The Supper of the Lamb: A Culinary Reflection

by Robert Farrar Capon, Deborah Madison (Introduction)

From a passionate and talented chef who also happens to be an Episcopalian priest comes this surprising and thought-provoking treatise on everything from prayer to poetry to puff pastry. In The Supper of the Lamb , Capon talks about festal and ferial cooking, emerging as an inspirational voice extolling the benefits and wonders of old-fashioned home cooking in a world of fast food and prepackaged cuisine. This edition includes the original recipes and a new Introduction by Deborah Madison, the founder of Greens Restaurant in San Francisco and author of several cookbooks.

Genres: Food, Nonfiction, Theology, Christian, Cookbooks, Cooking, Christianity

284 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1989

About the author

Robert Farrar Capon was a lifelong New Yorker and served for almost 30 years as a parish priest in the Episcopal Church. His first book, Bed and Board, was published in 1965 and by 1977 left full-time ministry to devote more time to writing books, though he continued to serve the church in various capacities such as assisting priest and Canon Theologian. He has written twenty books on theology, cooking and family life.

His lifelong interest in food intersected with his writing and led to his becoming food columnist for Newsday and The New York Times and also teaching cooking classes.

Reviews

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVE. Read immediately.

From Chapter 16. "Why do we marry, why take friends and lovers, why give ourselves to music, painting, chemistry, or cooking? Out of simple delight in the resident goodness of creation, of course; but out of more than that, too. Half of earth’s gorgeousness lies hidden in the glimpsed city it longs to become. For all its rooted loveliness, the world has no continuing city here; it is an outlandish place, a foreign home, a session in via to a better version of itself—and it is our glory to see it so and thirst until Jerusalem comes home at last. We were given appetittes, not to consume the world and forget it, but to taste its goodness and hunger to make it great.”

[Jeremy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is commonly described as a theological cookbook. Cf. Tim Chester's A Meal with Jesus (see here for why food matters). Read a recommendation here.

Introduction to the Modern Library Food Series
ix: what food people buy says a lot about them; food is a lens through which to view the world—it tells a story

Introduction
xi: first pub. in 1969
xii: humor and wit as the most compelling kind of argument; fast pace is unhealthy, but so is the tyranny of nutrition
xiii: Episcopal priest; enjoyment of God's creation; contemplation
xiv: gluttony vs. enjoying the fulness of life
xv: the art of cooking restores the art of cooking

Preface to the First Edition
xxiii: cracks and interstices of the culinary keyboard; fiddling around and seriousness
xxiv: androgynous cookbook, yet some parts are obviously for women, and other parts for men

Preface to the Second and Third Editions
xxv: books like messages in a bottle (delight in finding them; don't want author looking over your shoulder); cookery and theology without one being used to get to the other [cf. C.S. Lewis]
xxvi: terminal delight; God as the Ultimate Materialist
xxvii: food as evidence of civilization

Chapter 1: Ingredients
3-7: his qualifications (amateur, loves food, and loves drink)
3: an amateur is a lover, someone who delights in something; boredom fertilizes unloveliness
4: lovers must speak out
4-5: looking at something with delight saves it from the trash heap
7-8: peculiarities (cookbooks, equipment, cooking)
7: he's Anglican
8: prejudices

Chapter 2: The First Session
This is the onion chapter.
11-12: place not as location, but confrontation
18-19: disastrous dinner party (but transfigured parsley)
19: St. Basil's Cathedral; importance of paying attention (great quote about the Bach unaccompanied sonatas)
19-20: idolatry of inattention

Chapter 3: The Burnt Offering
22-28: ferial vs. festal dining
23: two principles of ferial cooking
24-25: ferial cooking is not poor cooking; ferial cuisine can be better than festal cooking in its triumph over scarcity
25-26: ferial food is not dietetic (calorie counting); people on diets don't have a good sense of taste
27: fasting can help us avoid dieting (and continue eating with delight); ferial cooking must be exalted
27-28: prayer for sanity (bondage of "nutrition")
28-34: actual recipe

Ch. 4: The Generous Ox (meat)
35-37: dinner party parable
36: sensus lusus (playful spirit)
40: nourishment/nutrition/usefulness vs. deliciousness/playfulness/poetry
44: "open your eyes to the elegant oddness of the world"
Lots in this chapter about playing around.

