A cassolette (probably a diminutive form of the French word cassole, "small container") is a small porcelain, glass, or metal oven-proof container used for the cooking and serving of individual dishes. Cossolette might have lugs or a short handle (French: cassolette à manche). The word also refers to dishes served in such a container:
The culinary meaning of the word dates back to the early 19th century. Prior to that (from the 16th century), the same word was used for a vessel to burn incense, or otherwise emit the perfume.
The latter meaning extended to a small pendant with perfumes.
Alex Comfort used the term cassolette in The Joy of Sex (1972) for a woman's natural body scent. French dictionaries also record ironic uses for unpleasant odors. A later academic review of human olfaction describes Comfort's use of a woman's "cassolette", glossing the word as "perfume box".
Académie française (2024). "Cassolette". Dictionnaire de l'Académie française (in French) (9thed.). Retrieved 30 August 2026.
Centre national de ressources textuelles et lexicales. "Cassolette". Trésor de la langue française informatisé (in French). CNRTL. Retrieved 30 August 2026.
Levine, John M.; McBurney, Donald H. (1986). "The Role of Olfaction in Social Perception and Behavior". In Herman, C. Peter; Zanna, Mark P.; Higgins, E. Tory (eds.). Physical Appearance, Stigma, and Social Behavior. The Ontario Symposium. Vol.3. Hillsdale, New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. pp.179–217. ISBN0-89859-638-6.
Morton, Mark (2004). "casserole". Cupboard Love: A Dictionary of Culinary Curiosities (2nd reviseded.). Toronto: Insomniac Press. p.69. ISBN978-1-894663-66-3.
Weerakoon, Patricia (2009). "The New Joy of Sex". Sexual Health. 6 (1): 98–99. doi:10.1071/SHv6n1_BR1.
External links
Look up cassolette in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.