What is François Pierre La Varenne?
[[Image:cuisinierfrancois.jpg|right|thumb|First page of ''Le cuisinier françois'' by La Varenne]] '''François Pierre de la Varenne''' ([[Burgundy]], 1615 &ndash; [[Dijon]] 1678) was the author of ''Le Cuisinier françois'' (1651), the founding text of modern [[French cuisine]]. La Varenne, in the 17th century, broke with the [[Italy|Italian]] traditions that had revolutionized [[mediaeval]] French cookery in the 16th century. La Varenne wrote for professional chefs, and codified [[French cuisine]] for the age of [[Louis XIV]]. The seventeenth century saw French cooking come into the modern era. The heavily spiced flavours of the [[Middle Ages]] were abandoned in favour of the natural flavours of French foods. Exotic [[spice]]s ([[saffron]], [[cinnamon]], [[cumin]], [[ginger]], [[nutmeg]], [[cardamom]], [[Nigella sativa|nigella]], [[Aframomum melegueta|seeds of paradise]]) were, with the exception of [[Black pepper|pepper]], replaced by local [[herbs]] ([[parsley]], [[thyme]], [[Bay Laurel|bayleaf]], [[chervil]], [[Salvia officinalis|sage]], [[tarragon]]). New vegetables like [[cauliflower]], [[asparagus]], [[peas]], [[cucumber]] and [[artichoke]] were introduced. Special care was given to the cooking of [[meat]] in order to conserve maximum flavour. [[Vegetable]]s had to be fresh and tender. [[Fish]], with the improvement of transportation, had to be impeccably fresh. Preparation had to respect the taste and visual look of the ingredients instead of masking them as had been done before. La Varenne introduced the first [[bisque (food)|bisque]] and [[Béchamel sauce]]. He replaced crumbled bread with [[roux]] as the base for sauces, and [[lard]] with [[butter]]. Here one finds the first use of the terms [[bouquet garni]], ''[[fonds de cuisine]]'' (stocks) and [[reduction (cooking)|reduction]]s, and the use of egg-whites for clarification. It also has the earliest [[recipe]] in print for [[mille-feuille]]. The cooking of vegetables is discussed, a novelty. In a fragrant sauce for asparagus there is evidence of a