The Physiology of Taste; or, Transcendental Gastronomy

Brillat-Savarin, 1755-1826Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

Rating 4.4
Word count
400K words
Chapters
41

Tags

English Originals Food and Drink Naturalist CuriosityTaste ExperienceFrench CuisineFood PhilosophySensory PleasureLife WisdomFood Essays19th CenturyFrench ThoughtFood Culture

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.The Physiology of Taste; Or, Transcendental Gastronomy by Brillat-SavarinAuthor: Brillat-Savarin, 1755-1826,Language: English, Class: TX: Technology: Home economics, Release Date: Apr 1, 2004

Editor's review

This is a classic collection of essays that elevates the experience of eating into philosophy and the art of living. Through naturalist observation, aphoristic wit, and anecdote, the author discusses taste, appetite, table society, and diet and health, offering both the immediacy of eighteenth- and nineteenth-century French gastronomic culture and a speculative interest that transcends its time. It is not a cookbook or a culinary guide but an exploration, through "taste," of human senses, desire, and social custom—a book to be savored slowly at leisure. Readers may treat it as a philosophical essay on eating: they will gain knowledge of food culture and also sense the tension between elegance, restraint, and enjoyment. The original English has a classical flavor, and some passages involve the scientific notions of the day; read for insight rather than fixating on conclusions.

Who it's for

A good fit for

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Reading tips

  1. It need not be read in order; begin with topics of interest such as "taste" or "the table."
  2. Keep a pen to mark aphoristic sentences, and afterward write two or three observations of your own about eating.
  3. Skim passages of classical science and focus on the author's insights into the senses and customs.
  4. Read alongside background material on French food culture to better understand the book's period context.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

Contents

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5
  6. 6
  7. 7
  8. 8
  9. 9
  10. 10
  11. 11
  12. 12
  13. 13
  14. 14
  15. 15
  16. 16
  17. 17
  18. 18
  19. 19
  20. 20
  21. 21
  22. 22
  23. 23
  24. 24
  25. 25
  26. 26
  27. 27
  28. 28
  29. 29
  30. 30
  31. 31
  32. 32
  33. 33
  34. 34
  35. 35
  36. 36
  37. 37
  38. 38
  39. 39
  40. 40
  41. 41

FAQ

Is this a cookbook? Can I cook from it? No, it is not a cookbook. It is a collection of essays on taste, the experience of eating, and the philosophy of living, discussing the senses, appetite, table society, and food customs; it does not provide specific cooking steps or recipes. If you want to learn to cook, choose a cookbook; if you want to understand the culture and thought behind eating, this is more suitable.
Is the original English difficult? What background do I need? The text has the classical essay style of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, with long sentences and references to the scientific ideas and French cultural background of the time, so it poses some difficulty for non-native readers. It is easier to enter with intermediate or higher English reading ability and a willingness to read slowly with a dictionary and notes; you might also start with the introduction or selected chapters.
Are the book's views still applicable today? Its discussions of taste, restraint, sociability, and enjoyment remain thought-provoking, but some of its physiology and nutrition belong to the author's era and should not be taken as modern scientific conclusions. Focus on its observations of sensory experience and food culture, and read outdated claims with discernment.
Is it suitable as a gift for a friend who loves food? It suits a friend interested in food culture and the aesthetics of living who is comfortable with English essays. It is not light fast food reading but a classic to be savored slowly; if the person wants only practical recipes or light reading, it may not be to their taste.

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About the author

Brillat-Savarin, 1755-1826 Author · French · 1755–1826

Brillat-Savarin (1755–1826) was a French judge and gastronome, best known for The Physiology of Taste (Physiologie du goût), a work also familiar to English readers under the title The Physiology of Taste Or, Transcendental Gastronomy. In it he raised the experience of eating into a subject worthy of systematic inquiry, combining the ease of the essay with the sharpness of the aphorism and bringing taste, dining, and social custom into a single view. Two of his works are held in this collection, both devoted to this theme. Public information about him is limited, and the details of his life are difficult to set out; yet on the strength of this book alone he is regarded as one of the founders of the modern tradition of gastronomic literature, and later writings on food have often drawn on his style and approach.