Published in 1853 in Boston, The Pantropheon provides a fascinating history of food focusing on the table of classical antiquity. Author Alexis Soyer was a renowned “gastronomic genius” in his day, as well as a chef and culinary writer. With beautiful black-and-white illustrations, Soyer presents a wealth of information about food in ancient times: agriculture, milling, recipes, mythological origin, ingredients, utensils, exotic dishes, dining habits and customs, and spices and seasonings. Within this cornucopia of food history, Soyer calls upon Jean Anthelme Brillat Savrin’s quote, “Tell me what thou eatest and I will tell thee who thou art” to perfectly capture the essence of his tome, and it is precisely for this reason that his compendium is still culturally significant today and widely read among historians, food writers, and chefs. This edition of The Pantropheon, or, History of Food, and Its Preparation was reproduced by permission from the volume in the collection of the American Antiquarian Society, Worcester, Massachusetts. Founded in 1812 by Isaiah Thomas, a Revolutionary War patriot and successful printer and publisher, the society is a research library documenting the lives of Americans from the colonial era through 1876. The society collects, preserves, and makes available as complete a record as possible of the printed materials from the early American experience. The cookbook collection comprises approximately 1,100 volumes.
