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| The Art of Cooking: The First Modern Cookery Book
ISBN: 9780520928312
Platform/Publisher: JSTOR / University of California Press
Digital rights: Users: unlimited; Printing: chapter; Download: chapter
Subjects: Cookery Italian -- Early works to 1800; Cookery -- Italy -- Early works to 1800;
In his informative, if ponderous, introduction, Ballerini offers a window into the life of 15th-century culinary whiz Maestro Martino, who?s credited by most scholars to be the father of modern Italian cookery. As a chef to one of Milan?s most important families, Martino had the most far-reaching influence of any chef of his day. Much of what we know about Martino comes from the writings of his friend Platina, who recorded many of Martino?s greatest recipes and culinary advice in a book called The Art of Cooking. Those recipes?and others culled from obscure Martino-Platina texts?are faithfully reproduced in this highly entertaining, if sometimes uneven, volume. Only the most die-hard culinary enthusiasts may attempt Martino?s Eel Torte or his Lenten Caviar Pottage, and recipes like Flying Pie, which incorporates live birds that fly away when the cover is removed, are, as Martino notes, just ?for amusement.? But much of the advice in chapter six, ?How to Cook Eggs in Every Way,? remains salient today. In addition, there are dozens of recipes that even novice chefs could attempt, such as the Roman-Style Macaroni with fresh-grated pecorino romano and the fennel-rich Fried Squash. Whether attempted at home or not, these recipes offer readers something far more compelling than practicality: a fascinating glimpse into a long-departed world where Papal Torte (a cheesy dish containing capon and ?fatty, well-cooked veal teat?) was served for breakfast and chefs for the upper classes needed to know not only how to cook tasty meals, but also the fine art of flamboyant presentation (i.e., ?How to Dress a Peacock with All Its Feathers, so That When Cooked, It Appears to Be Alive and Spews Fire from Its Beak?). (Jan.) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.
Martino of Como Maestro :
A noted poet, translator, and literary scholar, Luigi Ballerini teaches medieval and modern Italian literature at the University of California, Los Angeles. His edition of Artusi's Science in the Kitchen was published in 2003. Jeremy Parzen is a food historian, freelance writer, and musician. His translations include Marinetti's The Untameables (1994), Goldoni's The Coffee House (1998), and Bolzoni's The Gallery of Memory (2001). Stefania Barzini lives and works in Rome. A food historian and TV journalist for Gambero Rosso, the Italian National Food Channel, she is the author of a forthcoming book, Food and the Movies. She also teaches cooking and gastronomy at her own school, Al Castello. |
