Curnonsky
Encyclopedia
Maurice Edmond SaillandMaurice Edmond Sailland (October 12, 1872, Angers
, France
– July 22, 1956, Paris
), better known by his pen-name Curnonsky (nicknamed 'Cur'), and dubbed the Prince of Gastronomy, was the most celebrated writer on gastronomy
in France in the 20th century. He wrote or ghost-wrote over 65 books and enormous numbers of newspaper columns. He is often considered the inventor of gastronomic motor-tourism
as popularized by Michelin
, though he himself could not drive.
He was often called the prince-elect of gastronomy (Prince-élu de la Gastronomie) or of gastronomes, and he had in fact been duly elected in a poll of 3,000 chefs held by Paris-Soir
in 1927. There was at the time a series of 'Princes', including André de Lorde
, the Prince of Terror, and so on.
He advocated simple food over complicated, rustic over refined, and often repeated the phrase
which was probably due to Escoffier.
's husband.
According to his biographer Arbellot, he coined the name Bibendum for the Michelin
Man in 1907—because "Michelin tires drink [i.e. 'soak up' or 'eat up'] everything, even obstacles"—, and wrote Michelin's weekly column "Les Lundis de Michelin" in Le Journal
starting on November 25, 1907. It was originally signed "Michelin" but starting on March 2, 1908, it was signed "Bibendum". Michelin had used the phrase "Nunc est bibendum" ("Cheers!" in Latin) on a poster in 1898, showing the Michelin Man swallowing a glass full of nails, but it is unclear when the word "Bibendum" became applied to this character.
In 1921, he started the publication of La France Gastronomique with Marcel Rouff
.
He was named a knight of the Légion d'Honneur
in 1929, and promoted to officer in 1938.
In 1930, he co-founded the Académie des Gastronomes, modelled on the Académie Française
, and served as its first president, until 1949. In 1947, he started the magazine Cuisine et Vins de Francehttp://www.cuisineetvinsdefrance.com/ along with Madeleine Decure. In 1950, he was a co-founder of the Confrérie de la Chaîne des Rôtisseurs
.
To honor his eightieth birthday, eighty restaurants marked his favorite table with a copper plaque reading:
Cette place est celle
de Maurice Edmond Sailland-Curnonsky
Prince élu des gastronomes
Défenseur et illustrateur de la Cuisine française
Hôte d'honneur de cette maison
This led to the legend that eighty restaurants reserved a table for him every night in case he should show up, though by that point, he rarely went out at all.
Curnonsky died by falling out of the window of his apartment. He was dieting at the time, and hence it was speculated that he had fainted.
In 2003, German art historian Inge Huber discovered five boxes with letters of Curnonsky, and authored a biography "Curnonsky. Oder das Geheimnis des Maurice-Edmond Sailland" 2010, Rolf Heyne Editor
Angers
Angers is the main city in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France about south-west of Paris. Angers is located in the French region known by its pre-revolutionary, provincial name, Anjou, and its inhabitants are called Angevins....
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
– July 22, 1956, Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
), better known by his pen-name Curnonsky (nicknamed 'Cur'), and dubbed the Prince of Gastronomy, was the most celebrated writer on gastronomy
Gastronomy
Gastronomy is the art or science of food eating. Also, it can be defined as the study of food and culture, with a particular focus on gourmet cuisine...
in France in the 20th century. He wrote or ghost-wrote over 65 books and enormous numbers of newspaper columns. He is often considered the inventor of gastronomic motor-tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
as popularized by Michelin
Michelin
Michelin is a tyre manufacturer based in Clermont-Ferrand in the Auvergne région of France. It is one of the two largest tyre manufacturers in the world along with Bridgestone. In addition to the Michelin brand, it also owns the BFGoodrich, Kleber, Riken, Kormoran and Uniroyal tyre brands...
, though he himself could not drive.
Name
The name "Curnonsky" comes from the Latin cur + non "why not?" plus the Russian suffix -sky, as all things Russian were in vogue in 1895, when he coined it. He once said that this nickname was "my tunic of Nessus, as I am neither Russian, nor Polish, nor Jewish, nor Ukrainian, but just an average Frenchman and wine-guy [sacavin]".He was often called the prince-elect of gastronomy (Prince-élu de la Gastronomie) or of gastronomes, and he had in fact been duly elected in a poll of 3,000 chefs held by Paris-Soir
Paris-Soir
Paris-Soir was a large-circulation daily newspaper in Paris, France from 1923-1944.Its first issue came out in 4 October 1923. After June 11, 1940, the same publisher, Jean Prouvost, continued its publication in Vichy France: Clermont-Ferrand, Lyon, Marseille, and Vichy while in occupied Paris, it...
in 1927. There was at the time a series of 'Princes', including André de Lorde
André de Lorde
André de Latour, comte de Lorde was a French playwright, the main author of the Grand Guignol plays from 1901-1926. His evening career was as a dramatist of terror; during daytimes he worked as a librarian in the Bibliothèque de l'Arsenal. He wrote 150 plays, all of them devoted mainly to the...
, the Prince of Terror, and so on.
