Basic description of recipe format
Getty Ritter
8 years ago
| 1 | # Apicus | |
| 2 | ||
| 3 | Explorations in recipe visualization. Right now, this just implements | |
| 4 | a DSL for describing recipes in a graph-like way. A basic Apicus recipe | |
| 5 | looks like this: | |
| 6 | ||
| 7 | ``` | |
| 8 | scrambled eggs { | |
| 9 | [2] eggs -> whisk -> stir & butter -> DONE; | |
| 10 | } | |
| 11 | ``` | |
| 12 | ||
| 13 | The name of the recipe is `scrambled eggs` and it consists of one rule. | |
| 14 | This rule starts with an ingredient where the amount of the ingredient | |
| 15 | is marked with `[...]`, and then has a set of actions. Actions can | |
| 16 | optionally include ingredients after a `&` character, which is supposed | |
| 17 | to be used for garnishes, seasonings, or incidental ingredients like | |
| 18 | flour used as a thickener or oil used as a medium for cooking. | |
| 19 | ||
| 20 | A recipe can include multiple rules, and you join them together using | |
| 21 | _join points_, which are written with a dollar sign: | |
| 22 | ||
| 23 | ``` | |
| 24 | nicer scrambled eggs { | |
| 25 | [1/2] onion + [1 clove] garlic | |
| 26 | -> chop coarsely -> sautee & butter -> $mix; | |
| 27 | [2] eggs -> whisk -> $mix; | |
| 28 | $mix -> stir & salt -> DONE; | |
| 29 | } | |
| 30 | ``` | |
| 31 | ||
| 32 | This recipe includes a join point called `$mix`, which combines two | |
| 33 | previously separate threads of preparation. Rules can begin with | |
| 34 | either ingredients or join points, and actions can be either textual | |
| 35 | descriptions of what to do or join points. You can also include a | |
| 36 | join point as part of a longer chain, so the above recipe could also | |
| 37 | be written as | |
| 38 | ||
| 39 | ``` | |
| 40 | nicer scrambled eggs v2 { | |
| 41 | [1/2] onion + [1 clove] garlic | |
| 42 | -> chop coarsely -> sautee & butter -> $mix -> stir & salt -> DONE; | |
| 43 | [2] eggs -> whisk -> $mix; | |
| 44 | } | |
| 45 | ``` | |
| 46 | ||
| 47 | So the handwavey grammar of recipe descriptions is | |
| 48 | ||
| 49 | ``` | |
| 50 | recipe ::= text '{' rule* '}' | |
| 51 | rule ::= ( ingredients | join ) '->' action ('->' action) * ';' | |
| 52 | ingredients ::= ingredient ('+' ingredient) | |
| 53 | ingredient ::= ( '[' text ']' )? text | |
| 54 | action ::= join | text ('&' ingredients)? | |
| 55 | ``` |