French cuisine no longer King, says Albert Roux

French chef Albert Roux has claimed that French cuisine is no longer the ‘king’, claiming that some American, British and even Japanese chefs do it better.

Speaking in a live interview with Restaurant magazine editor Will Drew at The Restaurant Show this morning, Roux said that because chefs from all over the world have learned the art of French cooking and taken it home with them, France is no longer the centre of the culinary world.

“Just because you invent a sport like cricket, that doesn’t mean you’re the king of the world. It’s the same with cooking. We have taught so many young chefs about French cooking and now they’ve become better than the masters in their own countries.”

However the esteemed chef said the UK’s catering industry is still “a baby” compared to France where he claims “there’s a long tradition of food”.

"Complicated cooking"

Roux went on to say that cooking in countries across the world had become too complicated, denouncing fusion food and “unnecessary” cooking methods such as smoking.

“I have a very strong opinion about food today,” he said. “When you have something beautiful like a nice steak, you should do as little as possible to it to make its natural flavour stand out.

“I like my steak and kidney pudding but I don’t want lemon in it – I want to feel and smell the kidneys. I don’t like fusion cooking, we need to be true to ourselves and not mix our cuisines.”

However, Roux praised the work of Heston Blumenthal, who is known for his experimental cooking, branding the three Michelin-starred chef as a “total genius”.

“He is a breath of fresh air as he is teaching people what food is made from, but of course very few people can cook that.”

To see a live interview with Albert Roux from the Restaurant Show today, log onto BigHospitality later in the week.