(French, ‘new cooking’)
Nouvelle cuisine is a late 1960s reaction to the perceived excesses of cuisine classique.
Nouvelle cuisine, as a healthier version of French haute cuisine, shuns butter and heavy sauces, promotes fresh ingredients and natural flavors, and (zut alors!) even makes use of the microwave oven.
The practice of overcooking is strictly avoided in nouvelle cuisine: vegetables are often served with a bit of crunch.
Thank goodness for nouvelle cuisine. It makes it possible to enjoy French haute cuisine while watching one’s waistline.