Tasting French Terroir, 54: The History of an Idea

This book explores the origins and significance of the French concept of terroir, demonstrating that the way the French eat their food and drink their wine today derives from a cultural mythology that developed between the Renaissance and the Revolution. Through close readings and an examination of little-known texts from diverse disciplines, Thomas Parker traces terroir's evolution, providing insight into how gastronomic mores were linked to aesthetics in language, horticulture, and painting and how the French used the power of place to define the natural world, explain comportment, and frame France as a nation.

Author: Thomas Parker
Publisher: University of California Press
Published: 05/01/2015
Pages: 248
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.70lbs
Size: 8.90h x 5.90w x 0.50d
ISBN: 9780520277519

Review Citation(s):
Choice 03/01/2016

About the Author
Thomas Parker is Assistant Professor of French and Francophone Studies at Vassar College. He is the author of Volition, Rhetoric, and Emotion in the Work of Pascal.