Culinary Historians Boston: Lyon:France's Gastronomc Capital

Culinary Historians of Boston

La cuisine des mères: How women made Lyon the gastronomic capital of France, 1890-1935
Rachel E. Black, PhD

Tuesday October 29th 2013, 6 p.m., Schlesinger Library

Women played an exceptional part in constructing a highly acclaimed regional cuisine in Lyon during the first half of the twentieth century. In 1935, the restaurant critic and culinary writer Curnonsky declared Lyon the gastronomic capital of France. Gastronomes and early culinary tourists held lyonnais cuisine in high esteem for its honesty and lack of artifice. Women often ran the kitchens in the small restaurants in Lyon that earned critical praise in the Interwar years. This was a moment when women claimed an important place in an otherwise male dominated field—professional cooking. Critics and gastronomes declared female chefs—les meres--the guardians of culinary tradition. Focusing on the lives of Eugénie Brazier and Françoise Fillioux, this article will explore the changing gender dynamics in France from 1890-1935 and the historic conditions that made it possible for a small group of women to rise to prominence in the culinary arts.

Rachel E. Black is Associate Editor Food and Foodways and has written Porta Palazzo: The Anthropology of an Italian Market and Wine and Culture: Vineyard to Glass.