Non si vive di solo pane, è vero; ci vuole anche il companatico; e l’arte di renderlo più economico, più sapido, più sano, lo dico e lo sostengo, è vera arte.
“We do not just live out of bread, that is true; we need also something to eat it with; and the art of making it cheaper, savory, healthier, I say it and I claim it, that’s real art”.
(Pellegrino Artusi – La scienza in cucina e l’arte del mangiar bene)
During these uncertain and unprecedented moments, we have started looking at our old memories: albums, photos, old books and papers, tidying up wardrobe rediscovering old clothes and feelings.
Although these present times do not allow us to travel physically, we can let our mind wandering around and discovering more about our roots.
This feelings brought us today to our blog topic: Pellegrino Artusi from Forlimpopoli, a small town in Romagna, is one of our reference point in Italian kitchen, almost like a friend who has been always sitting at our table. He is the author of the first Italian recipe book named “Science in the kitchen and the art of eating well” (“La scienza in cucina e l’arte di mangiar bene”) dating back to 1891 – and he was born in 1820, just a few years before the birth of Italy in 1861.
After a terrible and tragic event Pellegrino Artusi and his family later moved in Florence and they became dealers for silk. This permitted him to travel a lot. Pellegrino was not a chef but loved food and the different ways it was prepared in the different regions. He was as well a learned person and he started to collect Italian traditional recipes over many years during his trips thanks to his passion and curiosity. After preparing each recipe at his home with the help of a chef and an assistant, Marietta, he wrote down his book with nearly 500 recipes that became 790 in the last edition.