Cupboard Love: A Dictionary of Culinary Curiosities

By Mark Morton

“A whimsical, side-splitting, erudite, and sometimes cheeky book.” – The Globe and Mail

From everyday foods to exotic dishes, from the herbs and spices of medieval England to the cooking implements of the modern kitchen, Cupboard Love is a sumptuous feast that explores the fascinating stories behind familiar and not-so-familiar gastronomic terms.

Who knew that the word “pomegranate” is related to the word “grenade”? That “baguette” is a cousin of “bacteria”? That “soufflé” comes from the same root as “flatulence”? Who knew that “vermicelli” is Italian for “little worms,” that “avocado” comes from an Aztec word meaning “testicle,” or that “catillation” denotes the unseemly licking of plates?

Originally published in 1996 and revised and expanded in 2004, and now available again for the first time in two decades in this new edition, Cupboard Love was one of three books nominated for a 1996 Julia Child Cookbook Award in the Food Reference/Technical Category (Calphalon Award), and was included in The Globe and Mail’s list of “required reading” notable books for 1997.

Addictively readable, it takes us on a journey across cultures and history to arrive at the explanations behind some of our favorite culinary words and phrases, answering along the way those questions we’ve always had about food but were afraid to ask the cook.

“Morton lays out the histories of hundreds of food-related terms as deftly and completely as any casual reader could wish.” – The Atlantic

“Morton has brought together terms from a la to Zuppa Inglese that occur in the history of cuisine. Worldwide in scope and reaching back hundreds of years, the book reveals how food words came about and how they influenced other words and phrases . . . Thoroughly researched, well presented, fascinating, and a wonderful addition to reference collections, especially for libraries supporting interest in culinary arts or etymology.” – Choice Reviews