Blaise Pascal at the table

At the table of a 17th-century robe nobility family, dishes were not served one after another but in 'services': all the dishes of a single service covered the table at once, and each person helped themselves to what was within reach. They would proceed from potages to entrees and roast, then entremets, and finally 'dessert' of fruits and preserves. In Pascal's case, this early lavishness gradually gave way, after his conversion, to the frugality of a single soup and a little bread.

Pressed green grape juice, acidic and fresh: it was the go-to souring agent in Ancien Régime French cuisine, long before lemon took over. It enlivened soups, sauces, and meats where we would use vinegar or lemon juice today. La Varenne, an exact contemporary of Pascal, uses it on every page.