Congress Hotel, Home of a Thousand Homes / Rare and Piquant Dishes of Historic Interest

Transcriber's Note:
The spelling in this short text is a mixture of American and British English. The little French is both accented correctly and missing accents. The spellings below are exactly as found in the original.


Rare and Piquant Dishes of Historic Interest
Copyrighted by N·M·Kaufman 1914
True friends a few, a nice abode, And dinners fine and Recherchés— Far better such for peace of mind Than Life's refrain Ah Lack a Day.
— Grimrod de la Reyniere

he epicure says we live to eat; the ascetic maintains we eat to live. Perchance there is a grain of truth in the French maxim that we eat to live only when we do not understand how to live to eat. However that may be, those of us who are wise in our generation are content with the golden mean between these widely variant schools.
The dishes herein set forth are a few of the most piquant and rare in all the enchanting lore of cookery. About many of them cluster striking anecdotes of famous characters of history whose destinies have been strangely influenced by their epicurean tastes and habits.
These and other culinary masterpieces are produced at the Congress by artistes de cuisine, and served in their distinctive native form. Those who have visited famous eating places abroad will be glad to renew their acquaintance with these celebrated dishes. All who appreciate exquisite cookery will find them a delightful treat.