{"id":15986,"date":"2021-11-25T01:34:35","date_gmt":"2021-11-25T01:34:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/manuscriptevidence.org\/wpme\/?p=15986"},"modified":"2022-01-11T06:34:11","modified_gmt":"2022-01-11T06:34:11","slug":"southern-italian-cuisine-before-columbus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/manuscriptevidence.org\/wpme\/southern-italian-cuisine-before-columbus\/","title":{"rendered":"Southern Italian Cuisine Before Columbus"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"gmail_default\">\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\">The Research Group Speaks<br \/>\n<em>Episode 2<\/em><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<h1 style=\"text-align: center;\">Southern Italian Cuisine Before Columbus<\/h1>\n<h1 style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>Linda Civitello, Ph.D.<\/em><\/h1>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-15902 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/manuscriptevidence.org\/wpme\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Cooking5X7-with-border-1024x734.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"734\" srcset=\"https:\/\/manuscriptevidence.org\/wpme\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Cooking5X7-with-border-1024x734.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/manuscriptevidence.org\/wpme\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Cooking5X7-with-border-300x215.jpg 300w, https:\/\/manuscriptevidence.org\/wpme\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Cooking5X7-with-border-150x108.jpg 150w, https:\/\/manuscriptevidence.org\/wpme\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Cooking5X7-with-border-768x551.jpg 768w, https:\/\/manuscriptevidence.org\/wpme\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Cooking5X7-with-border-1536x1101.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/manuscriptevidence.org\/wpme\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Cooking5X7-with-border-2048x1468.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/manuscriptevidence.org\/wpme\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Cooking5X7-with-border-222x160.jpg 222w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"gmail_default\">\n<div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>For our new <a href=\"https:\/\/manuscriptevidence.org\/wpme\/the-research-group-speaks-the-series\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Series<\/a>, the food historian <span class=\"il\">Linda<\/span> <span class=\"il\">Civitello<\/span> talks about the early history of Italian cuisine, especially <i>Cuoco Napolitano<\/i>, and its ingredients, sources, and influences \u2014 for Southern Italian cuisine and beyond. Inspired by the 15th-century sources in manuscript and early printing, <span class=\"il\">Linda<\/span> describes approaches to the subject and gives a demonstration. In these ways,we might explore the traditions of southern Italian cuisine before the arrival of such New World ingredients as the <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Tomato\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">tomato<\/a>.<\/div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<p>With an invited audience, we held the event on <b>Saturday 18 September 2021<\/b> \u2014 the day before the <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Feast_of_San_Gennaro\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Feast of San Gennaro<\/a>. The martyred Saint Janurarius, first Bishop of <a title=\"Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Benevento\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Roman_Catholic_Archdiocese_of_Benevento\">Benevento<\/a> (of unknown dates), is the patron saint of Naples.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2>Our Speaker<\/h2>\n<p>Linda Civitello is the author of the award-winning books:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong><em>Baking Powder Wars: The Cut-throat Food Fight That Revolutionized Cooking<\/em><\/strong><em><br \/>\n<\/em>and<\/li>\n<li><strong><em>Cuisine and Culture: A History of Food and People<\/em><\/strong>, which is used to teach food history in culinary schools throughout the U.S. and Canada.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Linda developed the curriculum, and taught history of food, at culinary schools in southern California. She also taught the <em>History of Chocolate<\/em> and the <em>History of Food in California<\/em> at UCLA Extension.<\/p>\n<p>Linda speaks frequently on a wide range of food history topics. She has spoken at Harvard University, and appeared on television on <strong><em>Bizarre Foods<\/em><\/strong> and on the <strong>BBC<\/strong>. She also cooks professionally, making historic recipes using heirloom flour, and Italian pastries and gelati for a select clientele.<\/p>\n<p>She is currently writing an article on food and racism, and a book on <strong><em>Food and Film from Prohibition to James Bond<\/em><\/strong><em>.<\/em> Linda has a B.A. from Vassar College and a Ph.D. from the University of California at Los Angeles.<\/p>\n<p>(She and our Director met in freshman year at College, when we shared the same Medieval History Class.)<\/p>\n<p>For further information about <span class=\"il\">Linda<\/span>&#8216;s accomplishments and publications, see, for example, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/linda-civitello-b00a3722\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Linda Civitello<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.seriouseats.com\/linda-civitello-5118846\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Linda Civitello<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>The Sources<\/h2>\n<div class=\"gmail_default\">By request, Linda&#8217;s presentation includes a brief introduction by our Director, Mildred Budny, to the early modern textual sources, in manuscript and print.