The Food Snob's Dictionary: An Essential Lexicon of Gastronomical Knowledge (Paperback)

by David Kamp (Author), Marion Rosenfeld (Author), Ross Macdonald (Illustrator)
Key Phrases: New York, United States, Food Snobs (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Food Snob n: reference term for the sort of food obsessive for whom the actual joy of eating and cooking is but a side dish to the accumulation of arcane knowledge about these subjects

From the author of The United States of Arugula--and coauthor of The Film Snob’s Dictionary and The Rock Snob’s Dictionary--a delectable compendium of food facts, terminology, and famous names that gives ordinary folk the wherewithal to take down the Food Snobs--or join their zealous ranks.

Open a menu and there they are, those confusing references to “grass-fed” beef, “farmstead” blue cheese, and “dry-farmed” fruits. It doesn’t help that your dinner companions have moved on to such heady topics as the future of the organic movement, or the seminal culinary contributions of Elizabeth Drew and Fernand Point. David Kamp, who demystified the worlds of rock and film for grateful readers, explains it all and more, in The Food Snobs Dictionary.

Both entertaining and authentically informative, The Food Snob’s Dictionary travels through the alphabet explaining the buzz-terms that fuel the food-obsessed, from “Affinage” to “Zest,” with stops along the way for “Cardoons,” “Fennel Pollen,” and “Sous-Vide,” all served up with a huge and welcome dollop of wit.

About the Author
DAVID KAMP is a writer and editor for Vanity Fair and GQ, and the author of The United States of Arugula, The Film Snob’s Dictionary, and The Rock Snob’s Dictionary. He lives in New York City. MARION ROSENFELD, a writer and producer, has spent her entire career in media, much of it food related. She lives in New York City. ROSS MacDONALD’s illustrations have appeared in many magazines, from The New Yorker to The Wall Street Journal. He illustrated The Film Snob’s Dictionary and The Rock Snob’s Dictionary.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Broadway (October 9, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0767926919
• ISBN-13: 978-0767926911
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 4.8 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #199,232 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Self-deprecating humor always works, November 11, 2007

By	Marcel D. Parrilla "Boricua norteño" (Kinderhook, New York United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Self-deprecating humor always works, especially when it conveys useful information. With just the right amount of words, this book is not only fun, it is very informative. Specially useful are the 'how to use in a sentence' bits. A great holiday gift.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great dictionary, great fun, October 15, 2007

By	Andrew Sachs (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Now you too can show off like a seasoned snob in the the finest restaurants. It used to be all one needed was an attitude and a working knowledge of the French language to show off in a great restaurant. But that was before terms like artisanal and zabaglione invaded. Now, thanks to the tireless efforts of the clever and funny writer David Kamp, all you need is this Food Snob's Dictionary hidden in your purse or back pocket. I never leave home without it. My friends are all impressed with my new found knowledge of food. Oh, and it's darn fun to read too.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars It's a slippery slope to food snobbery, October 23, 2007

By	Susan Tunis (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This compact book wasn't exactly what I was expecting. Given that it's a dictionary obstensibly for "food snobs," you might think it would show them some respect. But this dictionary, while quite informative, was completely irreverent and downright snarky. To be honest, I really found myself chuckling as I read the entries.

The "definitions" included culinary terms (molecular gastronomy, artisanal, crudo), procedures (brining, expedite, plating), famous chefs (Alice Waters, Marcus Gavius Apicus, James Beard), gourmet foods (speck, crepinette, fennel pollen), food purveyors (Dirty Girl Produce, Cowgirl Creamery, Niman Ranch), and kitchen equipment (bain-marie, All-Clad, Global Knives). Often, the word being defined is used in an illuminating sentence, such as, "Ever since Chef got his own TV show, he hardly ever cooks anymore; basically, he comes in two nights a week just to EXPEDITE and scream at us like a dick." Oh, and did I mention the foul language? Didn't offend me in the least. Actually, it cracked me up, but that's me.

Aside from the humor, there is a lot of good information here for the person looking to learn about both current trends and culinary history. As a San Franciscan, I was impressed by how many local food purveyors these New York authors included in their book. But they're not just bi-coastal, the mid-west was represented as well. If you're interested in the subject, this book is worth picking up to assess your personal snobbery quotient--or perhaps potential.