Ch. 5: Wave Breast and Heave Shoulder (metaphysics)
45: "The minor leads inexorably to the monumental."; slaughterhouse (bloody ground) and temple (holy ground)
46-52: poem about mineral/vegetable/animal (I really like pp. 51-52)

Ch. 6: The Tin Fiddle (metalware)
53: homo faber: man the maker (of tools, mainly knives)
58-59: concept of the tin fiddle
65: newer is not necessarily better

Ch. 7: Living Water (gravy, soup, stock)
67-68: hurried activity vs. contemplation
69: moderation; abuse shouldn't dictate use
76: funny story about the portable compost heap
76-82: four recipes
82: the mushroom as proof of creation ex nihilo

Ch. 8: Water in Excelsis (wine)
83-84: poem about water and wine
84ff.: sacred vs. secular
85: the unnecessary nature of the world; God sustains it every second; "do it again" [cf. Chesterton]
86: goodness of the world (it's not a disposable ladder to heaven)
87: paradox of the secular (it stands apart from the sacred and yet depends on it)
87-88: pagan, secularist, and modern theologian (bad mixture of sacred and secular)
88: vestigia Dei
89-93: teetotalers vs. alcoholic beverage (ways to miss God's gift of wine)
90: funny section about raisin paste
91: made in the image of God—delight in creation
92: St. Thomas on wine—drink until cheerful
93-94: teachable preference is okay, but untutored personal preference is disastrous
95-97: corkscrews

Ch. 9: The Suspended Solution (thickening)
99: miracles are plain, but ordinary things bear the weight of glory
101: both great and small are significant
101-04: whisks, wooden spoons, and pots
107-08: use lots of butter

Ch. 10: And She Took Flour... (noodles)
109-10: benefits of a slow pace
110-11: Hell as a place where the delights of ordinary things are erased; counting calories as a scheme of Hell (a way to distance people from materiality/reality)
111-15: counting calories vs. fasting
116-21: recipes
121: making strudel is like life—difficult, but worth the effort

Ch. 11: Better a Dinner of Herbs... (nutrition; lettuce)
122-23: nutrition/balance isn't bad, but it can easily turn into idolatry
123: nutrition-mongering
123-25: process cheese, bread, soda, cereal, school lunches
126: confusing dig at protestants
126-31: resigned parenting advice (set goals, but don't hold your breath)
131: cook for yourself; delight in reality; don't cater to undeveloped tastes

Ch. 12: The Mysterious East
132-36: recipes (back to lamb)
133: advice on pinching
135: a dish in short supply keeps the enthusiasm high
136-37: the wok
137-39: stoves
142-43: don't clean ironware too thoroughly

Ch. 13: Bread Strengthens Man's Heart
144-45: three reasons to cook fancy and just plain eat
145-46: fasting
146-47: breakfast
147-48: lunch
148-50: cheese
150-51: butter
151-54: bread

Ch. 14: One Good Turn Deserves Another (puff pastry)
155: "Paradox is the only basket large enough to hold truth"
156: the paradox of complex-easy/simple-hard (e.g., writing, decorating, celibacy)
161: students must listen to teachers, who have been down this road before

Ch. 15: The Long Session (the sit-down dinner)
168: cocktail parties are impersonal
171: unnecessary largesse shows us what God is like
171-74: the guests; assigned seats (172); ideal number is 8 to avoid isolated conversations (173)
174-76: the menu; good > fancy (174); don't cook anything new (174); think of mechanics so that not all dishes come from the stove top (175)
176-77: the vesting of the table; don't crowd or clutter the table (176); air the napkins (177)
177-79: the vesting for the table; Tycho Brahe wore robes when he did his observing (177); your dress affects your conversation (178)
179-80: the dinner itself; say grace standing (179); be prepared with conversational gambits (179)
180: "The road to Heaven does not run from the world but through it"
181: the True Jerusalem is gloriously earthy

