French Culinary Terms

French for "middle-class cooking" of 19th century France. Simpler, plain but good, down-to-earth cooking.

• fusion cuisine

• classic cuisine

• haute cuisine

• cuisine bourgeoise

The rich, intricate, and elaborate cuisine of the 18th and 19th century French aristocracy based on the rational identification, development, and adoption of strict culinary principles. Emphasizes the how & why of cooking.

• haute cuisine

• nouvelle cuisine

• new American cuisine

• molecular gastronomy

A late 19th- and early 20th-century refinement and simplification of French grande cuisine. It relies on the thorough exploration of culinary principles and techniques, and emphasizes the refined preparation and presentation of superb ingredients.

• classic cuisine

• molecular gastronomy

• ethnic cuisine

• cuisine bourgeoise

French for "new cooking"; a mid-20th-century movement away from many classic cuisine principles and toward a lighter cuisine based on natural flavors, shortened cooking times and innovative combinations.

• fusion cuisine

• new American cuisine

• nouvelle cuisine

• global cuisine

A late 20th century movement that began in California but has spread across the United States; it stresses the use of fresh locally grown, seasonal produce and high-quality ingredients simply prepared in a fashion that preserves and emphasizes the natural flavors.

• fusion cuisine

• new American cuisine

• modern cuisine

• global cuisine

A cuisine that came into being during the mid 1980's, it is the blending or use of ingredients and/or preparation methods from various ethnic, regional, or national cuisines in the same dish.

• nouvelle cuisine

• molecular gastronomy

• modern cuisine

• fusion cuisine

The scientific discipline that studies the physical and chemical processes that occur while cooking. This type of cuisine seeks to investigate and explain the chemical reasons behind the transformation of ingredients, as well as the social, artistic, and technical components of culinary and gastronomic phenomena.

• nouvelle cuisine

• molecular gastronomy

• cuisine of the future

• cuisine moderne

Which of the following is the characteristic cuisine of a nation?

• traditional cuisine

• regional cuisine

• national cuisine

• ethnic cuisine

A set of recipes based on local ingredients, traditions and practices; within a larger geographical, political, cultural or social unit, regional cuisines are often variations of one another that blend together to create national cuisine

• national cuisine

• regional cuisine

• global cuisine

• traditional cuisine

Foods (often commercially produced items) or preparation methods that have become ubiquitous throughout the world; for example, curries and french fried potatoes

• ethnic cuisine

• global cuisine

• regional cuisine

• national cuisine