<\/div>\n<div class=\"gmail_default\">\n<div id=\"attachment_15989\" style=\"width: 340px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-15989\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-15989 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/manuscriptevidence.org\/wpme\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Il_Platina_-_De_honesta_voluptate_et_valetudine_nel_anno_del_signore_MCCCCLXXXXIIII_adi_XXV_de_agusto_-_2444237_Scan00017.tif.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"330\" height=\"437\" srcset=\"https:\/\/manuscriptevidence.org\/wpme\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Il_Platina_-_De_honesta_voluptate_et_valetudine_nel_anno_del_signore_MCCCCLXXXXIIII_adi_XXV_de_agusto_-_2444237_Scan00017.tif.jpg 330w, https:\/\/manuscriptevidence.org\/wpme\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Il_Platina_-_De_honesta_voluptate_et_valetudine_nel_anno_del_signore_MCCCCLXXXXIIII_adi_XXV_de_agusto_-_2444237_Scan00017.tif-227x300.jpg 227w, https:\/\/manuscriptevidence.org\/wpme\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Il_Platina_-_De_honesta_voluptate_et_valetudine_nel_anno_del_signore_MCCCCLXXXXIIII_adi_XXV_de_agusto_-_2444237_Scan00017.tif-113x150.jpg 113w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 330px) 100vw, 330px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-15989\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Platina, De honesta voluptate et valetudine (Venice, 1494), Opening page. Image via Biblioteca Europea di Informazione e Cultura, via Public Domain.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Vernacular Italian sources for <i>Cucoco Napolitano<\/i> include:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<ul>\n<li class=\"gmail_default\">the late 15th-century Morgan Library &amp; Museum, MS <span dir=\"ltr\" role=\"presentation\">B\u00fchler<\/span> 19, written by an anonymous scribe and author<br \/>\n(<a href=\"https:\/\/www.themorgan.org\/manuscript\/77146\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/www.themorgan.org\/manuscript\/77146&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1635987746411000&amp;usg=AFQjCNFOSDyK9Wftu7F57cm6-KCdRGCzgg\">https:\/\/www.themorgan.org\/<wbr \/>manuscript\/77146<\/a>)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li class=\"gmail_default\">Bartholomaeus Sacchi\/Platina, <i>De honesta voluptate et valetudine<\/i>, printed in Venice in 1487 and 1494 by different printers<span class=\"ample-display-content visible-xs-inline visible-sm-inline-block visible-md-inline-block visible-lg-inline-block\">1487: [Hieronymus de Sanctis and Cornelio], with the date of 15 Dec. 1487<\/span> (<a href=\"https:\/\/data.cerl.org\/istc\/ip00766500\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/data.cerl.org\/istc\/ip00766500&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1635987746412000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGamSo-IyB8h925Rihk6eU-MfO01w\">https:\/\/data.cerl.org\/istc\/<wbr \/>ip00766500<\/a> )1494: <span class=\"ample-display-content visible-xs-inline visible-sm-inline-block visible-md-inline-block visible-lg-inline-block\">[Bernardinus Benalius], with the date of 25 Aug. 1494<\/span> (<a href=\"https:\/\/data.cerl.org\/istc\/ip00767000\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/data.cerl.org\/istc\/ip00767000&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1635987746412000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGmbcp88r3VqMw-7PcdVW1oigWuvQ\">https:\/\/data.cerl.org\/istc\/<wbr \/>ip00767000<\/a>).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>The Morgan Manuscript: <em>Cuoco Napolitano<\/em><\/h3>\n<p>New York, Morgan Library &amp; Museum, B\u00fchler MS 19 came to the Morgan in 1985 as part of the bequest of <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Curt_F._B%C3%BChler\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Curt F. B\u00fchler<\/a> (1905\u20131985). He had served as a rare book curator at the <a class=\"mw-redirect\" title=\"Pierpont Morgan Library\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Pierpont_Morgan_Library\">Pierpont Morgan Library<\/a> (as it was then known) from 1934 to 1973. He bequeathed his collection of manuscripts and early printed books to that library.\u00a0 The scribe and author of the text are unknown.<\/p>\n<p>The Morgan website provides a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.themorgan.org\/manuscript\/77146\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">selection of images<\/a> from the pages in the manuscript which contain illustrations. As colored drawings placed in the margins below or beside the text, they depict creatures of several kinds \u2014 animals, birds, and vegetation \u2014 which appear to illustrate the recipes.<\/p>\n<h3>The Early-Printed Books (pre-1500)<\/h3>\n<p>Italian cookery served as subject in the course of expansion of printing in Western Europe. Among incunables, that is, early printed books before 1500 CE, there survive copies from various printings of the popular treatise composed in Latin by <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Bartolomeo_Platina\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Bartholomeo Sacchi<\/a> (1421\u20131481), known as Il Platina. That name derives from his place of origin, <a href=\"https:\/\/it.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Piadena\" target=\"_bank\" rel=\"noopener\">Piadena<\/a>\/Platina near <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Cremona\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Cremona<\/a> in Lombardy, in northern Italy. By turns soldier, humanist, author, prisoner, and Librarian of the <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Vatican_Library\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Vatican Apostolic Library<\/a>, Platina produced writings on various subjects, including biographies, or Lives, of the Popes, and the gastronomical treatise which circulated widely.