A Perfect School of Instructions for the Officers of the Mouth
- Year
- 1682
- Era
- 17th century
- Origin
- England · Europe
- Language
- English
- Category
- English pre-1800
A Perfect School of Instructions for the Officers of the Mouth is Giles Rose's English rendering of a French court manual devoted to the household offices charged with the king's table, covering carving, napkin folding, the pantry, the cellar, the ewery and the confectionery. As one of the fullest English accounts of Continental court service, it preserves elaborate techniques of presentation and ceremonial dining otherwise little documented in English sources of the period.
Cooking from this book
Pyramid of Fruit for the Banquet Table
Signature dishLess a dish than a sculpted centrepiece, the towering pyramid of fresh and candied fruits epitomises the spirit of this volume. Rose's translation introduced English households to the theatrical service of the French court, where the officers of the mouth competed to dazzle guests with architectural arrangements of sweetmeats, preserved citrus and glistening confits. It stands as a fitting emblem of a book devoted not to cookery alone but to the choreography of the noble table.
An editorial note on a dish associated with this book, written for The Coquinist. It is not a reproduction of the book's recipe.
