FOOD FOR THOUGHT:
Impressionism and the Parisian Café

There was no more exciting city in mid-19th century Europe than Paris. With a population approaching 2 million, an aggressive campaign to modernize the city with parks, sanitation and lighting improvements, and the new railroad system increasing the flow of people in and out, Paris had become the place to be, to see – and to be seen. Louis XIV would have been pleased to know that 200 years after having established France as the European center for the arts, his capital city remained the undisputed destination for cutting edge art, architecture, furniture, fashion, literature, opera, music – and food.

French cuisine had long been considered the most sophisticated in Europe, and the rich tradition in culinary arts had yielded an abundance of chefs to satisfy the demand of a large and hungry clientele of visitors as well as locals. There were literally thousands of bars, bistros, brasseries, cafés and restaurants, serving all walks of society and offering the full gamut of menu items, many of which were popularized at this time and are still offered in such Parisian establishments today.

Perhaps the most popular and democratic of all these eateries was the Parisian café, open most of the day and serving such previously exotic beverages as coffee and hot chocolate.  By the 18th century there were already hundreds of these cafés in Paris, providing a social environment within local communities where people of all classes could come together and share news, ideas and opinions. The very nature of its caffeinated offerings made a trip to the local café habit-forming to a wide clientele, further enticed by the well-appointed atmosphere, stimulating social interactions and thought-provoking conversations. Topics that may once have been of interest only to specialists or intellectuals came to be discussed in the public sphere making knowledge and debate more accessible to all. 

Among the topics now receiving wider attention was food and its preparation, formerly the purview of culinary and health professionals and the elite classes whose privilege had always afforded them more options. The subject of what and when and how much to eat and how to prepare it would now be included in broader discussions of how to live a healthy and meaningful life, informed more by reason, science and nature than faith and tradition.

It was in cafes such as these that the artists soon to be known as “The Impressionists” were to routinely gather with other avant-garde friends. They found the café an ideal environment in which to discuss their somewhat revolutionary ideas on artistic theory, method and philosophy in general. Here they sketched, debated, ate, drank, argued and enjoyed camaraderie within a setting that provided them with plenty of local color and inspiration. Enthralled by the picturesque modernity of their world, they began to shift away from the classical approach to the arts taught within the academies, with emphasis on realism and history painting, and focus more on impressions of their daily lives and surroundings. It was as if they knew they were living in a noteworthy time and place of optimism and artistic innovation and wished to capture the present excitement for posterity. Their works provide a snapshot of Parisian life that includes, for our purposes, the occasional peek at what they were eating and drinking.

As we imagine these creative artists taking inspiration from one another and showing us through their artworks the stimulating world they inhabited, we can join them on another level by experiencing some of the food that was familiar to them. This “Impressionist” meal, based on period images, recipes and menus, offers a potpourri of dishes that would have been found in various types of eateries, combining high end restaurant fare with more basic café or bistro staples. A restaurant meal would consist of various courses, as here, but served one dish at a time with diners choosing from menu options. Similar choices can be made by those replicating this menu; make them all and give options to your diners -- or select which item to make from each course and serve the same dishes to all, in the proper order. Be sure to have plenty of fresh, crusty French bread on hand at all times during the meal, pitchers of fresh water, and fine wines preferably of French grape origin. A bowl of fresh, seasonal fruit would customarily follow such a meal, as might a selection of local cheeses served at room temperature. It may feel like a lot of food for one sitting, but it must be remembered that a meal could go on for hours and would be well peppered with hearty conversation between bites.

~ Bon Appetit!