Le Cuisinier Impérial

A [lexandre] Viard's [A. Viard is described sometimes as André [http://auteurs.chapitre.com/page110/section54.html "Dictionnaire des Auteurs"] ] "Le Cuisinier Impérial" (Paris: Barba, 1806) was a culinary encyclopedia that passed through at least thirty-two editions in its long career as the essential reference work for the French professional chef during the nineteenth century. During its long run it was a staple of its publisher, Barba. Viard is variously credited with being "chef de cuisine" to Louis XVI and to Napoleon. The cookbook appeared under various titles that reflected regime changes: with the restoration of the Bourbons it became "Le Cuisinier Royal" (Paris: Barba, 1817) in its ninth edition, and in 1852, in its twenty-second edition, "Le Cuisinier National". The co-author Fouret appeared in editions of the 1820s. Its last edition appeared in 1875.

A German translation was published as "Viard und Fourets Universal-Kochbuch" (Stuttgart, Carl Hoffmann, 1827). [Subtitled "Ein vollständiges Handbuch der Kochkunst. Nach den Regeln der englischen, französischen und deutschen Küche. Für alle Stände. Nach dem Französischen der Herren Vicard [sic] und Fouret, Mundköchen König Ludwigs des XVIII. von Frankreich mit eigenen Recepten vermehrt von Catherina Löfflerin."] A second edition was credited to Catharina Löffler, "Pariser Kochbuch" (Stuttgart, Weise and Stoppani, 1829) [ [http://www.bsz-bw.de/depot/media/3400000/3421000/3421308/00_0437.html Gastronomia, note 3] ]

An earlier, unrelated cookbook with a similar name, François Massialot's "Le Cuisinier Royal et Bourgeois", one of the first French cookbooks, consisted of recipes from Louis XIV's kitchens and marked the beginning of haute cuisine.

Notes

References

* [http://www.lib.k-state.edu/depts/spec/rarebooks/cookery/viard1817.html Kansas State University] : "Le Cuisinier Royal," Paris 1817.
* [http://terroirs.denfrance.free.fr/p/bibliographie/Catalogue_livres_cuisine_V.html Bibliographie culinaire]
*William Carew Hazlitt, "Old Cookery Books and Ancient Cuisine" [http://etext.library.adelaide.edu.au/h/hazlitt/william_carew/h431o/introduction.html The "introductory" describes twelfth edition incorrectly dated 1805.