LA VARENNE (François-Pierre de): Le Cuisinier François, Ense - Lot 115

LA VARENNE (François-Pierre de): Le Cuisinier François, Enseignant la Maniere de bien apprester assaisonner toutes fortes de Viandes Grasses Maigres, Legumes Patisseries, c. Rouen, Besongne, 1726. In-12 contemporary vellum (spine detached, stains, small tears around frontispiece, light spotting). 354 pages and 2 ff. François Pierre (1618 - 1678), who adopted the nickname "La Varenne" from one of Henri IV's cooks, was the cook of the Marquis d'Uxelles, Louis Chalon Du Blé, governor of Chalon-sur-Saône and one of the negotiators of the Peace of Utrecht, whose table acquired a wide reputation thanks to him (his spicy mushroom hash "à la Duxelles" is still talked about). The first new cookbook to be published in a century. Between 1545 and 1620, French bookshops were content with reprinting gastronomic works, and from then on ceased to publish them altogether until 1651, with the publication of Le Cuisinier français. Le cuisinier français inaugurates the modern publishing formula of the cookbook. It differs from all its predecessors in the clarity of its layout: it follows the order of the meal's courses (soups, starters, roasts and entremets). This was one of the first cookbooks to feature nearly 700 recognizable and usable recipes for everyone. A good copy.