The Physiology Of Taste

First of all, I just want to say that I personally find it amusing that I am writing a post about Brillat-Savarin right after one entitled Spaghetti Lasagna. 

The cheese lovers, Iron Chef fans, and food history buffs out there will already be familiar with Brillat-Savarin.  Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin was well known for his master work on eating, "La Physiologie du Goût," or "The Physiology of Taste."  He was a famous French gourmand and is credited with having helped create and influence our modern ideas of gastronomy.  He was born in the 18th century but wrote the famous book in the 19th century, not long before his death.

He is famous for many well-known quotes, not the least of which is "Tell me what you eat, and I'll tell you what kind of man you are," which of course we all paraphrase as you are what you eat.  That is the quote that is highlighted in every episode of Iron Chef Japan.  One of my favorites, though, is "A dessert without cheese is like a woman with just one eye."  This is from the days when the cheese course was traditionally served at the end of the meal.  Brillat-Savarin was known to love cheese perhaps as much as I do (hehe), and would not hear of a meal without it.  As the other cheese fanatics out there know, the cheese Brillat-Savarin is of course named for him. 

"The Physiology of Taste" has been on my list to read for some time now, and I'm finally getting to it.  I've been wanting to read about this famous gastronome who so greatly influenced our ideas of meals, food, and even social graces. 

I knew it would be a little difficult given the cultural and languge differences, but wow, that is one wordy, difficult book.  I'm moving through it slowly.  I am still in the beginning portions of the book, where he outlines his reasons for writing it and lays down what he understands as the basic science and operations behind eating and taste.  Many parts are quite amusing, for instance when he waxes poetic about the taste buds, or describes why he thinks libido is the sixth sense (don't ask me why that is necessary in a food book).  But to see a glimpse into what people thought of the science of eating at the time is fascinating.  I'm looking forward to getting into the later portions of the book, and to see what he has to say about various foods.

Has anybody else ever read this book? 

Happy eating reading!