Créme Brulée As many of us know, reading History books can be quite the chore. As much as I love history, the authors of these school textbook company’s find a way to take very interesting stories and times of history and turn them into dull dates and mind-numbing words on a page. However, I was quite excited to read this book; I love history and I love food. In this book, the author dives into the lives of Thomas Jefferson and his slave, James Hemings. In this novel, the author, Thomas Craughwell, aims to tell the tale of these two men and how they introduced French cuisine to America. This novel explains Jefferson’s love of specifically French food (or quite frankly the entire population’s love at this time), his journey that leads him to …show more content…
He explains that the French marveled at the simplicity of food. They were not impressed with extravagant, creative dishes; rather food in its simplest form. That does not mean, however, that they were scarce in their servings. Some had as many as 300 servants preparing their dishes each night. A typical six-course dinner could include a roasted veal rump, grilled fowl, a meat pie, as well as soup, a roast, and dessert. In reference to Louis XIV of France, a Palatine Princess states: “I have very often seen the king eat four plates of different soups, an entire pheasant, a partridge, a large plateful of salad, mutton cut up in its juice with garlic, two good pieces of ham, a plateful of cakes and fruits and jams.” (Craughwell14) Clearly, Jefferson was not the only man at this time that had a love for food. However, Jefferson went to many extremes for his love. Jefferson studied the cultivation of French crops in order to hopefully replicate them in America. Jefferson especially studied grapes specifically for wine making. He brought back many things that are now staples to most Americans: French fries, mac and cheese, champagne, and much