HUZARD (Jean-Baptiste). - Lot 70

HUZARD (Jean-Baptiste). Manufacture of Parmesan cheese. Paris: Madame Huzard, 1823. - In-8, 209 x 125: 44 pp. 1 plate. Havana half calf with corners, ornate smooth spine, marbled edges (period binding). Rare first edition. Descended from a line of farriers, Jean-Baptiste Huzard (1793-1878) was, like his father, a veterinarian. A member of the Société royale et centrale d'agriculture (founded in 1761 by Louis XV, today the Académie d'agriculture de France), he distinguished himself through his rigorous and innovative work, notably on stud farms, domestic animals, foal breeding in the Perche region, etc. In this work, he shifts the focus from animals to cheese, and examines the possibility of producing Parmesan cheese in France, following the example of Swiss Gruyère or Dutch Mimolette. This extremely precise text challenges the very notion of terroir, and offers a detailed analysis of the keys to making Italy's most famous cheese. The text is divided into two main sections, the first dealing with cheese-making and the second with the diet of cows and the way in which meadows are farmed. The edition is illustrated with a copper-engraved plate showing the furnace, boiler and wooden implements needed to make cheese. A copy in contemporary binding, enriched with two articles by the author on the manufacture of parmesan cheese, taken from the Annales d'agriculture. A very well preserved copy. Antique label from a private library at the top of the spine.