Food and Flavor: A Gastronomic Guide to Health and Good Living — Reading Notes

Flavor as a Guiding Principle

Finck announces early that “flavor” is the guiding principle of his gastronomy. In the chapter “Vital Importance of Flavor,” he argues that sensual indulgence in eating is a duty and that flavor helps the stomach. He contrasts this with the harm done by soft foods and the folly of vegetarianism. The excerpts do not reveal his full argument, but the repeated emphasis on flavor—in the table of contents and in the Roquefort cheese description—suggests it is the book’s central thesis. Readers should watch how Finck applies this principle to specific foods, such as when he praises the “piquancy which makes the epicure’s mouth water” in Roquefort. The author’s tone is confident and prescriptive, often dismissing opposing views as blunders.

Historical Claims and Culinary Lineages

Finck traces the cradle of modern cookery to Italy, citing Katharine of Medici and the sixteenth-century supremacy of Italian chefs. He references Montaigne’s admiration for cooks who “can so curiously temper and season strange odors.” The excerpts include a digression on Roquefort cheese, which Finck claims was famous for over two thousand years and relished by ancient Romans. He also mentions the Sicilian Archestratus, who wrote a long poem on gastronomy 2250 years ago. These historical claims are presented as evidence for French and Italian gastronomic superiority. A first reader should note that Finck’s history is selective and often anecdotal, relying on figures like Voltaire and Pliny. The book’s structure—moving from France to Italy to Germany and Britain—reinforces a narrative of culinary progress centered on Europe.

Specific Food Descriptions and Production Details

The excerpts provide detailed descriptions of food production, particularly for Roquefort and Camembert cheeses. For Roquefort, Finck explains the process: bread made from wheat and barley flour with whey and vinegar is kept in a moist place until moldy, then the moldy crumbs are placed between layers of cheese curd. The cheese is ripened in natural caverns near Roquefort, ventilated by cool, moist air. He notes that the cheese is pierced with fine needles to allow mold development, creating green marbling. For Camembert, he cites New York hotels using 30,000 cheeses a week and the failure of American attempts to reproduce it, concluding that “you cannot import or reproduce local flavors.” These passages show Finck’s interest in the material conditions of food, not just its taste. Readers should compare these descriptions with his earlier chapters on denatured foods and savory cooking.

Polemical Tone and Cultural Comparisons

Finck’s writing is often polemical, as seen in his chapter titles like “Our Denatured Foods” and “The Folly of Vegetarianism.” He contrasts American and French methods, criticizing cold storage and chemical preservatives. In the cheese section, he dismisses imitations, insisting that epicures will demand the original and that law should protect them. The excerpts also show a tendency to generalize about national cuisines: French supremacy, epicurean Italy, German and Austrian delicacies, British specialties. A first reader should be aware that Finck’s comparisons are not neutral; they serve his argument for flavor as a standard. The book’s dedication to Luther Burbank and Harvey W. Wiley—two men who “have done most to make our daily food palatable and honest”—signals his alliance with the pure food movement. The excerpts do not reveal how Finck handles non-European cuisines, but the table of contents suggests a focus on Western traditions.

As you read Food and Flavor, pay attention to how Finck balances his roles as critic, historian, and advocate. The excerpts show a writer who is not afraid to name names—Mark Twain, Dr. Wiley, Carême—and who uses specific production details to support his claims. The book’s length and structure invite selective reading: you might start with the chapters on French or Italian cuisine, then return to the opening polemics. The author’s confidence in flavor as a universal principle is both the book’s strength and its limitation; consider how his evidence supports or strains that claim.