no great way; but the ancient sumptuary laws of that kingdom give us
little information regarding the ichthyophagous propensities of its
inhabitants. Louis XII. engaged six fishmongers to furnish his board
with fresh-water animals, and Francis I. had twenty-two, whilst Henry
the Great extended his requirements a little further, and had
twenty-four. In the time of Louis XIV. the cooks had attained to such a
degree of perfection in their art, that they could convert the form and
flesh of the trout, pike, or carp, into the very shape and flavour of
the most delicious game.
The French long enjoyed a European reputation for their skill
and refinement in the preparing of food. In place of plain
joints, French cookery delights in the marvels of what are
called made dishes, ragouts, stews, and fricassees, in which no
trace of the original materials of which they are compounded is
to be found.