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What rules were included in Gault's Ten Commandments of Nouvelle Cuisine?
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nouvelle cuisine
Grilled dry-aged Wagyu rib eye steak with asparagus and charred onions.
In 1973, food critic Henri Gault published the "Ten Commandments of Nouvelle Cuisine" to provide a set of guiding precepts for the movement. These rules were:
- Thou shalt not overcook.
- Thou shalt use fresh, quality products.
- Thou shalt lighten thy menu.
- Thou shalt not be systematically modernist.
- Thou shalt nevertheless seek out what the new techniques can bring you.
- Thou shalt avoid pickles, cured game meats, fermented foods, etc.
- Thou shalt eliminate rich sauces.
- Thou shalt not ignore dietetics.
- Thou shalt not doctor up thy presentations.
- Thou shalt be inventive.1
These commandments helped nouvelle cuisine reach a wider audience by formalizing the movement's reaction against the rigid, calorie-laden traditions of French grande cuisine.12