One sirloin, three sirloins with shallots, ten steaks, two steak au poivres, three complets, one rump steak with mustard...

Attempt at an Inventory of the Liquid and Solid Foodstuffs Ingurgitated by Georges Perec in the Course of the Year Nineteen Hundred and Seventy-Four

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French novelist Georges Perec was an experimental writer whose affection for the trusty list is rivalled by very few. In 1974 he attempted to keep a record of every single thing he ate and drank for the duration of the year and then presented the results in a list which, having been translated to English by John Sturrock, is strangely compelling. It is titled, unambiguously, Attempt at an Inventory of the Liquid and Solid Foodstuffs Ingurgitated by Me in the Course of the Year Nineteen Hundred and Seventy-Four.

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Nine beef broths, one iced cucumber soup, one mussel soup.

Two Guéméné andouilles, one jellied andouillette, one Italian charcuterie, one saveloy, four mixed charcuteries, one coppa, three pork platters, one figatelli, one foie gras, one fromage de tête, one boar’s head, five Parma hams, eight pâtés, one duck pâté, one liver pâté with truffles, one pâté en croûte, one pâté grandmère, one thrush pâté, six Landes pâtés, four brawns, one foie- gras mousse, one pig’s trotters, seven rillettes, one salami, two saucissons, one hot saucisson, one duck terrine, one chicken-liver terrine.

One blini, one empanada, one dried beef.

Three snails.

One Belon oysters, three scallops, one shrimps, one shrimp croustade, one friture, two baby eel fritures, one herring, two oysters, one mussels, one stuffed mussels, one sea urchins, two quenelles au gratin, three sardines in oil, five smoked salmons, one taramasalata, one eel terrine, six tunas, one anchovy toast, one crab.

Two haddock, one sea bass, one skate, one sole, one tuna.

Four artichokes, one asparagus, one aubergine, one mushroom salad, fourteen cucumber salads, four cucumbers à la crème, fourteen celery rémoulades, two Chinese cabbages, one palm hearts, eleven crudités, two green-bean salads, thirteen melons, two salades niçoises, two dandelion salads with bacon, fourteen radishes with butter, three black radishes, five rice salads, one Russian salad, seven tomato salads, one onion tart.

One Roquefort croquette, five croque-monsieurs, three quiche Lorraines, one tarte aux maroilles, one yogurt with cucumber and grapes, one Romanian yogurt.

One torti salad with crab and Roquefort.

One eggs with anchovy, two boiled eggs, two eggs en meurette, one ham and eggs, one bacon and eggs, one eggs en cocotte with spinach, two eggs in aspic, two scrambled eggs, four omelettes, one sort-of omelette, one bean-sprout omelette, one horn-of-plenty omelette, one duck-skin omelette, one confit d’oie omelette, one herb omelette, one Parmentier omelette.

One sirloin, three sirloins with shallots, ten steaks, two steak au poivres, three complets, one rump steak with mustard, five roast beefs, two ribs of beef, two top rump steaks, three beef grillades, two chateaubriands, one steak tartare, one rosbif, three cold rosbifs, fourteen entrecôtes, three entrecôtes à la moelle, one fillet of beef, three hamburgers, nine skirts of beef, one flank of beef.

Four pot-au-feus, one daube, one jellied daube, one braised beef, one beef mode, one beef gros sel, one beef in a thin baguette.

One braised veal with noodles, one sauté of veal, one veal chop, one veal chop with pasta shells, one ‘veal entrecôte’, six escalopes, six escalopes milanaise, three escalopes à la crème, one escalope with morels, four blanquettes de veau.

Five audouillettes, three black puddings, one black pudding with apples, one pork cutlet, two sauerkrauts, one Nancy sauerkraut, one pork chop, eleven pairs of frankfurters, two port grillades, seven pigs’ trotters, one cold pork, three roast porks, one roast pork with pineapple and bananas, one pork sausage with haricots.

One milk-fed lamb, three lamb cutlets, two curried lambs, twelve gigots, one saddle of lamb.

One mutton cutlet, one shoulder of mutton.

Five chickens, one chicken kebab, one lemon chicken, one chicken en cocotte, two chicken basquaises, three cold chickens, one stuffed chicken, one chicken with chestnuts, one chick with herbs, two jellied chickens.

Seven poules au riz, one poule au pot.

One pullet au riz.

One coq au Riesling, three coq au vins, one coq au vinaigre.

One duck with olives, one duck breast.

One guinea fowl casserole.

One guinea fowl with cabbage, one guinea fowl with noodles.

Five rabbits, two rabbits en gibelotte, one rabbit with noodles, one rabbit à la crème, three rabbits with mustard, one rabbit chasseur, one rabbit with tarragon, one rabbit à la tourangelle, three rabbits with plums.

Two young wild rabbits with plums.

One civet of hare à l’alsacienne, one daube of hare, one hare stew, one saddle of hare.

One wild-pigeon casserole.

One kidney kebab, three kebabs, one mixed grill, one kidneys with mustard, one calves’ kidneys, three têtes de veau, eleven calves’ livers, one calves’ tongue, one calves’ sweetbread with pommes sarladaises, one terrine of calves’ sweetbreads, one lambs’ brains, two fresh goose livers with grapes, one confit of goose gizzards, two chicken livers.

Twelve assorted cold meats, two assiettes anglaises, n cold cuts, two couscous, three ‘Chinese’, one moulakhia, one pizza, one pan bagnat, one tajine, six sandwiches, one ham sandwich, one rillettes sandwich, three cantal sandwiches.

One ceps, one kidney beans, seven green beans, one sweetcorn, one puréed cauliflower, one puréed spinach, one puréed fennel, two stuffed peppers, two pommes frites, nine gratins dauphinois, four mashed potatoes, one pommes dauphines, one pommes boulangères, one pommes soufflées, one roast potatoes, one sauté potatoes, four rice, one wild rice.

Four pasta, three noodles, one fettucine with cream, one macaroni cheese, one macaroni, fifteen fresh noodles, three rigatoni, two ravioli, four spaghetti, one tortellini, five tagliatelle verde.

Thirty-five green salads, one mesclun salad, one Treviso salad à la crème, two chicory salads.

Seventy-five cheese, one ewe’s cheese, two Italian cheeses, one Auvergne cheese, one Boursin, two Brillat-Savarins, eleven Bries, one Cabécou, four goats’ cheeses, two crottins, eight Camemberts, fifteen cantals, one Sicilian cheeses, one Sardinian cheeses, one Epoisses, one Murols, three fromages blancs, one goat’s-milk fromage blanc, nine Fontainebleaus, five mozzarellas, five Munsters, one Reblochon, one Swiss raclette, one Stilton, one Saint-Marcellin, one Saint-Nectaire, one yogurt.

One fresh fruit, two strawberries, one gooseberries, one orange, three ‘mendiants’ [a mixture of almonds, dried figs, hazelnuts and raisins].

One stuffed dates, one pears in syrup, three pears in wine, two peaches in wine, one vineyard peach in syrup, one peaches in Sancerre, one apples normande, one bananas flambées.

Four stewed fruit, two stewed apples, two stewed rhubarb and quetsch.

Five clafoutis, four pear clafoutis.

One figs in syrup.

Six fruit salads, one tropical fruit salad, two orange salads, two strawberry, raspberry and gooseberry salads.

One apple pie, four tarts, one hot tart, ten tart Tatins, seven pear tarts, one pear tart Tatin, one lemon tart, one apple and nut tart, two apple tarts, one apple tart with meringue, one strawberry tart.

Two crêpes.

Two charlottes, three chocolate charlottes.

Three babas.

One crème renversée.

One galette des rois.

Nine chocolate mousses.

Two îles flotantes.

One bilberry Kugelhupf.

Four chocolate gateaux, one cheesecake, two orange gateaux, one Italian gateau, one Viennese gateau, one Breton gateau, one gateau with fromage blanc, one vatrushka.

Three ice creams, one lime sorbet, two guava sorbets, two pear sorbets, one chocolate profiteroles, one raspberry melba, one pear belle Hélène.

Thirteen Beaujolais, four Beaujolais Nouveaux, three Brouillys, seven Chiroubles, four Chenas, two Fleuries, one Juliénas, three Saint-Amours.

Nine Côtes-de-Rhônes, nine Châteauneuf-du-Papes, one Châteauneuf-du- Pape ’67, three Vacqueyras.

Nine Bordeaux, one Bordeaux Clairet, one Lamarzelle ’64, three Saint- Emilions, one Saint-Emilion ’61, seven Château-la Pelleterie ’70s, one Château-Canon ’62, five Château-Négrits, one Lalande-de-Pomerol, one Lalande-de-Pomerol ’67, one Médoc ’64, six Margaux ’62s, one Margaux ’68, one Margaux ’69, one Saint-Estèphe ’61, one Saint-Julien ’59.

Seven Savigny-lès-Beaunes, three Aloxe-Cortons, one Aloxe-Corton ’66, one Beaune ’61, one white Chasagne-Montrachet ’66, two Mercureys, one Pommard, one Pommard ’66, two Santenay ’62s, one Volnay ’59.

One Chambolle-Musigny ’70, one Chambolle-Musigny Les Amoureuses ’70, one Chambertin ’62, one Romanée-Conti, one Romanée-Conti ’64.

One Bergerac, two red Bouzys, four Bourgueils, one Chalosse, one champagne, one Chablis, one red Côtes-de-Provence, twenty-six Cahors, one Chanteperdrix, four Gamays, two Madirans, one Madiran ’70, one Pinot Noir, one Passetoutgrain, one Pécharmant, one Samumur, ten Tursans, one Traminer, one Sardinian wine, n sundry wines.

Nine beers, two Tuborgs, four Guinnesses.

Fifty-six Armagnacs, one bourbon, eight Calvadoses, one cherries in brandy, six Green Chartreuses, one Chivas, four cognacs, one Delamain cognac, two Grand Marniers, one pink gin, one Irish coffee, one Jack Daniel’s, four marcs, three Bugey marcs, one marc de Provence, one plum liqueur, nine Souillac plums, one plums in brandy, two pear eaux-de-vie, one port, one slivovitz, one Suze, thiry-six vodkas, four whiskies.

N coffees, one tisane, three Vichy waters.

1. Last week was hectic, hence the delay.