Michael Steinberger: French cuisine can return to glory
7th October 2009
An author has claimed that the pillars of French culture - food and wine - could be saved from decline by the economic crisis.
Wine critic Michael Steinberger, author of Au Revoir To All That, told Reuters that he believes there is a downward trend in French cuisine, which is linked to the country's wider economic problems of the past 25 years.
'In France, you have had stagnant growth, high unemployment, stagnant living standards, onerous levels of taxation and regulation. All this has been a toxic stew for French cuisine,' he explained.
However, the writer suggested that French consumers have started a 'flight to quality' during the current economic crisis and are no longer willing to spend their hard-earned money on food and drink they consider to be below par.
Steinberger added that if French restaurants and winemakers take advantage of this trend, they could return the country to its position as a world leader in cuisine.
Earlier this year, Ginette Mathiot's Je Sais Cuisiner, which is widely regarded as the bible of traditional French cuisine, was published in English for the first time.