OP: La Veritable Cuisine de Famille

Kitchen Arts & Letters will donate all proceeds from the sale of this book from the personal collection of Gladys Bourdain to the Food Chain Workers Alliance in the memories of Anthony and Gladys Bourdain.  The price reflects our intention to raise money for this cause.

Published in the early 1900s, La Veritable Cuisine de Famille is, perhaps, comparable to The Joy of Cooking in its versatility and longevity. It is one of those books that was passed down through generations and has seen many reprints and republications over its 100+ year lifespan. 

 Tante Marie—a pseudonym unattributed to any one individual—presents a collection of 1000 recipes for daily fare, promising to help evade embarrassment at not knowing how to prepare the most basic and elemental dishes of French home cooking. From sauces to hors d’oeuvre, meats, sides, and desserts, full menus can be constructed from the recipes within, making La Veritable Cuisine a one-stop shop. 

 This 1972 “new edition” is a hardcover issued without dust jacket. Though the older paperbacks had more elegant cover designs, they are often found falling apart from years of heavy use. This edition was designed to last and remains a strong Very Good Plus, clean and soundly bound. The hallmark illustration of “Tante Marie” in her Breton lace bonnet graces the cover of all editions, including this one. It is, of course, in French.  Any French home cooking collection would be incomplete without a Tante Marie.