Ch. 16: The Burning Heart (heartburn/indigestion)
182-83: two kinds of heartburn, lower and higher (see p. 188)
183: we have to pay for pleasure with some discomfort (e.g., opening yourself to love brings the possibility of heartbreak), but there are ways to deal with the discomfort
184: the best solution for heartburn is baking soda, not pills
184-85: baking soda makes you burp, but boy is it satisfying
185-86: citation (mock epic?) in praise of baking soda
188-91: brilliant description of higher, unconsolable heartburn, or the longing that wells up within us when we experience joy at a wonderful meal with friends—goodness whets our appetites for more goodness; conclude with the poem from p. 52

Ch. 17: Recipes
192-202: breads flour mixtures, and rice
203-10-: eggs, cheese, and soups
211-23: fish and shellfish
224-41: meat and poultry
242-49: vegetables
250-66: desserts
267-71: beverages

[Katelyn Beaty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Genre-defying and oftentimes astonishing.

[Carol Bakker · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is far and away my favorite read of 2024.
My favorite reading experience of 2024.
In the evenings my husband and I read aloud to each other.
If you had told me when we married that 46 years down the road we would be reading (*and loving*) a, um, cookbook together, I would have given you a dubious eyeroll.

We paused to tease out the meaning of something that wasn't clear.
We paused to look up a word we didn't know (e.g. ferial - ordinary weekday not a fast nor a feast).
We paused to guffaw.
We paused to talk about the text, including how we might apply it.
We paused to look at each other through the tears...because it was that beautiful.

We've already decided that this will be, if not an annual, a regular reread.

Back with quotes...someday.

[Stephen Hicks · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ll begin this little blurb by saying that this is a great, beautiful, and entertaining book. Anyone who has a passion for cooking, an eye for wonder in the world, or the slightest romantic sensibility about existence should pick this up and dive in. Capon’s writing style is beyond conversational, and reading this book with drink-in-hand only enhances the whole experience of being with a good friend as he waxes poetical on the mystical nature of onions or the civilizing-effects of peasants’ stew. If the reader happens to be a Christian, this only enlarges the implications of Capon’s argument. The role food and cooking play in a life of faith is ill-discussed if not downright neglected by most modern Christian commentators today, but Capon, writing in 1969, knew exactly what was at stake in our communities, in our families, and in our faith.

Why the loss of one star, you ask? I’ve dubbed it The Annie Dillard Syndrome. The prose is so beautiful and captivating, the imagery so intoxicating that eventually the reader becomes a little stuffed. Like you’ve been eating past your share of a rich, chocolate mousse cake. By the end your stomach hurts, and you’ve become desensitized to the experience. So, as in all good things, temperance is key. Don’t let that stop you from reading this book regardless.

[Jill Courser · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quite possibly my new favorite book. Why did I not read this until now? Many friends recommended this to me, so I expected a good read. I expected it to make me hungry. I did not expect to be startled and astonished by Capon’s insight into the relationship between earthly dining and the wedding feast in the New Jerusalem. I did not expect a book on what it means to be fully human and seeing our fellow men as such. And I certainly did not expect to be moved to tears in nearly every chapter.

If you have ever cooked anything, eaten anything, or believe that Man is created in God’s image and is not merely another beast of the earth, read this book.

*Second read: it’s still as good as the first time; maybe even better. Solidly in the ranks of my favorite books and will likely be a yearly re-read around Christmas. I still have yet to actually prepare any of the recipes. Hopefully 2022 can be my year of the supper of the lamb.

*Third read: even better than the first and second. I have now made Capon’s puff paste twice, and both times the results were perfection. I think I may commit to preparing all the recipes in this book in 2023.
“Half of earth’s gorgeousness lies hidden in the glimpsed city it longs to become. For all its rooted loveliness, the world has no continuing city here; it is an outlandish place, a foreign home, a session in via to a better version of herself - and it is our glory to see it so and thirst until Jerusalem comes home at last. We were given appetites, not to consume the world and forget it, but to taste its goodness and hunger to make it great.”

[Tricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's actually impossible to say how much I love this book. It is everything: heart, wit, poetry, faith, food. I want to be this book when I grow up.

"Half of the earths gorgeousness lies hidden in the glimpsed city it longs to become. For all it's rooted loveliness, the world has no continuing city here; it is an outlandish place, a foreign home...We were given appetites, not to consume the world and forget it, but to taste its goodness and hunger to make it great." (p 189)

[Abby Litrenta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent… only downside is I now want to spend all my days learning to bake breads and make pastries, cook meals which are both thrifty and creative, and plan beautiful dinner parties.

Good thing I’ll soon be married and have time to execute some his ideas… I’m very ready to replace calorie counting with an appreciation and enjoyment of good food, and ready to replace my quick-fix meals for the artful albeit time-consuming recipes he suggests.

[Moses · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought a used, sparsely underlined, and I had to shake my head sadly at what the former owner thought was important. Capon's observations on the mechanics of food are no doubt helpful, but his inspired ruminations on food and spirituality are the real meat on this bone. It was distressing to see that someone could read this book and completely miss the point.

This is, of course, a book about food. More than that, though, it's a book about food as a testament to the "unecessariness" of creation (yes, creation) and how it was created solely to delight its Creator. This book shows us that if we love God first, we can love food more and better and rightly.

This edition is rather annoying. There are no less than four prefaces or introductions. The ones not by Capon himself are useless and also seem to have surveyed the book with blinders on. How can you avoid the spiritual import of this book? How can you avoid the CHRISTIAN import of this book? "Him who possesses eyes, let him see," I guess.

Five stars for being the most glorious meditation on life and consumption of its fruits that I've ever read.

[Meghan · Rating 4 out of 5]

An incredibly delightful book.
The word I keep calling it is Charming.
Absolutely delightfully charming!
The philosophy! The techniques!
The recipes (of which I’ve tried one, so far, and it is fantastic)!
The theologising!
Not to mention, the humor!
Oh my, I loved it.
I’m proud to say that I finally ordered us our own copy BEFORE I finished reading it, today.
I know no other book like it.

[Dominika]

An explosion of joy over the goodness of being.

[Isabella Leake · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally read after being on my to-read list for more than a decade! Such a beautiful book, one that stirs both soul and imagination.

I read it with a sweet book club, meaning that, on the one hand, my delight in it was diffused over a number of months and therefore doesn't feel as potent as it would had I read it more quickly—but on the other hand, I had the added delight of reading it in community + some truly excellent discussions with friends.

I really appreciate Capon's insistence on the being of things—those that we encounter in the kitchen especially, but by extension those we encounter anywhere in the world—as having their own God-given sovereignty. An onion, or a person, or a wine, or a dinner party isn't on earth primarily for our pleasure but to fulfill its own role in the Creation-wide tableau that mirrors Heaven.

Capon calls a utilitarian approach to these things that ignores their spiritual significance "idolatry." I'm not sure if that's his own idea or if he borrows it from his theological tradition (it's not how my tradition sees idolatry), but I found the idea compelling and potentially fruitful in thinking beyond the definition of idolatry I have inherited, which has always felt crushing, self-defeating, and Creation-cheapening.

There was so much goodness here, but I probably need to reread to get a better sense of the overall shape of the work and to record a more coherent reaction to it.

[ladydusk · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has been on my TBR and 'Currently Reading' shelves entirely too long. I was absolutely delighted absolutely every time I picked it up. It's highly recommended by all for good reason.

I'm generally accredited a decent cook, but I'm a total slacker compared here! Makes his own puff pastry?! Good.night.

Haven't - likely won't - try recipes but the contemplations are astounding.

[Tommy Keough · Rating 5 out of 5]

Astonishing.

I’ve never read anything like this. Turns out that the intersection of food, God, and wonder at the gift of living is exactly my genre. The genius of this book is the way wisdom is hidden in the most unexpected of places, draped in the finest and, frankly, most hilarious prose. Also, I made the brown stock and the meat glaze written here while reading and simply can’t recommend them enough.

