The spirit of cookery

§ Francatelli, C. E., ‘The Modern Cook: a Practical Guide to the Culinary Art in all its Branches, adapted as well for the largest establish- ments as for the use of private families.’ London, 1816, 8vo. 44 THE SPIRIT OF COOKERY cookery mainly based on French precedents, while the curing of meat and fish was described by J. Eobinson.* Graesse, in his ‘ History of Literature,’ believed that Kitchiner, whose name is on the title of a celebrated cookery-book, t was a pseudonym. But this is not the case. Dr. Kitchiner was a learned physician who lived and practised in London, was the author not only of the culinary work here quoted, but also of several other works, amongst them one on ‘ Training,’ and another on ‘ The Preservation of the Eyes.’ A tablet to his memory is fixed in St. Pancras parish church. A curiosity is an Indian cookery-book,! translated from the Persian, published in English. It is not stated whether any Indian original was or is in existence, and it is just possible that it was written in Persian originally, though in India. East Indian cookery, however, never attained any development as an art, and the Hindoo confectionery, such as it was, exhibited by imported Indian specialists at the Food Exhibition in South Kensington, was not only extremely simple and monotonous, but very coarse, and repugnant to an educated palate. We have yet to mention A. Soyer, the author of ‘ The Gastronomic Eegenerator ; or, A New System of Cookery ’ (4th edition, London, 1847 ; 8th edition, ih., 1852, 8vo., in which a spirit-lamp for frying an omelette was propounded) ; also of the ‘ Pantropheon,’ a kind of history of cookery, with many illustrations and references (London, 1853, 8vo.). Soyer held a practical position in London during the middle of the present century, and enjoyed some publicity during the Crimean War, when he was commissioned to improve * Robinson, J., ‘ The whole Art of Curing, Pickling, and Smoking Meat and Fish, both in British and Foreign Modes.’ London, 1846, 12mo. + Kitchiner, Dr., ‘The Cook’s Oracle and Housekeeper’s Manual.’ London, 1833, 12rao., 8th edition. The first edition was published in 1817. J ‘ Indian Cookery, translated from the Persian,’ in the Miscellaneous Translations from Oriental Languages. T. i.. Nr. v. THE HISTORIC LITERATURE OF COOKERY 45 the camp-cooking of the troops in the field. He was the inventor of the hundred-guinea dish, to produce which a hundred turkeys had to he killed, of which each gave only the two dark meat lumps from the ischiadic region, called by the French le, sot I’y laisse, and notorious by Eeyni^re’s wholesale roasting of turkeys to obtain these bits, from which absurd extravagance Soyer no doubt borrowed his owm. Modern Publications — French and English. Amongst the more noteworthy French publications of the present century we have yet to mention M. de Courchamps’