Aristology

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Aristology is the art or science of cooking and dining. It encompasses the preparation, combination, and presentation of dishes and the manner in which these dishes are integrated into a meal.

The term has been largely superseded by "gourmet", which carries fewer connotations of purism and delicacy. An aristologist is likely to place great importance on the experience, skill, and artistic integrity of the chef, and disdain the use of cookbooks, ready-made ingredients, and other conveniences.

[edit] Literary record

The word is derived from the Greek άριστον (ariston), meaning "breakfast" or "lunch", and the suffix "-logy", connoting a systematic discipline. Its earliest attestation in the Oxford English Dictionary dates from 1835.

Edward Abbot, the author of the first Australian cookbook (Cooking for the Many, published 1864), described himself as "an Australian Aristologist".

The term has also been used in the mystery novels of American author Rex Stout, whose corpulent protagonist, Nero Wolfe, has a couple of encounters with a society known as the Ten for Aristology, who in his eyes are fools as dining is an art and not a science.