“Obviously no one wants to give importance to eating, and the reason is easy to understand: but then, hypocrisy aside, everyone complains of a bad dinner or indigestion due to poor preparation of foods. Since nutrition is the first need of life, it is reasonable to take care of it in order to satisfy it as little as possibleSo wrote Pellegrino Artusi (1820-1911), Italian writer and literary critic, known above all for being the author of one of the most famous Italian recipe books: “Science in the Kitchen and the Art of Healthy Eating”; not, however, a “simple recipe book”, But it is a true symbol of Italian cuisine and language.
With 790 recipes, compiled by the author with patient commitment and over countless years and long travels, “l’Artusi” is not only one of the most important recipe books in general Italian cuisine, but also a true cornerstone of it that has contributed to the spread of the “newborn” Italian language. On the peninsula. Written in a smooth, elegant and harmonious language, Romagna gastronome became familiar to generations of Italians and Italians, as a precious and friendly presence, and an extraordinary example of dynamic and open work, growing as a community and a common group. The “Science in the Kitchen and the Art of Healthy Eating” spreads into Italian homes the living Florentine language heralded by the recent Manzoni reforms, a language that is new and dynamic, but at the same time correct, disciplined and attentive to the emerging literary tradition. Learn Italian by learning to cook! 750 recipes, many mosaics of Italian house and regional traditions, which, including fried, wet, stuffed, chutneys, ice cream, boiled and roasted, were often accompanied by commentary, pungent and sometimes ironic, by the author himself; At the time of the unification of Italy, Italians did not have a sufficiently common cultural and linguistic heritage, just as there was no single concept of “Italian cuisine”, whose language closely related to local traditions was influenced – and to some extent still suffers – from this heterogeneity . In this sense, Artusi was one of the first thinkers of the time to recognize the need not only to rationalize the Italian lexicon but also to create a true “food language”.
Translated into English, Dutch, Portuguese, Spanish, German and French, from the work of to know He made Artusi famous all over the world, immortalizing his author as a turning point in the gastronomic culture of the time; A publication, however, did not immediately find an easy start: it was Artusi himself, in fact, who paid for the printing of the first books out of his own pocket, and found no publisher willing to fund them. The success achieved was astounding and was defined by the immense love the public had for the work: more than 100 years later, “Science in the Kitchen and the Art of Good Food” is still in print. Artusi personally supervised and updated the first five copies of the work, increasing recipes and an interest in writing. Upon his death in 1911, he had no children, bequeathing to his two personal chefs, Marietta Sabatini and Francesco Rovelli, the copyright to the work, allowing them a comfortable life even after their expiration in 1961.
It will be the approach that will determine its success: all recipes, while practical and designed for a clear fulfillment from stove to table, are an instructive, informative, understandable, intelligent and seasoned work in the eclectic and exquisite handwriting by Artusi capable of bringing out more than a smile and a laugh to the reader.
“The kitchen is a rascal. Often they willingly cause despair, but they also give pleasure, because in those times when you succeed or overcome a difficulty, you feel good about yourself and sing of victory. Be wary of books on this art: most are specious or incomprehensible, especially Italian books; Less bad than the French: at most, at most, you will be able to glean a useful clue when you know the art. If you do not pretend to be a cook, I do not think it necessary to succeed, and with a shovel on your head only generate passion, a lot of attention and careful habit: then always choose the raw materials of the finest quality that will make you personalThis preface by the author remains today.
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