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Saturday January 14, 2012

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gastronome [GAS-truh-nohm]

noun

1. A connoisseur or lover of good food and drink.

• Some are from authors almost no one has ever heard of: I've got a gorgeous signed limited edition from 1929 of Edward Bunyard's "Anatomy of Dessert," a British gastronome's guide to the best varieties of fruit.
  Russ Parsons, "THE CALIFORNIA COOK; Manna between covers", Los Angeles Times, Jan 12, 2012
• Sel de la Terre For those looking to eat well and include little ones in the celebration, Sel de la Terre may be your best bet. Its prix fixe menu - which includes dishes like house dry-aged beef sirloin with crispy sweetbreads, maple-glazed Brussels sprouts and mousse of pommes puree, and roasted skate wing with preserved lemon crab cakes and haricot verts - is available in half portions for young gastronomes.
  Catherine Smart, "Where to party with family, friends", Boston Globe, Dec 30, 2011

Origin of the Word

Gastronome, approximately 1823, derives from French gastronome, a back formation from gastronomie, from from gaster + nomos "arranging, regulating."