Overview

France is in a rut, and so is French cuisine. Twenty-five years ago it was hard to have a bad meal in France; now, in some cities and towns, it is a challenge to find even a decent baguette. For the first time in the annals of modern cuisine, the most influential chefs and the most talked-about restaurants are not French. Large segments of the French wine industry are in crisis, cherished artisanal cheeses are threatened with extinction, and bistros and brasseries are disappearing at an alarming rate. But business is brisk at some establishments: France has become the second most-profitable market in the world for McDonald's. In this sharp, funny and passionate book, Michael Steinberger looks at the problems of French cuisine in the context of the political, economic and social crises that beset the nation and asks, How did this happen? And what is being done to reverse France's slide?

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9781408801369

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Reviews

'One of the greatest books I've read. Magical, dreamy and romantic, with moments of sadness, it took me back to that young boy in the kitchen' Marco Pierre White 'Nobody who cares about French food and where it has gone wrong, could fail to be interested by this book' Sunday Times 'Enjoyable account of the woes that have befallen gastronomy...His argument that the decline of French food culture [...] mirrors a decline in the standing of France as a whole is convincingly made' Jay Rayner, Observer 'Worthy of a place in your hand luggage the next time you board the Eurostar' Daily Telegraph

Author Information

Michael Steinberger is Slate's wine writer, a regular contributor to Saveur and the sports correspondent and frequent food and wine contributor for the Financial Times. A passionate Francophile, he has travelled and written extensively about French food and wine.

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