the story of cooking that the secret of life explodes.

What is the importance of gastronomy?

1. It gives additional value to man.
2. Man gains experience.
3. Increases tourism.
4. It elevates peoples to a higher level of human progress.
5. It reflects the culture of the people and the civilization of the nation.
6. It activates the movement of trade.
7. The industry thrives on it.

What are the areas of work in gastronomy?

1. Chef in hotels.
2. Baker in ovens.
3. Falafel seller.
4. Owner of a sweets shop.
5. Restaurant manager.

The evolution of gastronomy over time:

Man has known gastronomy since ancient times, as man's instinctive motives towards eating and their sense of hunger after the completion of the work prompted them to master cooking and serving meals and delicious foods until this great science developed into what we are witnessing now of fine dishes served in restaurants, parties, banquets, holidays, and other occasions.

After many years, the science of cooking has developed and its aspects have branched out and become a science in its own right taught in universities, institutes, and schools. It is no less important than the sciences of physics, chemistry, mathematics, and philosophy, and sometimes the science of cooking may expand to aspects of other sciences. It is also associated with the rituals of a particular people, their religious and social occasions, customs, traditions, and clothing. 

What are the objectives of cooking programs?

1. Enable students to master the art of cooking.
2. Prepare students to be professionals in culinary science.
3. Learn about the most important kitchens that have become famous in the famous Western world, and the most important of which are French cuisine and American cuisine.
4. Conduct collaborative workshops in coordination with students and teachers related to how to prepare healthy dishes and develop students' cooking skills.
5. Conduct a competition in the final stages and several tests, through which students compete who will be the most distinguished and proficient chef.
6. Invest in students' minds, appreciate talented students, and tap into their potential for what they may add to the science of cooking.
7. Clarify a very important idea that cooking is not a purely female profession. There are male cooks who have mastered cooking and tasted food with a higher sense than women can.
8. Illuminating great personalities who have passed through history and etched their name in the art of cooking, and documenting their autobiography, such as Julie Child, who devoted her life to eating and cooking, developed French cuisine, and wrote her books, including "The Art of Mastering French Cooking", which was published in America and topped the list of bestsellers of the time. 

Cooking has evolved historically over time:

In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries AD, the kitchen developed to a great extent. Theories became based on the development of ovens, stoves, and heaters in particular, and this is what we saw in the United States of America in 1825 AD, where the first cooking stove on gas was made, and it was patented to celebrate this great achievement, and a large number of copies  up to 90 thousand copies were sold.

In the past, most ancient mothers cooked on firewood they brought from forests and valleys, and their kitchen did not reach the level of a room, but even, it was several shelves with bowls, some of them are large, while others are small, and a few wooden spoons called khashoka, which is a turkish word that was used in Syria during the Ottoman occupation.

Women at that time lived on simplicity despite the complexities and difficulties of life, as fetching water itself was a problem because water was not available in homes in past centuries. Mothers went to the springs, filled jars or khawabi with water, bathed in the spring. Life was very difficult, and the kitchen was just a stove and firewood burning on top of it a large saucepan boiling and smelling of steam for a family that is at least what we can say is the number of its children is seven because our parents in the old days gave birth a lot, and women were pregnant and giving birth every year. It is true that food was little and difficult to provide, but nature remains dignified and is the second mother, and fruit trees always attract children before adults.

We must not forget that in the nineteenth century there were major changes in the world in every city, country, and spot, and these changes greatly affected our areas of life, including the kitchen, as the access of electricity, water networks, and sewage channels made it easier for the housewife to cook, wash, boil, barbecue and other matters of home cooking. 

The most prominent pioneers of the science of cooking:

1. Jean-Christophe Nouvelli:

Noveli was famous from a young age for his great talent in the art of cooking, and from the age of fourteen, he was famous for the art of fermenting bread and making pastries in ovens and shops, and he became famous in the country and his delicious products and dishes became in demand and desirable.

