The Gourmand's Egg. a Collection of Stories and Recipes - (Hardcover)

About the Book

As Dalí's muse, Hitchcock's nightmare, and humble ingredient, the eternal egg weaves a fascinating tale back to antiquity. The first volume in TASCHEN's series with The Gourmand, sumptuously illustrated with exclusive photography and historic artworks, celebrates the link between food and art through original recipes and stories.

Book Synopsis

Poached, scrambled, boiled, whipped into a cocktail, transformed into a painting medium, tossed at an enemy's house. As the most striking of paradoxes, the egg exists in happy suspension between humble household ingredient and ever-powerful source of life.

One of the most enduring symbols throughout antiquity, eggs were used by the Romans to dispel evil spirits, modeled as priceless artifacts for the Russian nobility, and were woven into Egyptian mythology. In the debut volume of TASCHEN's series with cult-favorite The Gourmand journal, we celebrate the link between food and culture in a visual and literary exploration of the powerhouse kitchen staple. A collection of original essays and archetype recipes, from the perfect poach to artful desserts, celebrates the diversity of culinary traditions around the world.

The Gourmand's Egg. A Collection of Stories and Recipes is illustrated with exclusive commissions by acclaimed still life photographers--equal parts sumptuous, absurd, lurid, mouthwatering, and undeniably The Gourmand. Rounding out the volume are works from art history's titans, including Salvador Dalí, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Frida Kahlo, David Hockney, and Man Ray alongside texts from chef, food writer, and critic Ruth Reichl and writer and editor Jennifer Higgie, and more. "In cooking -- as in almost every-thing else," Reichl said. "It all starts with an egg."

Review Quotes

"The Gourmand's Egg. A Collection of Stories & Recipes dives into the cultural relevance and history behind the oval wonder, while blessing our eyes with the most eclectic visual companions we've ever seen inside the pages of a cookbook."-- "Tasting Table"

"The Gourmand's Egg is the first in a new series of sumptuous art books by TASCHEN, celebrating the connections between art and food."-- "The Telegraph"

"[A] gorgeous, frothy offering from food-culture journal The Gourmand."-- "World of Interiors"

"Editorially experimental, visually conceptual, but highly accessible because of the sheer wit of its inventive features, The Gourmand offers surprising delicacies."-- "The Guardian"

"The humble egg has provided inspiration well beyond the kitchen and is celebrated in all its guises in The Gourmand's Egg: A Collection of Stories and Recipes."-- "ArtReview"

"...an absolute playground for the eyes and mind."-- "vanityfair.com"

"...entertainingly explores the cultural and culinary history of the egg, with spectacular imagery and essential recipes."-- "Delicious"

"...turns the staple (ingredient) into a star, and charts its significant beyond the kitchen."-- "Apollo"

"A closer look at how eggs became a complex motif in countless works of art."-- "Salon"

"As this lavishly ovophilic work demonstrates, eggs are loaded with symbolic and metaphoric potential, and their hold on the artistic imagination, as well as our appetites, can be traced back through the millennia."-- "The Observer New Review"

"Celebrating the endless possibilities of the egg... whether it's poached, scrambled, boiled, whipped, deviled, painted, or even tossed, the egg is here celebrated in all its various guises: as both humble household ingredient and ever-powerful source of life."-- "vogue.com"

"This tasty title is well worth dipping (your soldiers) into."-- "World of Interiors"

"Every food-lover's favourite magazine 'The Gourmand' has begun a series of books dedicated to singular foods, featuring essays, recipes and always beautiful imagery. Scramble to get your mitts on the first, centred on the humble egg."-- "ES Magazine"

"A cracking new look at the egg... Culinary, cultural... it's all collected in this fascinating compendium of all things ovoid."-- "The Financial Times"

"Cracked, over-easy or richly symbolic: the humble egg in art."-- "The Observer"