Thematic Culinary Histories

The many aspects of cooking

Section 6 of the Academia Barilla Gastronomic Library houses a large number of books of disparate subject matter that, however, all relate to cooking.

The collection begins with cookbooks for kitchen novices, people who may know nothing about cooking but are willing to give it a try.

There are over 30 books in this subsection, including L’apriscatole della felicità, or “The happy boxopener,” by Elena Spagnol and the sweet La cuoca pasticciona published in Modena in 1988.

Immediately following the books for beginners, you will find books dedicated to quick and easy meals – quick, but not rushed.

Look for the popular Italian book Contaminuti: libro di cucina per la donna che lavora, or “Count the minutes: a cookbook for the working woman,” also by Elena Spagnol, first published by Feltrinelli in 1967 and Pochi minuti ed è pronto in tavola, or “In a few minutes it will be ready and on the table,” by Fernanda Gosetti, published by Fabbri in 1981.

Sometimes saving time just isn’t enough. In a country like Italy, which has suffered more from time of hunger than from plenty, it should come as no surprise to find many books about how to cut cost in the kitchen. An Italian classic, available in many editions, is L’arte di utilizzare gli avanzi della mensa, “The art of using leftovers,” edited by Olindo Guerrini, a pseudonym for the poet Lorenzo Stecchetti (1845-1916), and first published by Formiggini in 1918.

Another great resource is Mangiar bene e spender poco, “Eat well and spend little,” published by Cappelli in 1939. There are also a number of books published during World War II, manuals for how to survive when times are tough.

Among the rarities in our collection, we have La cucina Italiana della resistenza, “Italian cooking of the resistance movement,” published in 1936 as a tool “against the unjust economic blockade” caused by the sanctions imposed on Italy by the Society of Nations for the invasion of Ethiopia the previous year.

Also look for La cucina autarchica, “Self-sufficient cooking,” (1942) and La cucina del tempo di guerra: manuale pratico per le famiglie, “Cooking during a time of war: a practical family manual,” published by Salani.

Even contemporary cookbook authors have dedicated attention to this subject, for example Il gourmet degli avanzi, or “The Leftover Gourmet,” by Allan Bay, published by TCI in 2003.

Anytime, anyplace

The great chefs of the past paid a lot of attention to the seasons and seasonal ingredients. Seasonality is still considered an important subject in the culinary publishing world: there are over 80 books about seasonal cooking in the Academia Barilla Library.

This collection sits next the books about cooking outdoors and the art of preparing party foods items like tramezzini, little Italian sandwiches.

There are also authoritative manuals like Il grande libro dei buffets, published by the Istituto Superiore Arti Culinarie Etoile in 1999, which explains how to prepare elegant buffets, and more light-hearted publications like 100 panini dei Looney Tunes, full of cooking tips from the cartoon characters – Tweety Bird, Sylvester, Speedy Gonzales, Bugs Bunny and many more.

There are even books about cooking on board a ship, airplane or train.

Food and Religion

Food and diet have always been related to religion. Religious celebrations have dictated and still dictate what types of food are served and how they are prepared.

This is true, for example, during both Lent and Ramadan.  There are a wide variety of cookbooks written about dietary rules and observances related to religion, many of which can be found in our library. 

Over 20 books are available on the subject of Christian cuisine, including Gola e preghiera nella clausura dell’ultimo Cinquecento, “Food and prayer in the cloisters during the end of the 16th century,” accompanied by a little notebook of recipes from Perugia in 1583-1607, and published in Foligno in 1988.

There is also an original manuscript of recipes from the Convent of Santa Maria of Parma, dated 1847.

Jewish cooking is also well represented with book like the rare copy of Poesia nascosta: seicento ricette di cucina ebraica in Italia, “Hidden poetry:600 recipes of Jewish food in Italy,” published in Florence in 1931. However, there are also books about the culinary practices of the Muslims, Hindus, Amish and Mormons.

In the kitchen with great historical figures

Another interesting subsection of the library is dedicated to the recipes from famous people throughout history. Here you will find publications about everyone from Catherine de’ Medici – who brought Italian food to France – to the Bourbons, and the Venetian Doges. You can also discover the secrets from the kitchens of Garibaldi, Mussolini, Emperor Franz Joseph and even the White House.

From the world of music, there is information about the great artists and food lovers Giuseppe Verdi, Gioacchino Rossini and Luciano Pavarotti. There are also many Italian actors who enjoyed cooking, including Ugo Tognazzi – author of various cookery books - Antonio De Curtis, more commonly known as Totò and Sofia Loren.

Le ghiottornie di Gabriele D’Annunzio, is a book in our collection about the culinary adventures of D’Annunzio, written by Gustavo Traglia and published by Luigi Veronelli in 1957. You can also search for the favorite recipes of Giacomo Casanova, Johann Wolfgang Goethe, Marcel Proust or other famous painters and sculptors.  You can even find information on Nostradamus.

Kitchen love

Time and time again, it has been shown that food and love go hand in hand – if not for anything more than the simple pleasure of sharing a meal with someone else.

Certain foods are commonly considered to be aphrodisiacs. In the Academia Barilla Gastronomic Library, you will find over 80 books dedicated to the subject, including La cucina dell’amore: manuale culinario afrodisiaco per gli adulti dei due sessi, by Omero Rompini, published by Catania in 1926, and the classic Venere in cucina, or “Venus in the Kitchen, by Pilaff Bey, published in Italian by Longanesi in 1954, and many more.

However, the kitchen can be both a place of joy or consolation for those who by find themselves without a significant other.

Lo scapolo in cucina, or “Bachelor in the kitchen,” by Vincenzo Buonassisi and Leonardo Vergani with 12 fun illustrations by Luciano Francesconi, is the first work in a series of books dedicated to relationships and food.

Healthy cooking

Here you will find the answer to how to eat well when on a diet and the different dietary models that encourage healthy eating.

Even if you must restrict yourself from certain types of food, a well balanced diet can be very helpful in curing or ameliorating various diseases.

In this subsection, you will find books about various diet programs, including the Mediterranean diet, vegetarianism, diets for athletes, specific diets for various diseases, and even what to feed babies. Among the many titles, you will find La cuoca medichessa, “The Doctor Cook,” printed in Turin by Lattes in 1932, and L’arte di mangiar poco, “The Art of Eating Less,” which has the words “We Eat Too Much!” highlighted in red on the cover.

This book was published in 1932, just imagine what they would have written today.

Then, there is La cucina degli stomachi deboli ossia pochi piatti non comuni, semplici, economici e di facile digestione: con alcune norme relative al buon governo delle vie digerenti  - “Cooking for weak stomachs, or a few uncommon, simple, inexpensive dishes that are easy to digest: with a couple of rules governing digestion” – written by Angelo Dubini, a medical doctor from Milan.

This book came out in 1862 and has been so well received that 33 new editions have been published over the course of a century.

This area of rare and interesting books concludes with books about communal eating, from hard to find manuals for military cooks, to hospital and prison cookbooks, like La cucina di Alcatraz, Nero di seppia, Ricette d’evasione, Avanzi di galera. This section of the library demonstrates that food has symbolic meanings that extend beyond its mere nutritional value.