"...Larousse Gastronomique, Julia Child's favorite book and quite possibly the one book you should have in your cookbook library. Well, other than Mastering the Art of French Cooking.

Larousse Gastronomique is not precisely a cookbook but an encylopedia, a catalog of culinary terms, techniques and recipes. First published in France in 1938, the book was edited by Prosper Montagné, contained a preface by Georges Auguste Escoffier, and numbered 1087 pages. Larousse was translated into English in 1961, and in 2001 an updated version, expanded a few hundred pages to include more cuisines and photographs and overseen by culinary luminary Joël Robuchon.

The book covers a lot of ground, from abaisse (a sheet of pastry) to zuppa inglese (a 19th century Neapolitan dessert), weighs a hefty 8 pounds (useful to weight terrines), and packs in a surprising amount of recipes. It's an awesome book, pleasurably daunting in its scope, and you can see why Child revered it. "If I were allowed only one reference book in my library," she wrote, "Larousse Gastronomique would be it, without question." (via Squid Ink)

I have about 1,000 cookbooks, but this is one of the few within reach at all times.

Not for the novice chef, the Larousse Gastronomique is the be-all-end-all of classic French cooking. Worthy of college credit.

I have a vintage copy. It has everything you want to know about food in one book as far as reference goes. It’s the dictionary of food