The Professor of the Lower Senses
11 days ago
- #food-writing
- #Brillat-Savarin
- #gastronomy
- Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin, a French writer and gourmand, is considered the inventor of modern food writing.
- His book 'The Physiology of Taste' (1825) is the most influential non-recipe book about food, blending aphorisms, essays, and meditations on eating.
- Brillat-Savarin's famous aphorism, 'Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are,' has been widely misquoted as 'You are what you eat.'
- He emphasized the enjoyment of discussing food as much as eating it, pioneering the idea that food writing could be a pleasure in itself.
- Brillat-Savarin's work includes vivid descriptions of meals, social observations, and even physiological insights into taste and digestion.
- Despite his serious contributions, Brillat-Savarin was also known for his humor, love of women, and eccentric personality.
- His book was initially self-published and became a success, influencing generations of food writers and establishing gastronomy as a serious subject.
- Brillat-Savarin's legacy lies in his insistence that food writing should capture the joy and emotional experience of eating.