Elizabeth David (1913–1992)
Author of French Provincial Cooking
About the Author
Works by Elizabeth David
Is There a Nutmeg in the House?: Essays on Practical Cooking with More Than 150 Recipes (2000) 300 copies, 2 reviews
Elizabeth David Classics: Mediterranean Food, French Country Cooking, Summer Cooking (1980) 297 copies, 7 reviews
Associated Works
Choice Cuts: A Savory Selection of Food Writing from Around the World and Throughout History (2002) — Contributor — 368 copies, 2 reviews
Gourmet: The Magazine of Good Living, November 1968 — Contributor — 1 copy
Gourmet: The Magazine of Good Living, February 1969 — Contributor — 1 copy
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Other names
- Gwynne, Elizabeth (birth name)
- Birthdate
- 1913-12-26
- Date of death
- 1992-05-12
- Gender
- female
- Education
- Sorbonne University
- Occupations
- food writer
actor - Awards and honors
- Order of the British Empire (Commander)
Royal Society of Literature (Fellow)
l'Ordre du Mérite Agricole (Chevalier) - Relationships
- Gibson-Cowan, Charles (partner|1939-1941)
- Short biography
- Elizabeth Gwynne was born in Yorkshire and grew up in Sussex. In 1930, she went to Paris and enrolled at the Sorbonne for a course in French history, literature and architecture. On her return to England, she joined the Oxford Repertory Company and later the Open Air Theatre in London the following year. During World War II, she worked for British military intelligence in Egypt where she met and married Lt.-Col. Tony David, but the marriage was brief. After the war, Elizabeth David returned to England and began writing a series of articles about Mediterranean food. Books on French and Italian cuisine followed; within 10 years, Elizabeth David had become a major influence on British cooking.
- Nationality
- UK
- Birthplace
- Wootten Manor, Folkestone, Sussex, England ,UK
- Places of residence
- France
Greece
Cairo, Egypt
Sussex, England, UK
Alexandria, Egypt - Place of death
- Chelsea, London, Middlesex, England, UK
- Burial location
- Church of St Peter ad Vincula, Folkington, Sussex, England, UK
- Map Location
- England, UK
Members
Discussions
Canonical title in Bug Collectors (September 2021)
Reviews
When it comes to writing about food Elizabeth David is an icon. Her books are not only widely read, but evenly more widely discussed and considered bibles in the world of gastronomy. For a woman who cooked the way she did, living all over the world, it is no surprise she is still considered one of the best food writers of all time.
David's "career" in food writing began in 1947 with a frustration. Unable to get meals she enjoyed she vented her frustration by writing down descriptions of the show more food she craved, "I sat down...and started to work out an agonizing craving for the sun and a furious revolt against that terrible, cheerless, heartless food by writing down descriptions of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cooking" (p 21). And so it began.
Probably the best surprise to David's writing is her humor laced with sarcasm. An Omelette and a Glass of Wine is comprised of essays the wrote for well-reputed publications such as Vogue and The Spectator. While the writing is knowledgeable and professional there is an air of whimsy and playfulness running throughout. Here is an example, just to get you started: "He [the waiter] has been five years with the French navy, alors vous comprenez madame je connais les vins, moi. What he doesn't connait is that I like my Beaujolias cold, straight from my cellar" (p 42). In addition to having thoughtful, knowledgeable essays, An Onelette and a Glass of Wine is peppered (excuse the pun) with wonderful photographs and illustrations. This was a book I enjoyed savoring one essay at a time. show less
David's "career" in food writing began in 1947 with a frustration. Unable to get meals she enjoyed she vented her frustration by writing down descriptions of the show more food she craved, "I sat down...and started to work out an agonizing craving for the sun and a furious revolt against that terrible, cheerless, heartless food by writing down descriptions of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cooking" (p 21). And so it began.
