While Italy’s history stretches back a few millennia, the peninsula as a nation is rather young, having only been unified in 1861. The concept of a national cuisine is even younger than that. Regionalism still abounds, providing the peninsula with loads of variety as you travel around. The specialties of Bologna are quite different from those of Napoli, for instance, and until relatively recently residents of those areas would have been quite unfamiliar with each others’ recipes.
Nowadays, Milanese-style risotto or a meat-rich Bolognese sauce can be found in kitchens and trattorias nationwide, thanks in no small part to Artusi, the Italian cookbook author who did for Italian cooking in Italy what Julia Child did sixty years later for French cooking in America.
If you’re not familiar with Artusi, let me introduce you. He’s so famous only one name is necessary. Every Italian regardless of age knows immediately who you’re referring to. In the butcher shop, it is enough for me to tell him that I am making Artusi’s Filetto alla Marsala for him to give me the right cut, and pound it for me, as well.
That is because Pellegrino Artusi wrote the book on Italian cooking, literally. His cookbook, La scienza nella cucina e l’arte di mangiar bene (Science in the Kitchen and the Art of Eating Well) was the first to be made available to the masses, and the first to unite regional specialties of the peninsula into one tome. It was also the first one to be written in Italian. Up until Artusi, cookbooks tended to be written in French and distributed among the upper classes, or they were penned as booklets in regional dialects, focusing on the local dishes of a small, provincial area. Cooks from Lombardia couldn’t read a booklet from Sicilia, and vice versa. His book was considered to be an excellent example of the usage of modern Italian language.
Artusi was a 71-year retired silk merchant when his book was first published in 1891, and has been in continual circulation ever since. He couldn’t find a publisher for it, so he financed the printing himself. After a couple of years, word spread and he was printing more and more runs. Artusi expanded the book through the years, adding recipes that were sent to him by readers. By the time he died in 1910, he had had published its 14th edition and it had grown to a whopping 790 recipes.
Today there is hardly a household without L’Artusi; the most prized copies, with treasured hand-scrawled notes and splatters, are passed down from mother to daughter.
Pellegrino Artusi was born in the central region of Emilia-Romagna, then moved to Florence at the age of 32. His book is very heavy on recipes from those two areas, but he did take care to include the dishes from other regions, such as ossobuco from Lombardia, riso from Veneto, maccheroni from Napoli, and sorbetto from Sicilia. This was completely unique, and in doing so, he cracked the kitchen window to the aromas and flavors of the diverse regions of the country.
Old World Kitchen
But it’s so much more than a mere collection of recipes. Artusi gives advice on hygiene, on proper digestion, and practical wisdom. “Excessive salt is the enemy of good cooking,” for example. And, “Those who don’t do physical labor should eat more sparingly than those who do.”
He spins stories, tells anecdotes, has rather humorous notes, and gives such basic instructions for the dishes that you can’t help but feel confident that anyone can prepare them successfully. “With my book, if you can hold a wooden spoon in your hand, you’ll be able to make something,” he wrote.
Artusi also included a helpful section on the varieties and seasons for fish, an interesting thesis on coffee, and a chapter on meal-planning by the month, so that you eat what is fresh and appropriate for each season.
I have a collection of Italian cookbooks, but this one is the stalwart, the point of reference in many respects. It’s not only full of fantastic recipes, but is a good read, as well.
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Valerie Schneider is a travel professional turned freelance writer and tour guide who moved to Ascoli Piceno in the beautiful region of Le Marche in 2006. She and her husband Bryan operate Panorama Italy, planning personalized journeys so travelers can experience the colors and flavors of a little known corner of Italy. Walking tours, winery visits, and genealogy trips are just a few of their offerings. Visit Panorama Italy for more information on this beautiful place and how Valerie and Bryan can help you experience it personally.
