Why is French and Italian cuisine so dominant compared to other European cuisines ?

by balloon_prototype_14

This is about the classical cuisine from Europe. Classic dishes etc. Why is French and Italian cuisine so much more relevant then any other cuisine to this day ?

mimicofmodes

There is always more to be said, but /u/sunagainstgold has written a great answer on why Italian food specifically is so dominant in the US:

Why did Italian cuisine become so popular in the northeastern United States, and not the cuisines of other immigrants like Irish and Russian?

You may also be interested in my answer to In the song "Yankee Doodle," what does the word "macaroni" refer to?, which touches on both France and Italy's importance to eighteenth-century refinement.