Accounting for Taste: The Triumph of French Cuisine

by Priscilla Parkhurst Ferguson

Book Overview

French cuisine is such a staple in our understanding of fine food that we forget the accidents of history that led to its creation. Accounting for Taste brings these "accidents" to the surface, illuminating the magic of French cuisine and the mystery behind its historical development. Priscilla Parkhurst Ferguson explains how the food of France became French cuisine.

This momentous culinary journey begins with Ancien R gime cookbooks...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0226243230
• ISBN13: 9780226243238
• Release Date: July 2004
• Publisher: University of Chicago Press
• Length: 262 Pages
• Weight: 1.22 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.5" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Excellent history of the rise of French cooking...

...especially as an ideal, as an art form, for others to emulate. Just what is it about France that turned cuisine into culture? Why is French cooking considered the basis for other cuisines? Why does Haute Cuisine mean French Cuisine? Ferguson looks to history, but doesn't neglect Iron Chef or modern molecular gastronomy either. The exacting epilogue on Babette's Feast was passionate and fascinating, and made me go find the book rather than rewatch the movie. I'd recommend pairing this excellent and optimistic book with the rather pessimistic Au Revoir to All That: Food, Wine, and the End of France take on cuisine in France today. Good food reading!