La Science du Maitre d'Hotel Cuisinier

La Science du Maitre d'Hotel Cuisinier 1768

[MENON, François]

La Science du Maître D'Hôtel, Cuisinier, avec des observations sur la connoissance & les propriétés des allimens. Nouvelle Edition, revue & corrigée.

Paris : Chez Leclerc, Librairie au Palais, à la Prudence, 1768.  Second Edition.

Duodecimo (170x100mm) contemporary marbled sheepskin, raised bands, six gilt decorated compartments, burgundy spine label in gilt, boards simple blind ruled; marbled end-papers, all edges red marbled, two ribbon markers, [6],xxiv,561,[3]pp; ([6],a¹²,A-Aa¹²).  Several engraved head and tail pieces. In French.

Owner stamp to front and rear free end-paper, a crossed knife and fork over "B Reboul"; owner name in ink to verso, blank before the title-page "Hilaire Roux"; clipping from an old catalogue citing the 1749 edition pasted to the foot of the title-page; Spine head small loss, joints and boards edges rubbed, head of rear joint starting; corners bruised and worn; occasional light foxing throughout, some age-toning; two small handwritten notes in ink to p.[6] and p.xxiv; a few penciled notations in the margins.

The prelimary 'Dissertation' (pp.i-xxiv) is on 'nouvelle cuisine' and is attributed to the historian Étienne de Foncemagne.

"Menon was the most influential and prolific French cookbook author of the eighteenth century....  In the course of his landmark writings, he covered almost every field of the professional cook, including the maître d'hôtel, laying out a new view of kitchen positions in the process." ¹

Responsible for the development of the 'nouvelle cuisine of the eighteenth century, Menon emphasised delicacy, lightness, and natural, healthy and elegantly simple dishes.  

La Science du Maître D'Hôtel, Cuisinier, written for a larger household, and not the bourgeoise is 'haute cuisine" adapted by his ideas of "nouvelle cuisine' dealing with soups, meats, poultry, game, vegetables, pastries, desserts, eggs, fish, sauces, etc., with a detailed table of dishes and menus for the four Seasons.

Scarce. A lovely solid copy.

§  OCLC records only two holdings, British Library and University of Cambridge; this edition not in the BNF.
§  cf. Cagle 343, first edition; not in Bitting, nor Simon BG;

¹  Willan, Anne. The Cookbook Library, University of California Press, 2012, p.218 et al.