Thersandre keeps one of the finest tables in Paris, frequented by the most discerning courtiers. Instead of entertaining his visitors, however, he has decided to woo Lucile and her mother Mélinte in his private apartments. While his guests wait for a dinner that never arrives, they recount their culinary exploits and compare notes about their favourite delicacies, including a potage aux oignons blancs farcis and a canard sauvage. Published in 1665, Les Costeaux ou les marquis frians is an unsigned one-act comedy that satirizes the culinary fashions of seventeenth-century high society. The title refers to a legendary circle of gastronomes-the Ordre des Coteaux-who would supposedly only drink wines from certain hillsides (coteaux) in Champagne. This legend, although probably apocryphal, points to the increased focus on 'delicate' gastronomy during the latter half of the seventeenth-century. Abandoning the complex, layered cuisine of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, chefs and their clients embraced fresh farm produce and new techniques that enhanced natural flavours. Les Costeaux provides a comic take on this culinary revolution, poking fun at the absurdities of taste and fashion.
Peter Shoemaker is Associate Professor of French at The Catholic University of America.