Our latest addition to our coffee gift baskets is sure to please as your recipient learns about coffee from the included 128 page book and enjoys it in a new espresso cup and saucer.

I decided to write an article about "gourmet gift baskets" to promote by gift basket store. Imagine my surprise while researching the word "gourmet", to find that it is not an adjective at all – but a noun!

The word "gourmet" was stolen from the French and is currently being incorrectly overused in the United States.

gourmet (goor ma´, goor´ ma), n. a connoisseur of fine food and drink.

A close relative of "gourmet", "gourmand" takes the meaning a step further and is defined as "one who is fond of good eating, often to excess"

So, although we rampantly use the term "gourmet" to describe everything from gourmet chocolate to gourmet potato chips, its intended use is to describe the person, not the food or drink.

Read Article: What is Gourmet?