The Battle of the Cookbooks and the Eighteenth-Century Novel

This article highlights the social and historical implications of culinary literary representations. The (con)textual history of food is revealed through its links with eighteenth-century codes and practices related primarily to social class, environmental and historical peculiarities and national identity (particularly in light of French culinary imports). The study aligns with Mihaela Irimia’s lifelong passion and specialization in eighteenth-century culture and also with her interest in material culture, in particular, food and drinks as cultural institutions.