A few quotes I’d like to share, to illustrate:

On onions: “Perhaps now you have seen at least dimly that the uniquenesses of creation are the result of continuous creative support, of effective regard by no mean lover. He *likes* onions, therefore they are.”

On meat: “Food is the daily sacrament of unnecessary goodness, ordained for a continual remembrance that the world will always be more delicious than it is useful.”

On mushrooms: “How anything so nearly nothing could at the same time be so emphatically something—how the Spirit brooding upon the face of the waters could have brought forth this… well, words fail, and mystery reigns.”

On wine: “How much better a world it becomes when you see Him creating at all times and at every time; when you see that the preserving of the old in being is just as much creation as the bringing of the new out of nothing. Each thing, at every moment, becomes the delight of His hand, the apple of His eye. The bloom of yeast lies upon grape skins year after year because He likes it.”

and, finally, On heartburn: “The healthy stomach is equipped to withstand the ravages of its own juices, but the rest of the anatomy sends out violent alarms when they make excursions.” (an entire chapter on heartburn. *perfection*)

[Alissa Wilkinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Within seven pages of the beginning, this book had hit my all-time favorites list. Anyone who has ever eaten food, or plans to eat food in the future, must read this book; buoyant, joyful, gritty, delicious, hilarious, and reverent, it richly deserves every accolade.

[allyson dunn-worthy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finished up this cheerful and ravishing read quite expectedly this morning while outside with a coffee and a j. The final chunk is the collected recipes & index, so the true ending caught my heart unguarded.

This book is unlike anything else I’ve ever encountered : the insistent pressing fingers of Rilke / quips and banter like Wodehouse and Murdoch / rich texture and banners of liturgy like Merton and Dillard and Tolentino. Perfect for my soul, a charge and a rejoicing. Utterly addicting to his prose voice !!!

Chapter 8 ‘Water in Excelsis’ was a highlight! I read it in the midst of harvest at the vineyard, and was delighted by his rhapsodizing about wine, as a fellow grape rhapsodizer. Such such such a gorgeous edification of earthward pleasure. “Only miracles are simple; nature is a mystery. Autumn by autumn, God makes wine upon a thousand hills.”


Every chapter was an invitation and an admonishment to see yourself as the priest at the Mass, lifting up the abundance of life on earth: the best wine you’ve ever tasted, the butteriest pastry, the most glorious dinner party you ever attended. REALLY felt the Rilke vibes throughout this book - in the “naming” of Creation we are participating in God’s manifested Realness, through which we become Real.

[Beth Easter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Girls, this is a perfect book. A true book! A proper regard for onions and baking powder will be a prism through which God’s world of “things” is transfigured and redeemed by love. Why have a programs task when you could share a “session” with a “thing” made by God for you to love? It’s Chesterton’s Rome, and Pieper’s leisure, and Guite’s eros, and Dante’s pilgrimage, and sacramental, and also a cookbook. Perfect.

[Anita Yoder · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful. Winsome. Profound. Funny. It's been a long time since a book made me laugh so much. Capon wafts between lecture and teasing, profundity and comedy, to make me even more appreciative of preparing and eating and enjoying food than I was before.
Reading this made me hungry and ready to plan a dinner party and revel in the glory of it all, while we prepare for the new Jerusalem and that supper where we'll bring ourselves and our memories of today.

[Jay Miklovic · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every once in awhile I read a book that I know has altered me in some way, and not necessarily for the better or for the worse. This is one of those books.

It's hard to even know where to start with this book. I supposed you start by saying it is a cookbook, a life altering cook book. Yet this is not the typical utilitarian cookbook that gives you a couple hundred choices as to what to have for dinner tomorrow, instead it gets to the very heart of cooking. Yet it goes beyond the heart of cooking, the very wonder existence. After reading this book I will never be able to cut an onion without a sense of wonder, I will see it as a crime against humanity if someone tries to clean my well seasoned pizza stone with soap, and I will use wooden cooking utensils whenever possible just because.

