The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1888-03-25
COOKS AND COOKERY.
Some Curious Bits of Gossip Relating to Cell
ebrated Cooks.


ebrated Cooks.
| New York Press.
The recent talk about cooks and cooking, apro-
| pos of Mr.. Vanderbilt's importation, calls to
mind some gossip about kings of the kitchen,
aye, and queens, too, for the very term Gordon
bleu was first applied to cook of the feminine
gender. These fair creatures, bent on winning
or keeping the favor of the tickle Louis XIV, left
footprints along the shortest road to mans
heart that have come down to as in the shaps of
receipts. The famous gigot la mailly was a
neat endeavor on the part of a court beauty to
Guido her most dangerous rival. her sister Nine
De Pompadour dished up her devotion in the
wonderful flets de volatile la Bellevue
The Queen herself did not disdain this method
of appeal TO the monarch's affections. and in
vented petite bouchees la reiue but the great
triumph reserved for Nine. du Barry. Not
a rosy tipped finger did she firt in flour and es-
sences, but she managed TO get up such par
feet and elegant little dinner for her royal lover
that he ate himself the verge of fit and did
turn purple when told it had besn prepared by
a woman. Like the modern epicure, Louis be-
1ieved there soul, sentiment in female
cookery, but now converted by this single eff
tort be sent for Du Barry's cook and conferred
upon her the Gordon bleu. an honor which made
the chefs of Paris turn green with envy.
The Duke of Newcastle-not the one here
now-but of century ago. a bon vivant
and his great kitchen was presided over by
certain Chloe. whose sauce and stewed mush-
rooms were known throughout Europe. Once,
however, guest of the Duke was taken SO vio-
lently Ill after eating of the mushrooms that in
alarm the host had his great beds of them dug
up It is said that Chloe nearly lost her mind
when the source of great triumph was DESTROYED;
but, after ALL how Insignificant does she appear
when compared TO the cook of the Austrian
consuLt Rather than her masters soup and her
own reputation should suffer she risked death
to gather some parsley. and, sad TO relate, both
parsley aud cook were minced by q thirty SIX
Russian FOUNDER.
Cooks of old were considered a sacred race;
even their fingers were consecrated to the del
ties The thumb was devoted to Venus, the
index finger to Mars. the middle finger to Saturn,
the next to the sun and the little one to Mer-
curry. Imagination has SO much TO do with
pleasures of the palate that impudence. conceit
and boastfuluess were held to be- necessary
qualities the profession. Hear one modest
cock: II may say have discovered the princi.
pie of immortality and that the odor of my
dishes would recall life into the nostrils of The
dead" Bechamel claimed that with he
had invented man would have no computation
In eating his own grandfather.
Great and grateful stomachs have not hest
tated TO bestow marks OF appreciation tTonn the
minds that catered to them. 1t 10 claimed that
women don't know good dinner when they
it, or. rather when they eat it An coutraire. it
was Cleopatra who went into such ecstases
certain repast that Antony gave the cook there
of city. Coming down to the conquest, Will
lam enchanted with fine white SOUP his
chef invented that he made him lord of the
manor of Addington. The Emperor Alexander
took off his own finger a superb diamond ring to
place IL on Cayone's. 1t is SAID the latter burst
into tears or gratitude. and the Austrian cooks
burstinto tears, too-of jealousy. English noble
men and judges of the bench have from time TO
they have led the presiding genius of the pots
and pans from the kitchen to the altar, and in
doing have frequently got poor wife in ex-
change for good cook.