FOOD HISTORY: Dishes named , "a la Florentine".

Dishes listed on a menu or in a recipe as  "a la Florentine" or just "Florentine" are foods, frequently eggs but other items as well, presented on a bed of spinach and topped with a Mornay (cheese) sauce, sometimes sprinkled with Parmesan cheese and browned lightly in an oven. Examples are, Eggs Florentine where poached eggs are placed on a bed of spinach substituting for the Canadian bacon in Eggs Benedict or fish, beef or chicken placed on spinach and topped with cheese sauce." Florentine" refers to Florence, Italy, and the term, as is used, would translate into "in the manner of Florence." The origin of the term comes from an Italian Noblewoman named Catherine de Médici, who was born in Florence, Italy and in 1533, married Henri (Henry), the second son of King Francois I. Henry was the heir-apparent to the French throne and was  known as the dauphin in those days. When Francois I died in 1547, Henry ascended to the French throne and Catherine became the Queen of France. Quite ruthless and justifiably favorable to the the quality of Italian cookery relative to what she encountered in France, she imported her own cooks from Florence and, also, is said to have brought along spinach seeds to grow. She had her cooks make dishes with spinach in the Italian way and this practice became popular enough that it came to be known as "Spinach à la Florentine", to identify the origin of the spinach; eventually, simply as "Florentine" to denote any dish that used a base of spinach in its preparation. Catherine is also claimed to have introduced many aspects of table etiquette to France and to have introduced the fork to that country. Further, her Italian cooks trained what would become the next generations of French Chefs. Her Italian  influence on French cookery  has been credited as to  how French cuisine began to evolve into one of  the great cuisines of the world.