Dumas on Food: Recipes and Anecdotes from the Classic Grand Dictionnaire de Cuisine

L’istrione

Avrò messo su una decina di chili in questo mesetto trascorso in compagnia di Dumas, ma non ho rimorsi, ne è valsa la pena.
Il Grande Dizionario di Cucina è un autentico gioiello, anzi, un vero e proprio tesoro. Dumas è un animale da scrittura formidabile: non solo ricette (oltre tremila), ma un viaggio avventuroso su battelli a vapore e carrozze, in giro per l’Europa, e non solo.
Appassionato gastronomo, profondo conoscitore di cucina, ingredienti, vini, ecc… a volte lascia un po’ interdetti (come quando ci spiega come vanno cucinati i piedi di elefante o quanto siano succulente le zuppe fatte con i muscoli dei canguri), ma la sua curiosità e il suo gusto, il suo entusiasmo ci regalano l’immagine di un uomo che ha saputo godersi la vita fino in fondo. Beato lui!

https://youtu.be/NrA2MQg5ICc

PS. Adesso però devo mettermi a stecchetto per un po’ se voglio essere in forma per la prova costume. Evabbè…

This is cusine how Dumas believed it should be. The book gets a bit pompous at times, but that is part of the reason I enjoyed it so much.

useful as a French cookbook and as social history

Dumas created an excellent combination of recipes and short stories. It is worth reading!

So not only did the Afro French writer Alexandre Dumas-pers- write the most amazing adventures like my favorite, The Count of Monte Christo,
but this most amazing cook book.

Its not just has amazing and old world recipes but stores and facts. Such as I never knew that rabbits were from Africa and that they are best if the rabbits warren is exposed to the east or south. Or who know that the strong and muscular tale of the Kangaroo makes the best and tastiest of soups. We also learn what Dumas won't eat, like Eagles "let us leave it to soar and defy the sun, but eat it not" Or sea frogs that are "monstrous". Also the great Dumas will not eat Pate De Foie Gras because as he states these animals are submitted to unheard of tortures worse than those suffered under the early Christians. "Their feet are nailed to the floor movement will not delay their obesity and their eyes are put out as to not distract them with views from the outside world." O.K with that said they have some great recipes like crawfish bisque, Roasts, etc, Also veggies will also enjoy this book as well because there are several dishes with no meat

One of my personal faves, gave me an insightful look into the past.

This is a very odd book. Abridged from Dumas’ La Grand Dictionnaire de Cuisine, it consists of a food dictionary, various recipes, personal and historical food anecdotes, the occasional menu, a bit of natural history, and selections from a 5000 word ad for Bornibus brand mustard, among other things, much of it lifted from other sources with or without attribution. The translators (Alan and Jane Davidson) made a strong case in the preface for why the text had to be abridged, and I can’t find any grounds to argue with them.

The recipes are occasionally of historical interest, but little practical use: “put some béchamel and some consommé, in the right proportion for the amount of meat available, into a casserole.” Additionally, they frequently make use of obsolete or arcane cookware. Often, the most amusing asides are found in the translators’ notes:

Dumpling: “[we have done our best, with the help of pastry experts on both sides of the channel, to make sense of this recipe, but have concluded that it can only be presented as an example of how Dumas could go astray in dealing with dishes with which he was not familiar]”

“[Norfolk dumplings are named for the county, not for the Duke thereof. They are not made in the manner described]”

Eel: “[This anecdote... is baffling]”

Sauce: “[This whole section is of disappointing quality]

Sauce: “[Dumas also refers often to sauce à l’hollandaise. His own recipe is not suitable for use, and readers are advised to use their own usual recipe.]”

The translators did a fair amount of work elucidating the many areas where Dumas confused different fish species for one another, but weren’t equally diligent with other taxa. For instance, in his entry for kingfishers, after briefly (correctly) referencing Ceyx and Halcyon of Greek mythology, Dumas claims these are “none other than the swallow which lives on the shores of Cochin-China...” and evidently proceeds to describe Edible-nest Swifts in some detail, which the translators let pass without comment. This is due, no doubt, to their own ignorance, as evidenced again when they translated “Macreuse” as “Widgeon” even as Dumas was obviously (and correctly) writing about scoters.

The book’s (and Dumas’) strengths shine through in the various historically interesting tidbits: why the French mix chicory in their coffee; that Captain Cook was saved from illness by dog bouillon; why Italians insult each other by making a “fig” gesture. Whether these are true or apocryphal, I couldn’t say, since Dumas’ love of a good story trumps everything else.

And of course there are opportunities for his characteristic wit and brilliance, such as his entry for Hermit Crab:

“There is nothing more comical than this little crustacean. Nature has furnished him with armour as far as the waist—cuirass, gauntlets, and visor of iron, this half of him has everything. But from the waist to the other end there is nothing, not even a shirt... The Creator, who had begun to dress the creature as a lobster, was disturbed or distracted in the middle of the operation and finished him off as a slug.”

All-in-all, this work is a slog, even for diehard Dumas enthusiasts. What with the constant preoccupation of this or that food’s effect on digestion; incomplete or incorrect information; recipes that are impossible to follow - thank goodness this was abridged! But while I won’t be revisiting it anytime soon, it helps to shed light on Dumas’ lifetime love affair food. And being the last manuscript he completed before his death, presents a time capsule of his final days’ literary preoccupation.

This book is something unique and special, definitely not some ordinary cookbook. For one, Alexandre Dumas, who's most famous for The Three Musketeers, felt that THIS was his magnum opus, the chef d'oeuvre that he wanted to be remembered for. And second, it's an odd mix of stories mixed with culinary history mixed with definitions of foods that modern-day folks more than likely have never heard of and of food that literally anybody would know of. You could borrow some recipes and actually try them, and they may work today, but most of them are too archaic with ingredients that either don't exist anymore, or if they do, it's extremely rare and probably costs a fortune, or the techniques are too outdated when obviously back then they didn't have the tools and devices that we have now to make cooking a little less time-consuming. It's best to view this book as more a historical text on looking back on what Alexandre Dumas liked to eat and what people in his time enjoyed eating. Some sections can be dry, but it still manages to be entertaining and educational. It's just interesting seeing how some recipes are not really that different to how the dish is made still, or how some were just so complex, probably more than necessary, to get the same result. Yes, Alexandre Dumas sure was snobbish and over the top about food, but that's part of this book's charm, his passion for food is precisely what makes this book great and memorable.