The Physiology of Taste

Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin (1755 – 1826) has been credited with founding the genre of the gastronomic essay, together with Grimod. A French lawyer and politician, Brillat-Savarin believed that all food, no matter how simple, should be prepared and consumed with great artistry. Though prosaic, his meditations on food are still considered important, and should be read in the leisurely, artistic way he approached food: 'Those persons who suffer from indigestion, or who become drunk, are utterly ignorant of the true principles of eating and drinking.'