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gastronomy

 
Dictionary: gas·tron·o·my   (gă-strŏn'ə-mē) pronunciation
n., pl., -mies.
  1. The art or science of good eating.
  2. A style of cooking, as of a particular region.

[French gastronomie, from Greek gastronomiā : gastro-, gastro- + -nomiā, -nomy.]


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Art of selecting, preparing, serving, and enjoying fine food. Two early centres of gastronomy were China (from the 5th century BC) and Rome, the latter noted for the excess and ostentation of its banquets. The foundations of modern Western gastronomy were laid during the Renaissance, particularly in Italy and France. The influential grande cuisine of France reached its apex in the works of Marie-Antoine Carême and Auguste Escoffier. Regardless of regional differences in cuisine, a primary consideration in food preparation is freshness. Others include complementarity or opposition of taste, contrast of textures, and overall appearance, including colour harmony and accent. See also nouvelle cuisine.

For more information on gastronomy, visit Britannica.com.

Food Lover's Companion: gastronomy
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[gas-TRON-uh-mee] The art of fine dining; the science of gourmet food and drink.

Most dictionaries define gastronomy as "the art and science of good eating," or "the art and science of fine eating." The etymology of the word is generally attributed to the title of a poem by French attorney Joseph Berchoux, "Gastronomie" (1801). Early descriptive writings often assume gluttony. One versed in gastronomy is said to be a gastronome, while a gastronomist is one who unites theory with practice and thus becomes a gourmand (gourmet).

The original suffix root of gastronomy derives from the Greek word nomos, meaning 'laws that govern', which led to the notion that gastronomes are those who only dwell upon classic and haute cuisine. Implied too is that "the art and science of good eating" is confined to expensive, lavish, and complex meals requiring equally expensive silver and china. Fortunately, as is the case with so many rules and regulations, such rigidity of form can become uncomfortable. One so-called early proponent of gastronomy asserted that a true gastronomist should shun diversity—a rather narrow footnote by today's understanding.

Gastronomy has evolved from its original dictionary meaning to the point that it really would be best studied broken down into subsets by culture.

A further denotation of nomos, 'the sum of knowledge of a specific subject', gives gastronomy a meaning that includes a person's command of the totality of knowledge regarding the art and science of good food and eating. Rather than just beautifying the ritual of consumption, gastronomy now entails an appreciation and understanding of the many avenues of cooking and food production. For example, today's gastronomist would do well to have some knowledge regarding food chemistry and physics, food history, foodways, and culinary anthropology, including a link to the many cultures of the world via computer technology.

One should seek a better understanding of agriculture, aquaculture, and the technology of newer cooking methods and equipment, as well as information on the impact of eating and diet upon health, including foodborne disease and worldwide ecology. Gastronomy should promote lessons on how to taste, savor, and fully sensualize the dining experience, whether it is a family meal at home or a special dining-out event.

Simpler repasts should be enraptured alongside the grandest banquets. Standing at a seaside fish market and savoring a freshly shucked oyster just harvested and chilled from the sea can be savored as much as the expensive three-hour feast served in a banquet hall.

There is a tendency to judge food and cooking solely by what it looks like. When dining out, taste and aroma are demoted in favor of stylistic architecture. People, especially Americans, are losing the ability and sensibility of how to taste. Americans no longer savor or appreciate the joy and satisfaction of eating. Entertaining and pleasant conversations over dinner seem to have disappeared; food fads come and go before ever having had a chance to even establish an identity. It is time to relearn or reemphasize how the senses can be used to fully appreciate and relish the hedonistic pleasures of life. People are equipped with the necessary anatomy and physiology to elevate a boring biological function to one of life's greatest pleasures.

Bibliography

Montagné, Prosper. Larousse gastronomique: The Encyclopedia of Food, Wine, and Cookery. Edited by Charlotte Turgeon and Nina Froud. New York: Crown, 1961. First English edition.