Philosophy
A celebrated aphorism of Curnonsky's was:- La cuisine, c'est quand les choses ont le goût de ce qu'elles sont.
- Good cooking is when things taste of what they are.
He advocated simple food over complicated, rustic over refined, and often repeated the phrase
- Et surtout, faites simple!
- And above all, keep it simple!
which was probably due to Escoffier.
Chronology
Curnonsky was a ghostwriter for 'Willy', ColetteColette
Colette was the surname of the French novelist and performer Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette . She is best known for her novel Gigi, upon which Lerner and Loewe based the stage and film musical comedies of the same title.-Early life and marriage:Colette was born to retired military officer Jules-Joseph...
's husband.
According to his biographer Arbellot, he coined the name Bibendum for the Michelin
Michelin
Michelin is a tyre manufacturer based in Clermont-Ferrand in the Auvergne région of France. It is one of the two largest tyre manufacturers in the world along with Bridgestone. In addition to the Michelin brand, it also owns the BFGoodrich, Kleber, Riken, Kormoran and Uniroyal tyre brands...
Man in 1907—because "Michelin tires drink [i.e. 'soak up' or 'eat up'] everything, even obstacles"—, and wrote Michelin's weekly column "Les Lundis de Michelin" in Le Journal
Le Journal (Paris)
Le Journal was a Paris daily newspaper published from 1892 to 1944 in a small, four-page format.It was founded and edited by Fernand Arthur Pierre Xau until 1899...
starting on November 25, 1907. It was originally signed "Michelin" but starting on March 2, 1908, it was signed "Bibendum". Michelin had used the phrase "Nunc est bibendum" ("Cheers!" in Latin) on a poster in 1898, showing the Michelin Man swallowing a glass full of nails, but it is unclear when the word "Bibendum" became applied to this character.
In 1921, he started the publication of La France Gastronomique with Marcel Rouff
Marcel Rouff
Marcel Rouff was a novelist, poet, critic, and historian, a friend of Curnonsky and his collaborator on La France gastronomique....
.
He was named a knight of the Légion d'Honneur
Légion d'honneur
The Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
in 1929, and promoted to officer in 1938.
In 1930, he co-founded the Académie des Gastronomes, modelled on the Académie Française
Académie française
L'Académie française , also called the French Academy, is the pre-eminent French learned body on matters pertaining to the French language. The Académie was officially established in 1635 by Cardinal Richelieu, the chief minister to King Louis XIII. Suppressed in 1793 during the French Revolution,...
, and served as its first president, until 1949. In 1947, he started the magazine Cuisine et Vins de Francehttp://www.cuisineetvinsdefrance.com/ along with Madeleine Decure. In 1950, he was a co-founder of the Confrérie de la Chaîne des Rôtisseurs
Confrérie de la Chaîne des Rôtisseurs
La Confrérie de la Chaîne des Rôtisseurs is an international gastronomic society founded in Paris in 1950. The Chaîne is based on the traditions and practices of the old French royal guild of goose roasters, whose authority gradually expanded to the roasting of all poultry, meat and game...
.
To honor his eightieth birthday, eighty restaurants marked his favorite table with a copper plaque reading:
de Maurice Edmond Sailland-Curnonsky
Prince élu des gastronomes
Défenseur et illustrateur de la Cuisine française
Hôte d'honneur de cette maison
This led to the legend that eighty restaurants reserved a table for him every night in case he should show up, though by that point, he rarely went out at all.
Curnonsky died by falling out of the window of his apartment. He was dieting at the time, and hence it was speculated that he had fainted.
Partial bibliography
- By Curnonsky
- with Marcel RouffMarcel RouffMarcel Rouff was a novelist, poet, critic, and historian, a friend of Curnonsky and his collaborator on La France gastronomique....
, La France Gastronomique: Guides des merveilles culinaires et des bonnes auberges françaises Paris, 1921-28, in 13 volumes. - with Austin de Croze, Le Trésor gastronomique de la France, 1933.
- Cuisine et Vins de France. Paris, 1953. A collection of recipes collected by Curnonsky from restaurants. New edition, with preface and updates by Robert CourtineRobert CourtineRobert Julien Courtine was a French food writer who also wrote under the pen names "La Reynière" and "Savarin".-Background:...
, Paris: Larousse, 1974 ISBN 2-03-018110-2. - Souvenirs Littéraires et Gastronomiques, Paris: Albin Michel, 1958.
- with Marcel Rouff
- Curnonsky: Prince des Gastronomes, Simon Arbellot, Paris: Les Productions de Paris, 1965. Biography.
- Curnonsky et ses amis, Association des amis de Curnonsky, Paris: Librairie Edgar Soete, 1979. A collection of reminiscences.
- Curnonsky – à la carte... Munich: Edition Curnonska, 2007
- Curnonsky – en route... Munich: Edition Curnonska, 2007
- Curnonsky – souvenirs gastronomiques... Munich: Edition Curnonska, 2007
In 2003, German art historian Inge Huber discovered five boxes with letters of Curnonsky, and authored a biography "Curnonsky. Oder das Geheimnis des Maurice-Edmond Sailland" 2010, Rolf Heyne Editor