The first edition of
Larousse Gastronomique was published in 1938. A monumental
encyclopaedia of
culinary information compiled by
Prosper Montagné, it is a never-ending source of inspiration to those who regard
cooking and the preparation of food as something more than a necessity. It details the origins of a vast number of foods and
wines, provides thousands of
recipes, definitions of
culinary terms,
cooking methods, stories, and some
etymology.
If you like food or cooking, you will find Larousse Gastronomique fascinating reading. My rather tattered copy contains 1098 pages in small biblical print.
Georges Auguste Escoffier wrote the preface to Larousse Gastronomique after reading the first draft, though he died three years before the book was finally published. Escoffier is often referred to as the “king of cooks and the cook of kings”.