Where does all that claptrap come from?

Culinary history, you mean? A lot of the myths you routinely hear about the history of food come, interestingly enough, from the legendary Larousse Gastronomique — which, if you don’t own, you might seriously consider picking up. It’s the grandaddy of cooking encyclopedias. Its focus is, of course, French food and ingredients, and it’s chock full of all sorts of fascinating information including cooking techniques and recipes. It is also, however, the world’s leading repository of culinary fable. In that sense, it’s best suited to a spot on the bookshelf next to the Brothers Grimm.