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Authors: Pellegrino Artusi,Murtha Baca,Luigi Ballerini
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Science in the Kitchen and the Art of Eating Well
SCIENCE IN THE KITCHEN
AND THE ART OF EATING WELL
Pellegrino Artusi
With a new introduction by Luigi Ballerini
First published in 1891, Pellegrino Artusi’s
La scienza in cucina e l’arte di mangiar bene
has come to be recognized as the most significant Italian cookbook of modern times. It was reprinted thirteen times and had sold more than 52,000 copies in the years before Artusi’s death in 1910, with the number of recipes growing from 475 to 790. And while this figure has not changed, the book has consistently remained in print.
Although Artusi was himself of the upper classes and it was doubtful he had ever touched a kitchen utensil or lit a fire under a pot, he wrote the book not for professional chefs, as was the nineteenth-century custom, but for middle-class family cooks: housewives and their domestic helpers. His tone is that of a friendly advisor – humorous and nonchalant. He indulges in witty anecdotes about many of the recipes, describing his experiences and the historical relevance of particular dishes.
Artusi’s masterpiece is not merely a popular cookbook; it is a landmark work in Italian culture. This English edition features a delightful introduction by Luigi Ballerini that traces the fascinating history of the book and explains its importance in the context of Italian history and politics. The illustrations are by the noted Italian artist Giuliano Delia Casa.
(The Lorenzo Da Ponte Italian Library)
LUIGI BALLERINI
is a professor in the Department of Italian at the University of California, Los Angeles.
THE LORENZO DA PONTE ITALIAN LIBRARY
General Editors
Luigi Ballerini and Massimo Ciavolella, University of California at
Los Angeles
Honorary Chairs
Professor Vittore Branca
Honorable Dino De Poli
Honorable Anthony J. Scirica
Advisory Board
Remo Bodei, Università di Pisa
Lina Bolzoni, Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa
Francesco Bruni, Università di Venezia
Giorgio Ficara, Università di Torino
Michael Heim, University of California at Los Angeles
Amilcare A. lannucci, University of Toronto
Rachel Jacoff, Wellesley College
Giuseppe Mazzotta, Yale University
Gilberto Pizzamiglio, Università di Venezia
Margaret Rosenthal, University of Southern California
John Scott, University of Western Australia
Elissa Weaver, University of Chicago
and the Art of Eating Well
PELLEGRINO ARTUSI
Foreword by Michele Scicolone
Introduction by Luigi Ballerini
Translated by Murtha Baca and Stephen Sartarelli
The Lorenzo Da Ponte Italian Library
© University of Toronto Press 2003
Introduction ©Luigi Ballerini
Toronto Buffalo London
Printed in Canada
Reprinted 2004
ISBN 0-8020-8704-3 (cloth)
ISBN 0-8020-8657-8 (paper)
First published in Italian as
La scienza in cucina e l’arte di mangiar bene
This English translation first published by Marsilio Publishers in 1997
as Science in
the Kitchen and the Art of Eating Well
Printed on acid-free paper
The Lorenzo Da Ponte Italian Library
National Library of Canada Cataloguing in Publication
Artusi, Pellegrino
Science in the kitchen and the art of eating well / Pellegrino
Artusi ; translated by Murtha Baca and Stephen Sartarelli ; foreword
by Michele Scicolone ; introduction by Luigi Ballerini.
Translation of: La scienza in cucina e l’arte di mangiar bene.
ISBN 0-8020-8704-3 (bound). ISBN 0-8020-8657-8 (pbk.)
1. Cookery, Italian. I. Baca, Murtha II. Sartarelli, Stephen, 1954–
III. Title.
TX723.A7713 2004 641.5945 C2003-906316-X
This volume is published under the aegis and with the financial assistance of:
Fondazione Cassamarca, Treviso; Ministero degli Affari Esteri, Direzione Generale per
la Promozione e la Cooperazione Culturale; Ministero per i Beni e le Attività
Culturali, Direzione Generale per i Beni Librari e gli Istituti Culturali, Servizio
per la promozione del libro e della lettura.
Publication of this volume is assisted by the Istituto Italiano di Cultura, Toronto.
