From Receipt to Recipe: The French Roots of Food in The Gilded Age

If you’ve studied with me, you probably already know: I’m completely obsessed with The Gilded Age. As an English teacher in France, I always keep an eye out for shows that can double as entertainment and learning tools—and this one is a goldmine. 🥂

Created by Julian Fellowes (the writer behind Downton Abbey), The Gilded Age is a historical drama set in 1880s New York. It’s produced by HBO, and in France, you can watch it on Amazon Prime Video with the HBO Max pass, or directly through HBO streaming services.

The cast is top-tier:

• Christine Baranski as the stern and witty Agnes van Rhijn

• Carrie Coon as the fiercely ambitious Bertha Russell

• Morgan Spector as her railroad-tycoon husband, George

• Cynthia Nixon (yes, from Sex and the City) as gentle Aunt Ada

• Louisa Jacobson (Meryl Streep’s daughter!) as Marian Brook, the newcomer caught between two worlds

The dialogue, manners, and vocabulary of the show reflect the elegance—and the rigidity—of high society at the time. It's a goldmine for learners who want to hear American English from a different era. And if you listen closely, you’ll notice how much of it was sprinkled with French—especially when it comes to food.

What Is “The Gilded Age”?

Historically speaking, the Gilded Age was a period in U.S. history from around 1870 to 1900. America was booming economically, but not everything was as shiny as it seemed. The term “gilded” means covered in a thin layer of gold—and that’s the point. The era looked glamorous, but underneath was corruption, inequality, and labor exploitation.

The phrase comes from the satirical novel The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today, written by Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner in 1873. The show of the same name beautifully captures that contradiction, and the language used in the script reflects that upper-crust lifestyle—especially around food.

When “Recipe” Was Still “Receipt”

In The Gilded Age, you might hear the word receipt used to mean what we now call a recipe. Strange? Not really. The word receipt comes from Latin recipere ("to receive") and was used for centuries to describe instructions for medicines, mixtures, and yes—cakes and pies. The modern spelling recipe became more common in the early 20th century, while receipt shifted to mean a record of payment.

So yes—when Aunt Agnes insists on a “receipt for blancmange,” she’s not asking for a credit card slip.

Viandes, Charcuterie & Co. — French on the Menu

Here’s another twist: English menus in the 19th century were full of French. The word viandes—which means meats—was commonly used to sound refined. French was the language of high cuisine and upper-class society.

And it still is! Walk into any trendy U.S. restaurant today and you’ll likely see charcuterie on the menu. You’ll hear people pronounce it awkwardly—and lovingly. From hors d'œuvres to soufflé, French hasn’t just influenced food English—it practically wrote the menu.

French Food Words in English: A Tasty List

Here are some French-origin words that are still used in modern English—especially when dining out:

• Menu

• Cuisine

• Dessert

• Restaurant

• Entrée (in American English, it means “main course”!)

• Gourmet

• Sommelier

• Chef

• Filet

• Buffet

• Charcuterie

Each of these words keeps its French spelling, pronunciation (more or less!), and prestige. If you’re taking one of my English courses with CPF in Vincennes, you’ve probably already noticed this during lessons!

Conclusion

Food and language both evolve—and often together. Shows like The Gilded Age give us a unique window into how English used to sound, how it was shaped by French, and how it continues to change today.

As an English teacher in Vincennes, I love helping my students discover these connections. Whether you’re learning through online education, private tutoring in English, or even by watching period dramas, I encourage you to explore, be curious, and never stop asking questions.

Next time you see charcuterie on a menu, just smile—you’re speaking a little French already. 😉