' () is an encyclopedia of

gastronomy Gastronomy is the study of the relationship between food and culture, the art of preparing and serving rich or delicate and appetizing food, the cooking styles of particular regions, and the science of good eating. One who is well versed in gastr ...

. The majority of the book is about

French cuisine French cuisine () is the cooking traditions and practices from France. It has been influenced over the centuries by the many surrounding cultures of Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Germany and Belgium, in addition to the food traditions of the re ...

, and contains recipes for French dishes and cooking techniques. The first edition included few non-French dishes and ingredients; later editions include many more. The book was originally published by

Éditions Larousse Éditions Larousse is a French publishing house specialising in reference works such as dictionaries. It was founded by Pierre Larousse and its best-known work is the ''Petit Larousse''. It was acquired from private owners by Compagnie Europée ...

in Paris in 1938.

Background

The first edition (1938) was edited by

Prosper Montagné Prosper Montagné (; 14 November 1865 – 22 April 1948) was one of the most renowned French chefs of the Belle Époque and author of many books and articles on food, cooking, and gastronomy, notably Larousse Gastronomique (1938), an encyclopedic ...

, with the collaboration of Dr Alfred Gottschalk, with prefaces by each of author-chefs

Georges Auguste Escoffier Georges Auguste Escoffier (; 28 October 1846 – 12 February 1935) was a French chef, restaurateur and culinary writer who popularized and updated traditional French cooking methods. Much of Escoffier's technique was based on that of Marie-Antoi ...

and Philéas Gilbert (1857-1942). Gilbert was a collaborator in the creation of this book as well as ''

Le Guide Culinaire ''Le Guide Culinaire'' () is Georges Auguste Escoffier, Escoffier's 1903 French cuisine, French restaurant cuisine cookbook, his first. It is a classic and still in print. Escoffier developed the recipes while working at the Savoy, Ritz and Carlto ...

'' (1903) with Escoffier, leading to some cross-over with the two books. It caused Escoffier to note when he was asked to write the preface that he could "see with my own eyes," and "Montagné cannot hide from me the fact that he has used ''Le Guide'' as a basis for his new book, and certainly used numerous recipes." The third English edition (2001), which runs to approximately 1,350 pages, has been modernized and includes additional material on other

cuisine A cuisine is a style of cooking characterized by distinctive ingredients, techniques and dishes, and usually associated with a specific culture or geographic region. Regional food preparation techniques, customs, and ingredients combine to ...

s. It is also available in a concise edition (2003). A new, updated and revised edition was released in October 2009, published by Hamlyn in the UK.

Bibliography

*''Larousse Gastronomique'', Prosper Montagné, maître cuisinier, avec la collaboration du docteur Gottschalk, Paris, Editions Larousse, 1938. *2001 2nd edition, , with assistance from a gastronomic committee chaired by

Joël Robuchon Joël Robuchon (, 7 April 1945 – 6 August 2018) was a French chef and restaurateur. He was named "Chef of the Century" by the guide Gault Millau in 1989, and awarded the Meilleur Ouvrier de France (France's best worker) in cuisine in 1976. ...

*James, Kenneth. ''Escoffier: The King of Chefs''. Hambledon and London:

Cambridge University Press Cambridge University Press is the university press of the University of Cambridge. Granted letters patent by Henry VIII of England, King Henry VIII in 1534, it is the oldest university press A university press is an academic publishing hou ...

, 2002.

English translations

*Montagné, Prosper. ''Larousse gastronomique: the encyclopedia of food, wine & cookery'', Ed. Charlotte Turgeon and Nina Froud. New York, Crown Publishers, 1961. The English translation of the 1938 edition. *Montagné, Prosper. ''Larousse Gastronomique: The New American Edition of the World's Greatest Culinary Encyclopedia''. Edited by Jenifer Harvey Lang. New York: Crown, 1988. Second English edition. *Montagné, Prosper. ''Larousse Gastronomique: The New American Edition of the World's Greatest Culinary Encyclopedia'', Ed. Jenifer Harvey Lang. New York, Crown Publishers, 1998. *Montagné, Prosper. ''Larousse Gastronomique: The World's Greatest Culinary Encyclopedia''. Edited by Jenifer Harvey Lang. New York: Clarkson Potter, 2001. Third English edition.

References

French cookbooks French encyclopedias 1938 non-fiction books Encyclopedias of culture and ethnicity 20th-century encyclopedias 21st-century encyclopedias {{encyclopedia-stub