Nouvelli continued to pursue his passion until he was able to learn all the culinary arts on their origins and became the general head of chefs, and opened four institutions in London in 1983 AD, and he was known in all countries of the world as the most skilled French chef known to date, in addition to founding an academy known as the Nouvelli Academy, one of the most important and famous cooking schools in the world that ensured the teaching of people the arts of cooking.

2. Nusrat Gokshieh:

Known as the most famous chef known in the Turkish areas, he was followed by the title of salt chef throughout his life. This cook suffered from financial destitution and poor economic conditions at the time, which led him to leave school at a young age and have to work in shops, including meat shops at a butcher; as a result, he learned to grill and chop meat.

Gokchet travelled to diverse countries like Argentina and the United States of America, quoting from each country the eating and cooking habits and the way meals and popular cuisines are served, which strengthened his culture and enabled him to excel in cooking and establish a large number of restaurants attributed to him.

What is the best list of films that have excelled in dealing with the science of cooking and the story of the kitchen? 

1. Julie and Julia:

The most important and enjoyable film was Julie and Julia, which was produced in 2009 and dealt with the idea of cooking and conveyed it to viewers with great craftsmanship. The film is based on a true story that took place in France. The main focus of the story is Julie Child, the exceptional great cook who wrote her book and influenced French cuisine. She was an example of a strong lady who is creative in making cake with chocolate, frying fish with butter, and making chicken stuffed with rice.

2. Big Night Movie:

It is one of the most important films that documented the real picture of the kitchen and depicted for us the most important kitchens in the world. This film merged the story of the kitchen with social drama, and it topped the list of the best films of that year.

Directed by the two big and great Campbell Scott and Stanley Tosy in 1996, the film tells the story of two brothers who emigrated from Italy to America in the fifties of the last century, and who have a restaurant on the brink of collapse and complete bankruptcy, and enter into a bet on a long night in exchange for saving the restaurant from lostness and loss.

3. Movie without reservation:

The film was produced in 2007 by the great director Scott Hicks and stars actress Catherine Zeta Jones, who plays a cook in a famously fancy restaurant in New York. She is the owner of the restaurant, guides workers and cooks, and needs more energy to teach them the basics and rules of cooking.

4. The wing or the groin Movie:

Perhaps the most famous comedy film that dealt with the subject of cooking with a humorous satirical comedy sense, but purposeful and includes a deep and noble human message, the film was produced in 1970 by the well-known director Claude Zedi starring the brilliant actor Louis de Funes.

The film tells the story of a restaurant publisher who decides to become a critic in the fields of eating and cooking, but is surprised by the emergence of a company that produces food at wholesale price and not at the retail price, and the latter decides to destroy, hide, and dispose of the company.

5. Ratatouille film:

It is a deep and purposeful cartoon film that deals with the theme of the kitchen, and IT belongs to the animated film series produced by the genius Walt Disney and directed by Brad Burt. The film deals with the story of a rat or a small mouse which makes a deal with the chef in a luxurious and well-known restaurant.

Who are the most important founders of gastronomy? 

1. The most skilled and famous cook known to the world:

The most famous cook the whole world has seen is Gordon James Ramsay, who is a legend in the world of cooking.  He is an extraordinary figure who developed the science of cooking and laid the foundation stone for it, as he was distinguished by extraordinary skills in cooking food that reached the point of genius, and he also served many tasty and delicious meals that millions of people loved and began to apply his beautiful recipes, including grilled beef, dough, and mushroom soup. 

2. The most important English cooks:

Jimmy Oliver is the most important leading name in the world of cooking, in addition to his skills and experience in serving delicious meals, but he excelled in presenting television programs that presented recipes with questions and answers from callers and giving the science of cooking a noble and sublime human and cultural dimension.

In conclusion:

The art of cooking is a broad and beautiful science that is required and desired by all people, and many names have shone in it and emerged in the art of serving dishes and popular cuisine, and dedicated to it a name engraved in the world of cooking, excellence, and creativity in all its fields.