Montagné, Prosper. Larousse gastronomique: The New American Edition of the World's Greatest Culinary Encyclopedia. Edited by Jennifer Harvey Lang. New York: Crown, 1988. Second English edition.

Montagné, Prosper. Larousse gastronomique: The World's Greatest Culinary Encyclopedia. Edited by Jennifer Harvey Lang. New York: Clarkson Potter, 2001. Third English edition.

Simon, André Louis. A Concise Encyclopaedia of Gastronomy. Complete and unabridged. New York: Harcourt, Brace, 1952.

Szathmáry, Louis. American Gastronomy: An Illustrated Portfolio of Recipes and Culinary History. Chicago: Regnery, 1974.

—Fritz Blank

Wikipedia: Gastronomy
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A selection of desserts.

Gastronomy is the study of the relationship between culture and food. It is often thought erroneously that the term gastronomy refers exclusively to the art of cooking (see Culinary Arts), but this is only a small part of this discipline; it cannot always be said that a cook is also a gourmet. Gastronomy studies various cultural components with food as its central axis. Thus it is related to the Fine Arts and Social Sciences, and even to the Natural Sciences in terms of the digestive system of the human body.

A gourmet's principal activities involve discovering, tasting, experiencing, researching, understanding and writing about foods. Gastronomy is therefore an interdisciplinary activity. Good observation will reveal that around the food, there exist dance, dramatic arts, painting, sculpture, literature, architecture, and music; in other words, the Fine Arts. But it also involves physics, mathematics, chemistry, biology, geology, agronomy, and also anthropology, history, philosophy, psychology, and sociology. The application of scientific knowledge to cooking and gastronomy has become known as molecular gastronomy.

The first formal study of gastronomy is probably The Physiology of Taste by Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin (early 19th century). As opposed to the traditional cooking recipe books, it studies the relationship between the senses and food, treating enjoyment at the table as a science. Most recently, in 2004, the founders of the Slow Food movement founded the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Bra, Italy, devoted to the principles of gastronomy.[1] Other centres for the study of gastronomy include the School of Oriental and African Studies of the University of London through its Food Studies Centre, the University of Adelaide through its Master of Arts in Gastronomy program run in cooperation with Le Cordon Bleu, New York University's Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development through its Department of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health, the Universities of Barcelona, Bologna, and of François Rabelais in Tours through their Master in the History and Culture of Food, and Boston University through its Master of Liberal Arts in Gastronomy program.

Etymologically, the word "gastronomy" is derived from Ancient Greek γαστήρ (gastér) "stomach", and νόμος (nómos) "knowledge" or "law".

See also

References

  1. ^ English Version Website of University of Gastronomy Sciences

External links


Translations: Gastronomy
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Dansk (Danish)
n. - gastronomi

Nederlands (Dutch)
gastronomie

Français (French)
n. - gastronomie

Deutsch (German)
n. - Gastronomie, Gaststättengewerbe, feine Kochkunst

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - γαστρονομία

Italiano (Italian)
gastronomia

Português (Portuguese)
n. - gastronomia (f) (Culin.)

Русский (Russian)
гастрономия

Español (Spanish)
n. - gastronomía

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - gastronomi

中文(简体)(Chinese (Simplified))
美食法, 馋嘴, 烹饪法

中文(繁體)(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 美食法, 饞嘴, 烹飪法

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 미식법, 요리법

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 美食学, 料理法, 食道楽

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) فن أو علم حسن الأكل‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮אמנות הטבחות והאכילה, גסטרונומיה‬


 
 

 

Copyrights:

Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. © 2006 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
Food Lover's Companion. Food Lover's Companion. Copyright © 2001 by Barron's Educational Series, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
Food & Culture Encyclopedia. Encyclopedia of Food and Culture. Copyright © 2003 by The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Gastronomy" Read more
Translations. Copyright © 2007, WizCom Technologies Ltd. All rights reserved.  Read more