Le Répertoire de la Cuisine
Encyclopedia
Le Répertoire de La Cuisine by Louis Saulnier, is a reference book available in the original French
and in English
translation
s. Several editions are in circulation, such as the Canterbury Press (Westminster, Maryland) translation of 1961, or the Barron's Educational Series edition of 1976. The book is currently available in a version printed by Biddles Ltd, Great Britain
.
, wrote this book (commonly called "Le Répertoire") as a guide to his mentor's cooking and as a shorthand guide to Le Guide Culinaire
written by Auguste Escoffier, Phileas Gilbert and Emile Fetu. The recipe
s are shorthand
versions of the recipes found in Le Guide Culinaire (there are some differences anyway, such as the introduction of mustard in the mayonnaise recipe, contrary to Le Guide Culinaire
).
is expected to be able to estimate these for himself) and frequent use is made of terms of art which are opaque to those without the necessary background. This is in the same style of Le Guide Culinaire. Le Répertoire was created as a sort of shorthand
for those familiar with Escoffier's cooking, so that it could be used as a quick reference. This style of writing gives the large assumption that anyone using this book is familiar with Le Guide Culinaire and has a good amount of culinary knowledge and experience.
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
and in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
translation
Translation
Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. Whereas interpreting undoubtedly antedates writing, translation began only after the appearance of written literature; there exist partial translations of the Sumerian Epic of...
s. Several editions are in circulation, such as the Canterbury Press (Westminster, Maryland) translation of 1961, or the Barron's Educational Series edition of 1976. The book is currently available in a version printed by Biddles Ltd, Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
.
History
Louis Saulnier, a student of Auguste EscoffierAuguste Escoffier
Georges Auguste Escoffier was a French chef, restaurateur and culinary writer who popularized and updated traditional French cooking methods. He is a legendary figure among chefs and gourmands, and was one of the most important leaders in the development of modern French cuisine...
, wrote this book (commonly called "Le Répertoire") as a guide to his mentor's cooking and as a shorthand guide to Le Guide Culinaire
Le Guide Culinaire
Georges Auguste Escoffier's Le Guide culinaire, pronounced , is a pivotal book in the history of European haute cuisine, being Escoffier's largely successful attempt to codify and streamline the common French restaurant food of the day. The first edition was printed in 1903 in French. It was...
written by Auguste Escoffier, Phileas Gilbert and Emile Fetu. The recipe
Recipe
A recipe is a set of instructions that describe how to prepare or make something, especially a culinary dish.-Components:Modern culinary recipes normally consist of several components*The name of the dish...
s are shorthand
Shorthand
Shorthand is an abbreviated symbolic writing method that increases speed or brevity of writing as compared to a normal method of writing a language. The process of writing in shorthand is called stenography, from the Greek stenos and graphē or graphie...
versions of the recipes found in Le Guide Culinaire (there are some differences anyway, such as the introduction of mustard in the mayonnaise recipe, contrary to Le Guide Culinaire
Le Guide Culinaire
Georges Auguste Escoffier's Le Guide culinaire, pronounced , is a pivotal book in the history of European haute cuisine, being Escoffier's largely successful attempt to codify and streamline the common French restaurant food of the day. The first edition was printed in 1903 in French. It was...
).
Format
The style of Le Répertoire is highly unusual in that the recipes provided are little more than aides-mémoires and assume a great deal of background knowledge. The book does not make any allowances for the novice cook: no quantities are given (a chefChef
A chef is a person who cooks professionally for other people. Although over time the term has come to describe any person who cooks for a living, traditionally it refers to a highly skilled professional who is proficient in all aspects of food preparation.-Etymology:The word "chef" is borrowed ...
is expected to be able to estimate these for himself) and frequent use is made of terms of art which are opaque to those without the necessary background. This is in the same style of Le Guide Culinaire. Le Répertoire was created as a sort of shorthand
Shorthand
Shorthand is an abbreviated symbolic writing method that increases speed or brevity of writing as compared to a normal method of writing a language. The process of writing in shorthand is called stenography, from the Greek stenos and graphē or graphie...
for those familiar with Escoffier's cooking, so that it could be used as a quick reference. This style of writing gives the large assumption that anyone using this book is familiar with Le Guide Culinaire and has a good amount of culinary knowledge and experience.