University of Toronto Press acknowledges the financial assistance to its
publishing program of the Canada Council for the Arts and the
Ontario Arts Council.
University of Toronto Press acknowledges the financial support for its
publishing activities of the Government of Canada through the
Book Publishing Industry Development Program (BPIDP).
For
Teresa Santi
, who made an unsurpassable minestrone,
and
Cesare Santi
, who always ate it cold in the middle of the night.
Introduction: A as in Artusi, G as in Gentleman and Gastronome
by Luigi Ballerini
The Story of a Book That Is a Bit Like the Story of Cinderella
The Nutritional Value of Meats
Pasta Dishes and Soups in Vegetable Stock
INDEX I
– Names of Dishes in Italian
INDEX II
– Names of Dishes in English
Illustrations by Guiliano Delia Casa following pages
La scienza in cucina e l’arte di mangiar bene
is 110 years old, yet around the world Pellegrino Artusi’s cookbook is as popular as ever. In Italy, the book is revered, and few home are without at least one stained and tattered copy, passed down like a family heirloom from mother to daughter. With hundreds of new cookbooks published every year, it is remarkable that one more than a century old has survived. Yet, there are many reasons for its longevity.
At the time it was published in 1891,
Scienza in cucina
was the first cookbook written in Italian for the home cook. Other cookbooks of the era typically were written by French-trained chefs who either wrote in French or focused on French cooking. Their works were geared towards other professionals employed in wealthy homes.
Scienza in cucina
was the first book accessible to those who could read only Italian. It especially appealed to the newly emerging middle class. Wives and mothers ran the household and prepared the family meals, sometimes with the assistance of a cook or another servant or two. Neither the housewives nor their cooks were highly trained, and their families were accustomed to simple, uncomplicated meals, as opposed to formal and elaborate French fare. Artusi’s book helped them to expand their repertoire of recipes and further educated them about topics as varied as manners, nutrition, and culinary technique. He made the book pleasing to his unique audience, dedicating one recipe to the “ladies with delicate and sophisticated tastes” and at times flattering them with compliments on their beauty and good sense.
In the century since its publication,
Scienza in cucina
has been copied and interpreted by many other authors. It was not until the 1960s and 1970s, when Italy became a vacation and study destination for millions of travellers, especially from North America, that food writers began to delve more deeply into Italian regional cuisines and elaborate on recipes and ideas first proposed by Artusi. Despite the wealth of information about Italian food available today, Artusi’s work remains vital.
Leafing through the book, the reader is both entertained and informed. It is the culinary equivalent of browsing the internet or leafing through an encyclopedia – the reader discovers something new and fascinating every time. Artusi shares titbits of information, such as the fact that certain fish, including red mullets, makes noises by expelling air as they swim. There are intriguing recipes to try, such as egg yolks canapé style, in which the yolks are tucked into slices of toast, sauced, and finally baked, and inspiring stories to read and enjoy, such as the one describing how chicken Marengo was invented by Napoleon’s desperate chef.
The recipes in
Scienza in cucina
have withstood the test of time and rarely seem dated or outmoded. Ricotta cake, saltimbocca, and frittatas are as familiar and as easily prepared and enjoyed today as they were 100 years ago. Few restaurants that claim to be Italian would be without Bolognese-style ragu, ravioli filled with meat or cheese, pasta with beans, risotto, and roasted and stewed meats on the menu, all of which can be found in
Scienza in cucina
. Though Artusi would never have imagined it, his recipes continue to be used by cooks the world over who appreciate Italian home cooking.
In his introduction, Artusi states that he is an amateur who has collected these recipes over the course of the years, and that his readers, with a little practice, can achieve impressive results if they heed his advice. Throughout the book, Artusi reassures the reader and boosts his or her confidence. With regard to apple strudel, Artusi declares: “Do not be alarmed if this dessert looks like some ugly creature such as a giant leech or a shapeless snake after you cook it; you will like the way it tastes” (p. 388 below).
His writing style is relaxed and never pedantic. The recipes, together with the headnotes and commentary, are more like a conversation with a favorite uncle, who happens to be a knowledgeable cook, rather than a mere listing of ingredients and instructions.