It weighs around three kilograms, contains 2,500 recipes, runs to over 1,200 pages and is known to chefs around the world as ‘The Bible’. Since 1938, Larousse Gastronomique has defined classic French cuisine with its encyclopaedic coverage of recipes – from escargots à l’Arlésienne to coquilles Saint-Jacques.
In 1961, it took over 20 food experts to translate it into English. The English edition has been updated several times and still contains most of the essential recipes and methods for classic French cuisine, accompanied by scant and charmingly dated photos.
“The original 1961 English translation still included old French recipes for cooking cat, crow and donkey,” says culinary book expert Tim White from Books for Cooks. “But it remains an anchor of classic culinary technique, diverse dishes and, most importantly, their cultural context,” he says. He notes that, at times, it can be very conservative. But it’s still a foundation book in any chef’s library – especially for chefs who, at some stage in their career, will cook French bistro classics. “You have Larousse as the reference and you cross-reference your other recipe books,” says Tim.
Larousse Gastronomique contains 50 different crème recipes, from crème pâtissière – essential for any pastry chef – to crème Chiboust. Crème Dubarry also appears – a cream of cauliflower soup named after Madame du Barry, the last mistress and favourite of King Louis XV. The soup is thickened with a roux and a blend of egg yolks and crème fraîche, resulting in a silky-smooth texture. There are French regional dishes like tapinette from Orléans – a sweet shortcrust pie filled with junket, baked with eggs. It also covers the history of famous dishes, such as the first Paris–Brest, baked in commemoration of the Paris–Brest bicycle race in 1891. It provides brief overviews of global wine regions, biographies of famous chefs and explanations of European dishes that have become popular outside their home countries such as yakitori and goulash.
“And with each new English translation, more and more outdated French recipes have been dropped, while references to Italian and Asian cuisine have increased,” says Tim.
Tim believes that Larousse in 2025 is more important than ever. “Since the pandemic,” he says, “there has been a retreat to safety in menus. Classic bistro food is back in a big way – classic French dishes or variations thereof.” He explains that there is a reason for this. Restaurants are businesses designed to make money by transforming ingredients into profit using skill, tradition and technique. French bistro recipes have been carefully honed to create delicious dishes from often cheaper and simpler ingredients. There is little waste, as Larousse contains uses for every trim or peel. “The recipes in Larousse, especially the classics, have cost control built into them,” says Tim.
While Larousse remains an important reference, it has its drawbacks. “It’s old-school,” says Tim. “It won’t give you modernist techniques, contemporary food presentation or even updated food safety guidelines,” he says. “And in the English edition, the names of traditional garnishes and recipes for some old-fashioned sauces have been removed.”
“I wouldn’t necessarily recommend Larousse Gastronomique for the home cook,” says Tim. “It is nice to have, but there are better references, like Stephanie Alexander’s Cook’s Companion.” However, for a professional chef, a strong foundation in technique is essential. “Larousse provides the background for a dish, its cultural context and, in most cases, the recipes,” he says. “Therefore, it remains an essential classic reference for professional chefs – covering technique, context and even the proper spelling for the menu.”
So, while Larousse can seem stiff, a little outdated and occasionally pompous, it still has a lot to offer any chef who is truly invested in the traditions of the culinary arts.