This book makes you want to eat big and fast hard, try new things, not only in your cooking. It was just a good book. The book does have a few shortcomings, there are times when my patience ran a little thin with the author, but all in all this was a really fun book.

I have only read a few books that have done what this book does. The author paints ordinary things in such way that causes the extraordinary things of life to take a back seat.

I don't recommend this to everyone, but if you are a Christian like both cooking and philosophy you would be doing yourself a favor to read this book.

[Elena Forsythe · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a unique book! Fr. Capon not only exhorts but demonstrates what it means that matter matters. Sometimes we need to love the stuff of earth, the stuff which God made--good food, wine, and a table of humans made in His image.

I look forward to the day when I can host a dinner party as Fr. Capon describes one. In the meantime, I also love his take on fasting and feasting, on "everyday" food like processed cheese (I will always love Velveeta), and the importance of sharp knives instead of tin fiddles. It's idealistic and overwhelming if you take it all as a mandate, but if you can just lean into Capon's enthusiasm, it feels like a way to love the world God made and enjoy Him through it.

[Alex McEwen · Rating 5 out of 5]

“The Supper of the Lamb" grabbed my attention from the first page, and I must admit, it quickly became one of my favorite reads in a very long time.

I feel like every time I go to grab a recipe from any online source, there is a 10 page story on how this meal helped the chef escape a life of persecution and now they share this meal with you. Fr. Capon follows in this line of thought, but instead of offering 10 pages on his life, it's a 150-page treatise on life, God, and everything in between. The centerpiece recipe, lamb for 8 served 4 times, is found tucked away in bits and pieces throughout the entire narrative. However, I don’t think Fr. Capon actually expects you to make it. Rather it serves as more than just a meal plan, it's an invitation into a worldview. A worldview where meals are meant to be shared among friends.

Filled with humor and insight, Fr. Capon, approaches his subject matter from a uniquely Christian perspective, blending his roles as an Episcopal priest and culinary enthusiast. I found myself in every piece of this writing. Fr. Capon hates modern kitchen gadgets and adores gas stoves. And he believes that cooking can bring us closer to Christ.

As someone who appreciates the intersection of theology and everyday life, I found myself drawn to Capon's message. In a time when Reformed Scholarship is actively reevaluating the reformed view of the Scholastics and their ancient philosophies, Capon's call to celebrate life rather than merely speculate on it feels timely. His emphasis on rejecting easy, cheap cooking in favor of a slower, more intentional approach is both refreshing and challenging. In this, I think we can celebrate Capon is the last true Christian Epicurean.

While the recipes included in the book may seem outdated in both ingredients and technique, they serve a purpose beyond mere instruction. They embody Capon's philosophy of thoughtful, deliberate cooking, reminding us that the process is just as important as the end result. In this, cooking becomes an everyday liturgy drawing us ever nearer to Christ and to each other.

Tonight, I'll be trying one of Capon's recipes myself, eager to experience firsthand the blend of flavors and ideas he offers. If you're a fan of authors like Wendell Berry, you're likely to find "The Supper of the Lamb" a delightful read. It will pair well with a glass of French red and a meal shared among friends.

[Bobbi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a joy to read. I loved everything about it. It made me think deeply, laugh, and hungry all at the same time. His writing is superb. Exceeded all my expectations!

[Joyce Weaver · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. This book just floored me. It felt like Annie Dillard’s “Pilgrim at Tinker Creek” but about FOOD and the endless delights and wonders of cooking! A stunning meditation on how having eyes (and bellies!) to see the glories of food on this earth bring us to the heavenly vision of the eternal banquet!!!!!!!

