The Physiology of Taste

by Jean-Anthelme Brillat-Savarin, Anne Drayton (Introduction), Anne Drayton (Translator)

Overview

Brillat-Savarin's unique, exuberant collection of dishes, experiences, reflections, history and philosophy raised gastronomy to an art form. First published in France in 1825, this remarkable book reflected a new era in French cuisine: the advent of the restaurant, which gave the bourgeoisie the opportunity to select their dishes with precision and anticipation. Yet the author also gives his views on taste, diet and maintaining a healthy weight, on digestion, sleep, dreams and being a gourmand. Witty, shrewd and anecdotal, The Physiology of Taste not only contains some remarkable recipes, it an elegant argument for the pleasures of good food and a hearty appetite.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780141914008
Publisher:	Penguin UK
Publication date:	09/30/2004
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	384
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Jean-Anthelme Brillat-Savarin was born in 1755 in Belley France, an area renowned for its food and wine. After graduating in law, Briallat-Savarin became magistrate of Belley and was later elected Mayor. During the French Revolution his life was endangered and he fled to other parts of Europe and then America, earning his living as a violinist in a theatre orchestra. He returned to France in 1796 and became a judge of the Supreme Courts of Appeal. He began compiling a book of meditations on gastronomy and in 1825, a few months before his death, published this brilliant treatise on the pleasures of eating: the culmination of a life-long love affair with food.

Table of Contents

The Physiology of Taste Introduction by Anne Drayton
Aphorisms by the Professor to serve as a prologue to his work and an eternal foundation for his Science
Dialogue between the author and his friend
Preface
Part One: Gastronomical Meditations
1. On the senses
2. On taste
3. On gastronomy
4. On appetite
5. On food in general
6. Specialities
7. The theory of frying
8. On thirst
9. On drinks
10. On the end of the world
11. On gourmandism
12. On gourmands
13. On gastronomical tests
14. On the pleasures of the table
15. On shooting-luncheons
16. On digestion
17. On rest
18. On sleep
19. On dreams
20. On the influence of diet on rest, sleep, and dreams
21. On obesity
22. Prevention and cure of obesity
23. On thinness
24. On fasting
25. On exhaustion
26. On death
27. Philosophical history of cooking
28. On restaurateurs
29. A model gourmand
30. Bouquet
Part Two
Transition
Miscellanea
Envoy to the Gastronomes of the Two Worlds

Editorial Reviews

In contrast to a very pricey limited edition published previously, this elegant volume is an eminently more available version of French aesthete Brillat-Savarin's classic tome of meditations on topics far more wide ranging than mere gastronomy. M. F. K. Fisher, a literary treasure herself, served as translator. But in an expanded role fitting her particular talents, she contributes generous portions of notably discerning commentary. It adds a great deal to the original text, which is embellished to perfection by artist Wayne Thiebaud's expressive line drawings and lithographs. Although Brillat-Savarin penned his treatise in the early nineteenth century, his culinary musings remain remarkably apt, while his reflections on obesity, dreams, and death are captivating.

Alice Joyce