<\/p>\n<p>His text <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/De_honesta_voluptate_et_valetudine\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">De honesta voluptate et valitudine<\/a> (&#8220;On honorable pleasure and health&#8221; or &#8220;On honest indulgence and good health&#8221;) appeared first in Latin, in several printings. Among them are issues from Venice (1475), Venice (1498), Bologna (1499), and elsewhere.<\/p>\n<p>The text appeared soon in vernacular translation, in various languages, including Italian regional dialect but still with the same Latin title. Among incunables, that is, early printed books before 1500 CE, two different printed editions of this translation are known. Both were issued in Venice, but by different printers.<\/p>\n<h3>The &#8216;Competition&#8217;:\u00a0 Maestro Martino and the <em>Libro de Arte Coquinaria<\/em><\/h3>\n<p>The recipes in Platina&#8217;s popular treatise overlap with, and perhaps mostly derive from, a work by a renowned chef <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Martino_da_Como\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Martino da Como<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/it.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Maestro_Martino_da_Como\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Maestro Martino da Como<\/a> (circa 1430 \u2013 end of the 15th century), the <em>Libro de Arte Coquinaria<\/em>, known in a single manuscript copy.<\/p>\n<p>This <a href=\"https:\/\/www.loc.gov\/item\/2014660856\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" class=\"broken_link\">manuscript<\/a>, now at the Library of Congress (with full digital facsimile), was written perhaps between 1460 and 1480 by a known scribe, Antonio Toffio. An edition of the text is available <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uni.giessen.de\/fbz\/fb05\/germanistik\/absprache\/sprachverwendung\/gloning\/tx\/martino2.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" class=\"broken_link\">online<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3>Resources in Print and Online<\/h3>\n<p>Studies about these sources and their context include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Terence Scully with Rudolf Grewe, <em>Cuoco Napoletano: The Neapolitan Recipe Collection<\/em> (Ann Arbor: The University of Michigan Press, 2000).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.oldcook.com\/en\/medieval-cookery_books_europe\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Medieval Cookery Books: Europe<\/a>, specifically <a href=\"https:\/\/www.oldcook.com\/medieval-livres_cuisine_italien\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Italian or in Italian<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>*****<\/p>\n<p>The recording of the episode is being edited for presentation and wider viewing as a podcast.\u00a0 It includes, by request, a brief introduction to the sources (see above) in manuscript and early printing by our Director, Mildred Budny. It also reports feedback and suggestions by the invited audience both at the time and afterwards.<\/p>\n<p>We thank Linda for her generous preparation and presentation.\u00a0 We thank the participants for joining the online gathering, and for offering feedback and encouragement.<\/p>\n<p>*****<\/p>\n<p>More Episodes are in hand and in preparation.\u00a0 See\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.manuscriptevidence.org\/wpme\/the-research-group-speaks-the-series\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Research Group Speaks:\u00a0 The Series<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Do you have suggestions for subjects?\u00a0 Please let us know.\u00a0 Please leave your Comments below, <a href=\"https:\/\/manuscriptevidence.org\/wpme\/contact-us\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Contact Us<\/a>, and visit our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Research-Group-on-Manuscript-Evidence-259443617456668\" class=\"broken_link\">FaceBook Page<\/a>.\u00a0 We look forward to hearing from you.<\/p>\n<p>*****<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Research Group Speaks Episode 2 Southern Italian Cuisine Before Columbus Linda Civitello, Ph.D. For our new Series, the food historian Linda Civitello talks about the early history of Italian cuisine, especially Cuoco Napolitano, and its ingredients, sources, and influences \u2014 for Southern Italian cuisine and beyond. Inspired by the 15th-century sources in manuscript and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":15902,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[678,1],"tags":[1943,1939,1945,1938,1944,1947,1941,1946,1942,1940],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/manuscriptevidence.org\/wpme\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15986"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/manuscriptevidence.org\/wpme\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/manuscriptevidence.org\/wpme\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/manuscriptevidence.org\/wpme\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/manuscriptevidence.org\/wpme\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15986"}],"version-history":[{"count":20,"href":"https:\/\/manuscriptevidence.org\/wpme\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15986\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16185,"href":"https:\/\/manuscriptevidence.org\/wpme\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15986\/revisions\/16185"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/manuscriptevidence.org\/wpme\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15902"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/manuscriptevidence.org\/wpme\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15986"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/manuscriptevidence.org\/wpme\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15986"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/manuscriptevidence.org\/wpme\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15986"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}