The Perfect Meal: In Search of the Lost Tastes of France

IACP Cookbook Award Winner (Culinary Travel)

“Full of humor, insight, and mouth-watering details, The Perfect Meal is a delightful tour of traditional French culture and cuisine.” —Travel and Leisure

John Baxter's The Perfect Meal is part grand tour of France, part history of French cuisine, taking readers on a journey to discover and savor some of the world's great gastronomic delights before they disappear completely.

Some of the most revered and complex elements of French cuisine are in danger of disappearing as old ways of agriculture, butchering, and cooking fade and are forgotten. In this charming culinary travel memoir, John Baxter follows up his bestselling The Most Beautiful Walk in the World by taking his readers on the hunt for some of the most delicious and bizarre endangered foods of France.

The Perfect Meal: In Search of the Lost Tastes of France is the perfect read for foodies and Francophiles, cooks and gastronomists, and fans of food culture.

Baxter’s search for these lost tastes is a rich and humorous exploration of what makes French food unforgettable.

• A Foodie’s Tour of France: Travel from the bustling markets of Paris to the vineyards of the Dordogne in a charming memoir that’s perfect for any Francophile.
• Endangered Foods: Join the hunt for rare and disappearing delicacies, including elusive truffles, legendary lampreys, and the ultimate challenge—a medieval ox roast.
• Literary & Culinary History: Follow in the footsteps of Proust to find the perfect madeleine and uncover the stories behind iconic figures like the chef Georges-Auguste Escoffier.
• Traditional French Cuisine: Go beyond the clichés to discover the history of the formal French repas, from the classic bouillabaisse of Sète to the surprising origins of steak tartare.