Portland restaurateur finds 200 year old Italian cookbook

[grasswire]

The book, buried deep in a box, was shabby and coverless, tucked inside a worn zip-top plastic bag.

A closer look revealed black Italian script on thick, fragile paper: It was an 1809 edition of "The Chef From Macerata" ("Il Cuoco Maceratese") by Antonio Nebbia, among the first cookbooks ever written in Italy.

In Stefania Toscano's rush to leave Italy for Portland two years ago, she hadn't seen it among her late aunt's possessions, which she had hastily packed and shipped to Oregon.

But here it was, and in many ways, it made sense: Elisabetta Gaggi, her aunt, kept an enormous library with thousands of culinary books in her home in Florence. She was an accomplished, passionate cook who would take an entire day to make her extraordinary pizza.

That the book was special to her aunt made it a treasure to Toscano. But the fact that this small, shabby book was more than 200 years old was a shock. (Pellegrino Artusi's seminal book on Italian cooking, "The Art of Eating Well," wouldn't come along until 1881.)

Recipes included with this story: Spanish-style Green Milk Custard (Latte Alla Spagnola Verde), Lasagna Princisgrass

Lots more fascinating info from the book at http://www.oregonlive.com/foodday/index.ssf/2010/12/lost_and_found.html

[grasswire]

1. I think I'll make a trip to this woman's restaurant in the new year

It's in a regular old neighborhood in Portland.

[eleny]

2. Reprints are even available at Amazon

Neat stuff!

[Vinca]

3. Your post brought out the picker in me. Any idea what it's worth?

:rofl:

[grasswire]

5. the writer said there are only three in existence

They took it to an expert at a local college. No word on the value.

[Dover]

4. I love stuff like this - revival of ancient recipes.

Even if the methods or ingredients can't be duplicated exactly, I love the whole concept of gastronomical time travel...experiencing a taste of history. I'm waiting for some restaurant to specialize and feature ancient recipes on their menu. Or at least as part of their weekly menu.
Assuming the chef is talented enough to pull it off, that would sure be a big draw for me. Perhaps they could take it even further with the use of period place-settings, fabrics, historic/cultural conversation of the times, etc. Total immersion dining without being kitch or inauthentic.

It's interesting timing with the discovery of this particular cookbook featured in the OP. It seems that the Le Marche region of Italy and particularly the Macerata province is being heavily promoted by Italy's Tourism Bureau as THE new area to visit. Here's an article about their big promotional push to lure New Yorkers:

http://www.i-italy.org/13132/macerata-journey-you-cant-miss

I wonder if the name Macerata is derived from the word 'macerate' (or vice versa)?

[tigereye]

6. that is so cool! What a wonderful legacy!

:wow: