Elizabeth David CBE (December 26, 1913 - May 22, 1992), was a pre-eminent British cookery writer of the mid 20th century. December 26 is the 360th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, 361st in leap years. ... 1913 (MCMXIII) is a common year starting on Wednesday. ... May 22 is the 142nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (143rd in leap years). ... 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ... (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999 in the...

David is considered responsible for bringing French and Italian cooking into the British home (along with now ubiquitous items such as olive oil and the courgette). In a Britain worn down by post-war rationing and dull food, she celebrated the regional and rural dishes of the Mediterranean rather than the fussier food of the gourmands and aristocrats. David's style is characterised by terse descriptions of the recipes themselves, accompanied by detailed descriptions of their context. She was often scathing of bad food, including the food of England that she and her readers had grown up with. For the cartoon character, see Olive Oyl. ... Courgette Young zucchini Flower of zucchini Zucchini (US and Australian English) or Courgette (New Zealand and British English), is the name of a vegetable. ... Rationing is the controlled distribution of resources and scarce goods or services: it restricts how much people are allowed to buy or consume. ... The Mediterranean Sea is an intercontinental sea positioned between Europe to the north, Africa to the south and Asia to the east, covering an approximate area of 2. ...

Born Elizabeth Gwynne, she came from a rather grand background, growing up in the 17th century Sussex manor house, Wootton Manor with three sisters. Her parents were Rupert Gwynne, Conservative MP for Eastbourne, and the Hon. Stella Ridley who came from a distinguished Northumberland family. She studied at the Sorbonne, living with a French family for two years, which led to a love of France and of food. At the age of 19, she was given her first cookery book, The Gentle Art of Cookery by Hilda Leyel, who wrote of her love with the food of the East. "If I had been given a standard Mrs Beeton instead of Mrs Leyel's wonderful recipes," she said, "I would probably never have learned to cook." (16th century - 17th century - 18th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 17th century was that century which lasted from 1601-1700. ... Sussex is a traditional county in south-eastern England, corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. ... A manor house is a country house, which has historically formed the centre of a manor (see Manorialism). ... The Conservative Party is the largest political party on the right-of-centre in the United Kingdom. ... Eastbourne is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. ... For other places with this name, see Northumberland (disambiguation) Northumberland is a traditional, ceremonial and administrative county in northern England. ... The Sorbonne, Paris, in a 17th century engraving The historic University of Paris (French: Université de Paris) first appeared in the second half of the 12th century, but was in 1970 reorganized as 13 autonomous universities (University of Paris I–XIII). ...

Gwynne had an adventurous early life, leaving home to become an actress. She left England in 1939, when she was twenty-five, and bought a boat with her married lover Charles Gibson-Cowan intending to travel around the Mediterranean. The onset of World War II interrupted this plan, and they had to flee the German occupation of France. They left Antibes without the boat, which the Germans impounded, and arrived in the Greek islands, living for a period in Syros where she learnt about Greek food and spent time with high bohemians such as Lawrence Durrell. When the Germans invaded, they fled to Cairo, Egypt where Gwynne started work for the Ministry of Information, splitting from Gibson-Cowan, and taking on a marriage of convenience to Lieutenant-Colonel Tony David; this gave her a measure of respectability but David was a man whom she did not ultimately respect, and their relationship ended soon after an eight month posting in India. She had many lovers in ensuing years. 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... Combatants Allied Powers Axis Powers Commanders {{{commander1}}} {{{commander2}}} Strength {{{strength1}}} {{{strength2}}} Casualties 17 million military deaths 7 million military deaths {{{notes}}} World War II, also known as the Second World War (sometimes WW2 or WWII), was a mid-20th century conflict that engulfed much of the globe and is accepted... Antibes is a small resort town of southeastern France, on the Mediterranean Sea in the Côte dAzur, located between Cannes and Nice. ... This is a list of some of the 3000 islands of Greece: Chrysi Crete Dia Euboea Gavdos Koufonisi Ydra The Cyclades Amorgos Anafi Andros Antiparos Anydro Delos Donoussa Folegandros Gyaros Ios Irakleia Kea Keros Kimolos Kithnos Makronisos Milos Mykonos (Mikonos) Naxos Paros Pholegandros Santorini (also called Thira) Serifos Sifnos Sikinos... This article needs copyediting (checking for proper English spelling, grammar, usage, tone, style, and voice). ... Though a Bohemian is a native of the Czech province of Bohemia, a secondary meaning for bohemian emerged in 19th century France. ... Lawrence George Durrell (February 27, 1912 – November 7, 1990) was a British novelist, poet, dramatist, and travel writer, though he resisted affiliation with Britain and preferred to be considered cosmopolitan. ... Although technically in Giza, The Great Pyramids have become a symbol of Cairo internationally Cairo (Arabic: القاهرة; transliterated: al-Qāhirah) is the capital city of Egypt (and previously the United Arab Republic) and has a metropolitan area population of approximately 15. ... The term Ministry of Information may refer to the following: Minister of Information - A British government position during the First and Second World War. ...