Probably the best surprise to David's writing is her humor laced with sarcasm. An Omelette and a Glass of Wine is comprised of essays the wrote for well-reputed publications such as Vogue and The Spectator. While the writing is knowledgeable and professional there is an air of whimsy and playfulness running throughout. Here is an example, just to get you started: "He [the waiter] has been five years with the French navy, alors vous comprenez madame je connais les vins, moi. What he doesn't connait is that I like my Beaujolias cold, straight from my cellar" (p 42). In addition to having thoughtful, knowledgeable essays, An Onelette and a Glass of Wine is peppered (excuse the pun) with wonderful photographs and illustrations. This was a book I enjoyed savoring one essay at a time. show less
This is a work to be enjoyed on multiple levels and different occasions, as I am sure that I will do. Firstly the writing, the journalistic pieces, over decades of competent columns , addressing the subject of food and the selection, preparation and the cooking of her ‘stores’. David held strong views and expressed them strongly too! Her pieces for Vogue, The Sunday Times are full of historical references and facts, illuminating her pieces on the current fashions in cooking and show more eating.
Then there are the actual recipes, many of them her own but equally sharing others, be they contemporary peers or, quite literally, the historically famous from history. Few can write so authoritatively on Escoffier or Beeton as Elizabeth who surely earned her own place and standing among the ‘greats’ in cuisine. I had not even finished reading the book before I began cooking from it!
Lastly, despite having been written in 1952, her views and guidance on food, the quality and the care in creation of dishes, of presentation, of the sheer enjoyment of food are very current and appropriate today.
Then there is a bonus for those of us who love France – the descriptions of trips, towns and visits to those compelling produce markets in France … even if you have not yet discovered Elizabeth David, an author for ‘foodies’, long before our ‘celebrity’ TV Chefs, this book will delight you – on many levels. show less
Then there are the actual recipes, many of them her own but equally sharing others, be they contemporary peers or, quite literally, the historically famous from history. Few can write so authoritatively on Escoffier or Beeton as Elizabeth who surely earned her own place and standing among the ‘greats’ in cuisine. I had not even finished reading the book before I began cooking from it!
Lastly, despite having been written in 1952, her views and guidance on food, the quality and the care in creation of dishes, of presentation, of the sheer enjoyment of food are very current and appropriate today.
Then there is a bonus for those of us who love France – the descriptions of trips, towns and visits to those compelling produce markets in France … even if you have not yet discovered Elizabeth David, an author for ‘foodies’, long before our ‘celebrity’ TV Chefs, this book will delight you – on many levels. show less
When I first picked up Mediterranean Cooking I was trying to decide if Elizabeth David truly expected the everyday housewife to cook from this book. The magic of her writing is that her methods as far as cooking is concerned are unconventional and languid. Who else measures their olive oil by the wineglass? Even if you don't consider yourself a gourmet cook, The Book of Mediterranean Cooking is a sophisticated book to have on your shelf. It just looks impressive. It's one of those cookbooks show more you can pull down to read on a snowy New England night and dream of a mile-long Tuscan table laden with meats and cheeses and fruits, jugs of green olive oil, freshly pressed while a handsome someone in a long white apron pours you ruby red wine by the barrel. show less
Elizabeth David is one of the pioneers of food writing, and even 50 years later, her ascerbic, witty style still holds up, as do, surprisingly, some of her pet subjects. She rails against processed foods, decries the commercialization and dumbing down of great traditional recipes, and emphasizes the importance of fresh, local ingredients — and we can still relate. But even more engaging are David’s descriptions of French food markets, recountings of terrific simple meals in small, rural show more French inns and Italian restaurants, and reviews of food writers from previous centuries whose works might otherwise have been lost. Anyone who enjoys good food and good writing about food should read Elizabeth David. show less
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Statistics
- Works
- 34
- Also by
- 12
- Members
- 7,045
- Popularity
- #3,477
- Rating
- 4.0
- Reviews
- 84
- ISBNs
- 158
- Languages
- 5
- Favorited
- 19