(Neo-physiology of taste in alphabetical order, or, General Dictionary of French Cuisine, Ancient and Modern, as well as of the Office and Domestic Pharmacy) is a culinary reference book, published in Paris in 1839.David, p. 434
Title The title is drawn from (The Physiology of Taste) by Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin, published in 1825; it prompted a spate of "physiologies" from French writers, including Balzac's The Physiology of Marriage in 1829, and works by less famous writers on "the physiology of the opera", "the physiology of the café", and the physiologies of the umbrella, billiards, and the ridiculous.Davidson, pp. 106–107
Authorship According to the preface, the book is a collaboration between three contributors:
The preface states that the work includes a few recipes from unpublished papers of Grimod de La Reynière.
The bibliographer Joseph-Marie Quérard contends that the book was in fact written by Maurice Cousin, comte de Courchamps, a celebrated gourmet. The title page of the book carries a dedication to "the author of the Memoirs of the Marquise de Créquy", who according to Quérard (and the ), was Courchamps himself.Vicaire, pp. 622–623"Cousin de Courchamps, Pierre-Marie-Jean (1783-1849)", Bibliothèque nationale de France. Retrieved 26 June 2025
Content According to the author or authors the book is:
The first and largest section of the book is an A to Z of culinary terms from Abaisse (thinly-rolled pastry) to Zuchetti (Italian ragout of mushrooms and courgettes)., pp. 5 and 525 Most of the terms are French, but foreign dishes are mentioned, including English dumplings, Spanish-style lettuce, Italian ravioli and Welch Rabbit, pp. 215, 287, 415 and 524
The second section gives details of grand dinners from the fifteenth century onwards, including a banquet for Louis XIV in 1666: First course Eight pots of soup and sixteen hot hors d'oeuvres Second course Eight large relevés of soups and sixteen entrées of fine meats Third course Eight roast dishes and sixteen vegetable dishes served with meat coulis Fourth course Eight pâtés or cold meats and fish, and sixteen pancakes in oil, cream or butter Fifth and last couse Twenty-four miscellaneous pastries Twenty-four bowls of fruit Twenty-four plates of sweets., p. 337 A menu for a dinner given by Talleyrand for Alexander I of Russia lists sixteen courses comprising fifty-two dishes., p. 572
The third and last section, , is a collection of medical recipes, including tisanes, light soups, and home-made pills and potions., pp. 595–650
Publication The book was first published in 1839, issued by the Bureau de Dictionnaire Géneral de Cuisine.. title page It was reissued by Audot in 1853 and by Éditions Plon in 1866 and 1886.
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