Jules Maincave: Biography and Background

Jules Maincave was a French chef belonging to the Futurist movement, active in the early 20th century in Paris.

Maincave decried cooking in the tradition of Escoffier, asserting that its reliance on a set repertoire of dishes and flavor combinations had "paralysed taste buds". Styling himself as the first Futurist cook, Maincave argued for combining food in unusual combinations, such as camembert with sardines or lamb with crayfish sauce, and supported the use of flower essences as seasonings. Maincave was interviewed in a series of newspaper pieces during 1913, and he published a culinary manifesto. He died three years later in the Battle of the Somme, while working as a regiment cook. He was not yet 30 years old.

A translation of Maincave's manifesto was published in Italy in 1927 by Filippo Tommaso Marinetti, the founder of the Futurist movement. While his efforts received praise from several figures during the 20th century, today he is little remembered outside of niche cooking circles.

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