The history of the culinary arts

Cooking was once considered a hobby or a chore. Until now, it is considered a highly skilled line of work within a multi-billion industry. Culinary arts students come with different levels of skills and knowledge, but they all share one thing and that is a passion for cooking. You’ll never go any further and study culinary arts if you don’t have an interest in cooking in the first place, will you?

Food is the one thing that has always been and will continue to be a big part of our daily lives thanks to the family recipes that we have carried with great care for many generations. For some, they learn new cuisines while others even go to culinary schools to hone their skills and experience and earn a culinary arts degree. Knowing that everyone needs food is so easy to understand, but aren’t you interested in knowing when and where the different types of tastes, presentations and characteristics of food began? If you are, let us discover the history of the culinary arts.

The history of cooking dates back to the 1800s, when Boston’s very first cooking school taught the art of American cooking while preparing students to pass on their knowledge to others. The first cookbook ever published was written by Fannie Merrit Farmer in 1896, who also attended Boston Cookery School and whose book is still widely used as a reference and remains in print today.

The next phase in the history of the culinary arts came through television where, in 1946, James Beard, also credited as the father of American cuisine, held regular cooking classes on the art of American cooking. On the other hand, French cuisine was introduced to American society by Julia Child in the 1960s when, thanks to the power of radios, it entered every kitchen in the country.

Later in the history of cooking, the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) was founded and was the first culinary school to hold career-oriented courses in the art of cooking. Its first location was on the campus of Yale University in Connecticut, which was later moved in 1972 to New York City. But before the creation of the CIA, those who wanted a career in the culinary arts normally had to take apprenticeships with seasoned chefs to gain on-the-job training. This method of learning was a traditional course in Europe, but rather a difficult arrangement as organized learnings were a fairly new concept in the history of the culinary arts in the United States. However, today, apprenticeships continue to provide a great culinary experience for budding chefs.