5 replies to this topic

[orangeman747]

I am looking to buy Escoffier's cookbook, but see that there are at least a few English translations. Does anyone know which one is the best to buy?

Thanks.

[Fat Guy]

I wasn't aware there were multiple English translations. The only one I've seen, and I'm pretty sure this is the standard work, is titled "Escoffier: The Complete Guide to the Art of Modern Cookery," translated by Cracknell and Kaufmann. I think it has been issued by a few different publishers, but I believe today the standard edition that's available is the one that Wiley has been publishing since some time in the 1980s. It's $44 on Amazon.

Escoffier: The Complete Guide to the Art of Modern Cookery

[srhcb]

I wasn't aware there were multiple English translations. The only one I've seen, and I'm pretty sure this is the standard work, is titled "Escoffier: The Complete Guide to the Art of Modern Cookery," translated by Cracknell and Kaufmann. I think it has been issued by a few different publishers, but I believe today the standard edition that's available is the one that Wiley has been publishing since some time in the 1980s. It's $44 on Amazon.

I'm not 100% certain either, but I believe that's the 1979 English translation of the 1923 French 4th edition, which probably would be the one most people would want?

SB

[Adam Balic]

There is also "The Escoffier Cookbook: Guide to the Fine Art of French Cuisine" which is an abridged version (not sure who did the translation).

There are also plenty of the 1965 translation on "Ma Cuisine" kicking about on ebay etc. One thing to be aware of is that the translations can be quite different to the original text. In the words of the "Ma Cuisine" editors

"Such gastronomic delights as frogs' legs and snails, for which France is justifiably famous, are included, and in many cases where ingredients are unobtainable outside France alternatives have been suggested, so that readers in the English speaking world may still enjoy the best of French cooking.".

I haven't had the chance to look through the 5000 recipes of "Escoffier: The Complete Guide to the Art of Modern Cookery" to see if this is also the case.

[paulraphael]

Right, I bought "The Escoffier Cookbook" on ebay, not realizing it was abridged. I had to rebay it and get the unabridged "Guide Culinaire" ... this might be the short title of the one you mention. It claims to be the frist unabridged English translation.

It's an interesting reference, but goes into precious little detail. Things like "prepare lamb as you would boar, lard thoroughly, roast several hours in front of medium fire, serve with turnips and sauce Niceoise."

I made that up, but it's about as helpful as Msr. Escoffier likes to be.

[MaxH]

The Cracknell/Kaufmann is the standard English translation of 4th (1921) edition of Le Guide Culinaire, sold under that title also for English-language readers. (5012 reference recipes from "Brown Stock" to "Vin à la Française.") Writers often refer to the book in English as the Guide Culinaire, so if you see references to that title, it's the same book (the standard reference book by Escoffier).

For some reason I haven't yet seen explained or discussed, recent printings call it alternatively Escoffier: The Complete Guide to the Art of Modern Cookery. That uses the title-page subtitle of a the Cracknell/Kaufmann translation of Guide Culinaire sold earlier (and still available used) as Guide Culinaire. (Could it be part of the recent trend that moves authors into title lines? For example movie titles like Jack London's Call of the Wild? This sometimes frustrates or confuses people looking under the established title.)

Edited to tighten up and offer further confusion. Publication history:

GC (French), editions 1903, 1907, 1912, 1921.
A Guide to Modern Cookery, English, editions 1907, 1909. (Also editions in Danish and German.)

So if you encounter blurbs citing The Complete Guide to the Art of Modern Cookery as a revision of A Guide to Modern Cookery, that may be a little confusing because they were separate translations of Escoffier books of different editions. (Sources: Edition of Cracknell/Kaufman titled Le Guide Culinaire, and Bitting.)

Edited by MaxH, 04 April 2007 - 07:43 PM.