The Food Lovers' Cookbook Collection
Pellegrino Artusi
Pellegrino Artusi was born in the small Italian village of Forlimpopoli in 1820 and died in Florence in 1921. His achievements were many and spanned the fields of science, business and gastronomy.
Artusi was an enigma. while others in Italy at the time were looking for things that were common across this newly united nation, he was putting together a book that celebrated regional difference and diversity. However, he didn't see what he was doing as in any way diminishing the move to nationhood.
This retired silk weaver stuck a chord with the Italian public, perhaps because he wrote in Italian and did not use French culinary terms that were de rigueur in publications of the time. He also (possibly because of his scientific background) was an early pioneer of precision in recipes at a time when many writers used broad descriptions rather than exact measurements. He was therefore an important contributor to this field, anticipating the later contributions of Fannie Farmer and Auguste Escoffier.
The popularity of this book in Italy has lead to some confusion as there are now dozens of editions both in the original Italian and in various translations. (The edition that we have reviewed for the Food Lovers' Cookbook Collection is the Lorenzo Da Ponte Italian Library published in 2003.)
We think that he is one of the most important cookbook authors ever.
The Cookbook Collection entry
The review of the entry for this author in The Food Lovers' Cookbook Collection can be read by clicking on the following link: