The Almanach des gourmands was a guide to the restaurants, pastry shops, and specialty food stores of Paris,[1] edited and published by the French gastronome Alexandre-Balthazar-Laurent Grimod de La Reynière, known as Grimod, annually from 1803 to 1812.[a] It was written by a group of restaurant critics and Grimod himself.[2][3] Grimod is thus often considered the first restaurant critic.[3][1]

The Almanach was written for Parisians rather than travelers, and for the first time, wrote for consumers who sought taste rather than cheap prices or convenience.[4][5] When it was published, restaurants were gaining prominence in Paris, the first having opened in the 1770s.[4] Its reviews of food and establishments were sometimes strongly critical.[6] Roy Strong argues that the Almanach opened up the culture around food to anyone who was literate, and increased competition between restaurants.[3]

The title was revived several times:

Notes

  1. ^ there was no 1809 or 1811 issue
  2. ^ not closely related to Alexandre Dumas

References

  1. ^ Spang 2003, p. 184.
  2. ^ Grimes 2009, p. 13.
  3. ^ Strong 2003, p. 288.
  4. ^ Symons 1982, p. 44.
  5. ^ Ferguson 2014, p. 259.
  6. ^ Ferguson 2014, p. 243.
  7. ^ "Travels in French food and wine". Daniel Crouch Rare Books. Retrieved 2026-05-04.
  8. ^ Périgord, A.B. (1825). Nouvel almanach des gourmands: servant de guide dans les moyens de faire excellente chère (in French)
  9. ^ Dumas, François-Guillaume (1904). Almanach des gourmands. Paris, London, New York: Nilsson. p. 5.

Sources

  • Ferguson, Priscilla Parkhurst (2014). "The French Invention of Modern Cuisine". Food in Time and Place: The American Historical Association Companion to Food History. Freedman, Paul; Chaplin, Joyce E; Albala, Ken (eds.). Oakland, California: University of California. ISBN 978-0-520-27745-8.
  • Grimes, William (2009). Appetite City: A Culinary History of New York. New York: North Point Press. ISBN 978-0-86547-692-9.
  • Spang, Rebecca L (2003). "Restaurants". Encyclopedia of Food and Culture. Vol. 3. Scribner Library of Daily Life. Katz, Solomon H (ed.). New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons. ISBN 0-684-80567-7.
  • Strong, Roy (2003 [2002]). Feast: A History of Grand Eating. London: Pimlico. ISBN 0-7126-6759-8.
  • Symons, Michael (1982). One Continuous Picnic. Adelaide, South Australia: Duck Press. ISBN 0-9593047-0-3.
  • Walter, Eugene (2007). "The Gumbo Cult". American Food Writing: An Anthology with Classic Recipes. O'Neill, Molly (ed.). Library of America. ISBN 978-1-59853-005-6.

Further reading

  • Drouard, Alain (2008). Geschichte der Köche in Frankreich [History of chefs in France] (in French)
  • Ferguson, Rebecca (2014a). Word of Mouth: What We Talk About When We Talk About Food
  • Grigson, Jane (1991). Food with the Famous
  • MacDonogh, Giles (1987). A Palate in Revolution: Grimod de la Reyniere and the Almanach des Gourmands. Robin Clark Ltd. ISBN 0860721094.
  • Poulain, Jean-Pierre (2017). The Sociology of Food: Eating and the Place of Food in Society