Suggested Sources on the Topic

I owe a lot of gratitude to Joan DeJean's The Essence of Stlye for my extreme interest in the development of French Cuisine during the 17th-Century.  I highly recommend reading this book.  I learned a lot in this book about how and why food in France had become associated with elegance and luxury.  I'll definitely relay a lot of the fascinating details in upcoming posts.

Also, a website you must visit is www.foodtimeline.org. The site was actually started  by a librarian with a passion for food history.  The site is her own independent research site - very interesting and full of a lot of information.  You could even find old recipes on the site.  Check it out!