Gastronomy is the study of food and culture, with a particular focus on gourmet cuisine.

One
who is well versed in gastronomy is called a gastronome, while a gastronomist is one who
unites theory and practice in the study of gastronomy
Etymology
Etymologically, the word "gastronomy" is derived from Ancient Greek , gastr,
"stomach", and , nmos "laws that govern", and therefore literally means "the art or law
of regulating the stomach." The term is purposely all-encompassing: it subsumes all of cooking
technique, nutritional facts, food science, and everything that has to do with palatability plus
applications of taste and smell as human ingestion of foodstuffs goes.
Gastronomy involves discovering, tasting, experiencing, researching, understanding and writing
about food preparation and the sensory qualities of human nutrition as a whole. It also studies
how nutrition interfaces with the broader culture. Later on, the application of biological and
chemical knowledge to cooking has become known as molecular gastronomy, yet gastronomy
covers a much broader, interdisciplinary ground.
The culinary term appears for the first time in a title in a poem by Joseph Berchoux in 1801
entitled "Gastronomie"
The derivative gourmet has come into use since the publication of the book by Brillat-Savarin,
The Physiology of Taste. According to Brillat-Savarin, "Gastronomy is the knowledge and
understanding of all that relates to man as he eats. Its purpose is to ensure the conservation of
men, using the best food possible.[2]