Guillaume Tirel facts for kids
Guillaume Tirel, also known as Taillevent (which means "wind-cutter" in French), was a very important chef in early French cuisine. He was born around 1310 in Pont-Audemer, France, and passed away in 1395. He worked as a cook for the kings of France during a time called the Hundred Years' War.
Taillevent started his cooking career as a young kitchen helper, called an enfant de cuisine, for Queen Jeanne d'Évreux. By 1326, he became the head chef, known as a queux, for King Philip VI. He continued to serve different important people, including the Duke of Normandy, who later became King Charles V. From 1381, he worked for King Charles VI. Many people consider him one of the very first "professional" master chefs in history. He lived to be about 80 years old.
Contents
Le Viandier: A Groundbreaking Cookbook
Taillevent is famous for expanding a collection of recipes into a book called Le Viandier. This book is a very important guide to cooking and cooking techniques. It is thought to be one of the first professional books about cooking ever written in France. It helped create the foundation for what we now know as French cooking.
Why Le Viandier is Important
Le Viandier had a huge impact on later cookbooks about French cuisine. For people who study food history, it's a detailed and valuable source of information about medieval cuisine in northern France. It tells us a lot about what people ate and how they cooked hundreds of years ago.
During the time of King Philip VI, Taillevent also played a big role in making strong red wines popular at the royal court. These wines came from the south of France and from a region called Burgundy.
Today, you can find copies of Le Viandier in important places like the Library of Congress and other public collections.
Taillevent's Legacy Today
Because of Guillaume Tirel's great reputation, many restaurants today are named "Taillevent." They use his famous name to show their connection to high-quality French cooking. There was also a catering business in Brussels (from 1989 to 1999) named "Guillaume Tirel."
Where Taillevent is Buried
Guillaume Tirel's tombstone, which is his grave marker, is still preserved today. You can find it at the church of Église Saint-Léger de Saint-Germain-en-Laye.
See also
In Spanish: Guillaume Tirel para niños
