The Physiology of Taste

First published in 1825, this book of meditations on food treats gourmandise as a subject for a magistrate who liked to dine. Brillat-Savarin writes short essays and anecdotes on taste, appetite, cooking methods, the senses, obesity, rest, and the social order of the table, mixing mock-scientific headings with stories of hunts, inns, and Paris meals. He defines the gourmand, classifies foods, and argues that the pleasures of the table are a civilizing art. There is no continuous plot. The work is a discursive treatise on eating, not a recipe manual and not a restaurant guide.

Bound in pale green cloth, cover blocked in purple and mid-green with images. Dark red slipcase.