So many gold nuggets. Pardon the length, but I just can’t help but highlight some quotes below:

“Man invented cooking before he thought of nutrition. To be sure, food keeps us alive, but that is only its smallest and most temporary work. It’s /eternal/ purpose is to furnish our sensibilities against the day when we shall sit down at the heavenly banquet and see how gracious the Lord is. Nourishment is necessary only for a while; what we shall need forever is /taste/.” (40)

“Feed them [children], yes; but do not cook for them. Cook for yourself. What they need most of all in this vale of sorrows is the sight of men who relish reality. You do them no lasting favor by catering to their undeveloped tastes…We are the ones who have tasted and seen how gracious it all is. What a shame if we were to hide that light under a bushel.” (131)

“In this vale of sorrows, we should be careful about allowing abundance to con us out of hunger. It is not only the best sauce; it is also the choicest daily reminder that the agony of the world is by no means over. As long as the passion goes on, we are called to share it as we can—especially if, by the mere luck of the draw, we have escaped the worst pains of it. Do all you can to help, of course; but don’t, for all that, forget that you are also called simply to bear. In the end, the agony lies too deep for any cure except the cross. Fast, therefore, until His Passion brings the world home free. He works through any crosses He can find. In a time of affluence, fasting may well be the simplest one of all.” (145)

“For all its greatness, the created order cries out for further greatness still. The most splendid dinner, the most exquisite food, the most gratifying company, arouse more appetites than they satisfy. They do not slake man’s thirst for being; they whet it beyond all bounds. Dogs eat to give their bodies rest; man dines and sets his heart in motion.” (188)

[Coby Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can’t explain how wonderful, beautiful, and deep this book is. My heart burns and I yearn to enjoy good food, and for the New Jerusalem. I’m going to go chop an onion now to process these feelings. If I’m crying, it’s not from the onion…

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m not a cook, and I don’t enjoy it when I have to do it. I’m more willing to go without a meal than spend time on cooking one. So I have no business reading a book about cooking. But since this book is about more than that, I figure I haven’t broken any laws by reading it.
Since I’m usually such a stickler for reading every word (or it doesn’t count), I must admit I did not read the 70 or so pages of recipes at the end of the book. If I were a cook, I would buy it for the recipes, because this guy sure knows what he’s doing.
This collection of essays that all tie into a recipe called Lamb for Eight Persons Four Times was written by an Episcopalian priest in the late sixties. So besides getting his thoughts on food and the way we approach cooking, eating, and life in general, I felt like I got a peek into a different culture from a different time.
His essays were thoughtful, well-written, and often quite funny. There were two parts that made me laugh the most: when he cursed margarine to outer darkness in one chapter, and in the last chapter “The Heart that Burns,” where he sang the praises of baking soda as a heartburn remedy to the extent that he presented an imaginary reward to it.
This is one I wish I’d been reading on my kindle so I could highlight all the goodness.
Highly recommended, whether or not you love cooking.

[Conrad Stoltzfus · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Philosopher King does have his place, perhaps, but what the world truly needs is the Philosopher Cook. Robert Capon not only makes me wish eat at his table, but also to be in his kitchen as he works. He has a knack for discovering much in the little, bound to make wine of everyday water, and has even made me want to put the book down and peel an onion, just to see what’s inside. He is a man, just as adept in the art of joy and appreciation as in the culinary arts. This book is a celebration of the beauty of being and creating.

P.S. You may want to learn a bit of Latin before venturing into these pages. Robert has a habit of straying from English.

[Hope · Rating 5 out of 5]

Capon uses cooking as a metaphor for life. Don’t go for the processes pre-cooked garbage that passes as food because it’s more convenient. The best things in life take time and care and may even give you heartburn. He sees food as something to be savored and enjoyed as a means of seeing God's abundant grace in all of life.

Don't read this book for the recipes. Read it to remember what it means to be human!

One of my favorite books of 2023.

[Mariah Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. You’re not sure if you’re reading a cookbook or, at many places, a worldview book. You will never look at chopping onions the same way again. And for all that is good, his thoughts on counting calories and dieting were gold. You walk away confident in your stock making abilities, maybe encouraged to try pastry, and determined to serve your children more lettuce.

[Jesse Broussard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Magnificent. The prose is very reminiscent of Chesterton, with the same playfully bemused, grandfather smoking a pipe in his easy chair feel.

[Douglas Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book.