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''Haute cuisine'' is characterized by complex dishes requiring elaborate preparation. Sauces were used extensively. Portions were often small to allow for multiple courses. Characteristically, the food was quite rich, incorporating a generous amount of Butter and Heavy Cream . Dessert s were particularly elaborate and rich.

Compared to '' Nouvelle Cuisine '', which was developed in France in the 1970s in part as an alternative to ''haute cuisine'', ''haute cuisine'' placed less emphasis on exotic and seasonal ingredients, less emphasis on presentation and visual appeal, less use of herbs and spices, and a much greater reliance on sauces and traditional dishes.

''Nouvelle cuisine'' has now largely been abandoned and the trend in European restaurants tends towards a sort of fusion of the two schools, along with a return to pre-industrial European cuisine ('' Cuisine Du Terroir ''), relying less on heavy sauces or fancy presentation, and focusing on the use of high quality fresh ingredients and authentic traditional preparations.

Nowadays, ''haute cuisine'' implies less a particular style of cooking than having reached the pinnacle of the culinary world through critical acclamation. Restaurants that have three Michelin stars, for example, are generally deemed to be the highest cuisine.