French Cooking (I)

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In the special section of "The New Essentials of French Cooking," New York Times, Feb 20, 2017. The www.nytimes.com does not have any.

(1) Quiche. French pastries are as much a savory tradition as they are a sweet one, enmeshed in the rhythm of daily life. That is particularly true of the country's various onion tarts, with quiche being the most celebrated.

A Brief History:

"Savory opened-faced tarts are derived from pies, which were baked in ancient Egypt and Rome, though the tradition most likely goes back further.

"In those early pies, the crust was merely a vessel for containing the fillings. The whole pie wasn't meant to be eaten -- just its contents, which could be as simple as potatoes [from New World], or as elaborate as scores of roasted quail, peacocks, and even whole stuffed lambs. Pie pastry tended to be coarse and unappetizing, though when it was soaked in meat juices after baking it became palatable enough for servants. There was even a trade in selling leftover pastry to the poor, who gathered outside castles and estates to wait for crusts to gnaw on.

"Open-faced tarts were a Medieval innovation. They could be made savory or sweet and had a more delicate pastry, meant to be delicious. The dish we know as quiche Lorraine was most likely derived from kuchen, from neighboring Germany; that may also the source of its name.  

Note:
(a) quail (n; plural quail or quails)
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/quail
(b) quiche
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quiche
(section 2.1 quiche lorraine)
(c) kuchen
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuchen

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(2) Omelet. The omelet is the egg taken to its very highest form. With nothing more than salt and the tiniest amount of butter added, the omelet celebrates the richness of the eggs without distracting from their delicacy.  

A Brief History:

"The omelet is ancient. Humans have eaten fried, beaten eggs since hens and other fowls were domesticated in the sixth century BC. Romans had ovemele, eggs cooked with homey and pepper; Persians ate kuku, eggs cooked with copious amounts of herbs. There were tortillas in early Spain, and frittatas in what would become Italy. All were flat, fried cakes loaded with fillings -- vegetables, meat, potatoes, spices and herbs -- cooked on both sides until set, and then sliced so they could be eaten out of one's hand.

"But the fluffy French omelet we know is different. With its barely set eggs, it requires a spoon or fork to be eaten. The word, and variations of it, date to the mid-16th century -- around the same time Catherine de Medici of Italy, who was married to King Henry II of France, is said to have introduced the fork to the French. Historians have speculated that the emergence of the fork and the evolution of the omelet may be intertwined.

"By the 17th century, the omelet had entered the canon, appearing in La Varenne's cookbook, 'Le Pâtissier François' as an auomelette. The arrival of better stove with enclosed fires, in the 18th century, made it easier for cooks to prepare the dish because they could more easily regulate the heat. The omelet's popularity has only grown and endured, making it a staple today in restaurants and home kitchens alike.

Note: François Pierre La Varenne
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/François_Pierre_La_Varenne
(1615–1678)