On her return to London in 1946, David began to write cooking articles and in 1949 the publisher John Lehmann offered her a hundred-pound advance for Mediterranean Food, the start of a dazzling writing career. David spent eight months researching Italian food in Venice, Tuscany and Capri. Many of the ingredients were unknown when the books were first published, and David had to suggest looking for oil in pharmacies where it was sold for treating earache. Within a decade, ingredients such as aubergines, saffron and pasta began to appear in shops, thanks in no small part to David's books. David gained fame, respect and high status and advised many chefs and companies. In November 1965, she even opened her own shop devoted to cookery in Pimlico, London. She wrote articles for Vogue magazine, one of the first in the genre of food-travel. 1946 (MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... 1949 (MCMXLIX) is a common year starting on Saturday. ... Location within Italy Venice (Italian: Venezia, Venessia in the local dialect), the city of canals, is the capital of the region of Veneto and of the province of Venice, 45°26′N 12°19′E, population 271,663 (census estimate January 1, 2004). ... Tuscany (Italian Toscana) is a region in central Italy, bordering on Latium to the south, Umbria and Marche to the east, Emilia-Romagna and Liguria to the north, and the Tyrrhenian Sea to the west. ... The island of Capri near Naples, Italy. ... Binomial name Solanum melongena Solanum esculentum An eggplant or aubergine is either of two species of nightshade, Solanum melongena and , bearing large pendulous purple or white fruit. ... Binomial name Crocus sativus L. Saffron (IPA: ) is a spice derived from the flower of the saffron crocus (Crocus sativus), a species of crocus in the family Iridaceae. ... Pasta is a type of food made from flour, water, and sometimes eggs, which is mixed, kneaded and formed into various shapes, and boiled prior to consumption. ... A street in Pimlico which characteristically mixes grand Victorian town-houses with 1970s council housing. ... For other meanings, see vogue. ...

In 1963, when she was 49, she suffered a cerebral hemorrhage, possibly related to her heavy drinking. Although she recovered, it affected her sense of taste and her libido. 1963 (MCMLXIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... A cerebral hemorrhage is bleeding directly into the brain parenchyma (tissue) itself, otherwise known as hemorrhagic stroke. ...

David won the Glenfiddich Writer of the Year award for English Bread and Yeast Cookery. She was also awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Essex and the award of a Chevalier de l'Ordre du Merite Agricole. However, the honour that most pleased her was being made a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 1982 in recognition of her skills as a writer. In 1986 she was awarded a CBE. The Glenfiddich Food and Drink Awards are intended to recognise achievements in writing, publishing and broadcasting on the subjects of food and drink. ... University of Essex The University of Essex is a British university, one of the Glass Plate universities (like Warwick or York). ... The Royal Society of Literature is the senior literary organisation in Britain. External link The Royal Society of Literature Categories: Literature stubs | Literature of the United Kingdom ... 1982 (MCMLXXXII) is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Commanders Badge of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V. The Order includes five classes in civil and military divisions, in decreasing order of seniority: Knight or Dame Grand...

She died in 1992 at her Chelsea home, where she had lived for forty years. 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ... Chelsea is a district of London, loosely defined by the area around the Kings Road, beginning at Sloane Square at one end, and the Worlds End public house at the other, the River Thames and the Victorian artists district to the south, and some parts between the King...

Books

• Mediterranean Food (1950)
• French Country Cooking (1951)
• Italian Food (1954)
• Summer Cooking (1955)
• French Provincial Cooking (1960)
• Spices, Salt and Aromatics in the English Kitchen (1970)
• An Omelette and a Glass of Wine (1984)
• Is There a Nutmeg in the House?
• English Bread and Yeast Cookery (1977)
• Harvest of the Cold Months (1994)
• South Wind Through the Kitchen: The Best of Elizabeth David (1998) (Editor Jill Norman), posthumous anthology
• Elizabeth David's Christmas (2003) (Editor Jill Norman), posthumously produced from David's notes

References

• Writing at the Kitchen Table: The Authorized Biography of Elizabeth David by Artemis Cooper
• A Charming Monster. Elizabeth David: A Biography by Lisa Chaney