A Concise Encyclopaedia of Gastronomy
- Year
- 1939
- Era
- 20th century
- Origin
- England · Europe
- Language
- English
- Category
- Drinks/Confectionery
A Concise Encyclopaedia of Gastronomy, compiled by André Simon and first issued in 1939, is an alphabetical reference work organised across nine sections, each devoted to a distinct branch of food and drink. Drawing on Simon's scholarship as co-founder of the Wine and Food Society, the encyclopaedia became a standard English-language gastronomic reference of the mid-twentieth century, and complete sets of all nine parts command a notable premium among collectors.
Cooking from this book
Cassoulet
Signature dishCassoulet appears in Simon's encyclopaedia as a touchstone of regional French gastronomy, a slow-baked assembly of white beans, preserved goose or duck, pork and garlicky sausage from Languedoc. Simon, a London wine merchant of French birth, used such emblematic dishes to anchor his alphabetical surveys, treating them less as recipes than as cultural entries. Across the encyclopaedia's nine sections, cassoulet stands out as a vivid example of his scholarly, cross-Channel approach to food and drink.
An editorial note on a dish associated with this book, written for The Coquinist. It is not a reproduction of the book's recipe.
