Book description
Brillat-Savarin's unique, exuberant collection of dishes, experiences,
reflections, history and philosophy raised gastronomy to an art form.
First published in France in 1825, this remarkable book reflected a new
era in French cuisine: the advent of the restaurant, which gave the
bourgeoisie the opportunity to select their dishes with precision and
anticipation. Yet the author also gives his views on taste, diet and
maintaining a healthy weight, on digestion, sleep, dreams and being a
gourmand. Witty, shrewd and anecdotal, The Physiology of Taste not only
contains some remarkable recipes, it an elegant argument for the
pleasures of good food and a hearty appetite. Jean-Anthelme
Brillat-Savarin was born in 1755 in Belley France, an area renowned for
its food and wine. After graduating in law, Briallat-Savarin became
magistrate of Belley and was later elected Mayor. During the French
Revolution his life was endangered and he fled to other parts of Europe
and then America, earning his living as a violinist in a theatre
orchestra. He returned to France in 1796 and became a judge of the
Supreme Courts of Appeal. He began compiling a book of meditations on
gastronomy and in 1825, a few months before his death, published this
brilliant treatise on the pleasures of eating: the culmination of a
life-long love affair with food.
