to Mum and Dad who were my mentors through life and excellent cooks as well

About the cover: The temple as a metaphor for the Mediterranean diet.

The representation of the Mediterranean diet in the form of a “temple” was proposed by Professor Flami- nio Fidanza (one of the historical fathers of the dis- covery) to symbolise improvement and physical and spiritual elevation, in place of the emblematic tomb- stone of the famous “pyramid”. The Greco-Roman Temple [presented here in a com- municative design in Mediterranean colours, by Lando Siliquini and Alessandra Borroni] is undoubtedly the most appropriate representation of the “Mediterrane- an way” understood as a modus vivendi and perfectly conveys the sacred, harmonious and immutable arche- type of the “ideal” diet.

THE MEDITERRANEAN DIET the Temple of the Sibyl

Lando Siliquini INDEX

PREFACE by Adolfo Leoni...... 11 MANIFESTO by Adolfo Leoni...... 17 PROFANUM...... 19 THE MEDITERRANEAN DIET...... 21 THE IGUVINE TABLETS...... 31 NATURALITER...... 35 THE FATHERS OF ITALIAN DIETETICS...... 47 MARCA MEDITERRANEA...... 57 THE MONASTIC DIET...... 65 THE VEGETABLES GARDENS OF THE MARCHE VALLEYS...... 67 TRUFFLES. THE DIAMONDS OF THE SIBILLINI...... 71 THE NAME OF THE “MELA ROSA”...... 75 HONEY...... 79 UNSALTED BREAD by Amedeo Grilli...... 81 THE MEDITERRANEAN DIET the Temple of the Sibyl REDISCOVERING OUR TYPICAL PRODUCTS by Amedeo Grilli...... 85

Author: Lando Siliquini THE MAJESTY OF THE PEAKS...... 89 Email: [email protected] THE LADY OF THE WATERS...... 91 www.laboratoriodietamediterranea.it

Preface: Adolfo Leoni APPENDIX Email: [email protected] THE MEDITERRANEAN DIET AND DISEASE PREVENTION...... 95 www.adolfoleoni.wordpress.com NATURALLY HARMFUL ELEMENTS IN FOOD...... 109 Translated by Deborah Swain Project Management by Fabio Pucciarelli MEDITERRANEAN FOOD PYRAMID...... 115 BIBLIOGRAPHY...... 117 © 2019 Lando Siliquini. All rights reserved. SITOGRAPHY...... 121

Published by Albero Niro Editore www.alberoniro.it

English edition ISBN: 978-88-85474-09-3

9 PREFACE

Lando Siliquini could be a modern day “treasure hunter” in the Sibillini mountains. Not because he has struck gold – yellow, blue, or black: the gold he discovered is green and he is returning it to all of us who were unaware of the riches we possessed. He has already brought to light our linguistic, historical, mythological, and anthro- pological patrimony buried in indifference and oblivion. Today, the treasure that emerges from these pages has to do with food, going right back to agricultural production, the defence of the earth, our very way of life, a cultural tradition that races towards the future as it crosses the present day. In short, it has to do with our history and our contemporaneity. With our landscape and outlook. With the gen- erations that have been and gone, and those who are here today. And those who will follow us. Generation after generation. The author calls it the Mediterranean diet, the Sibylline diet. It is the diet of these lands and people, of a unique way of living and un- derstanding things, people, agriculture, villages. It was our daily food until 50 years ago, the produce from our farms. First and foremost, it was the lifestyle we inherited. That of our parents, our grandparents and great-grandparents. Yet we are forgetting those values ​​and ways of living, even those of us who are immersed in them. The first to realize its impact (which they would subsequently demonstrate through complex and refined research) were the pioneer- ing scientist Flaminio Fidanza (originally from Magliano di Tenna) and his mentor Ancel Keys, with the significant involvement of their respective wives; and it was far from obvious, during the fifties and sixties of the last century when the rich “American” diet was being acclaimed, indiscriminately, as a panacea... before revealing itself as a Pandora’s box. And then came the Seven Countries Study... A study in which Fidanza was passionately involved and a driv- ing force behind the initiative, which would prove to be «one of the

11 most important ecological studies – as the professor later wrote – as The Mediterranean diet originated in these lands, so perfectly de- it was the first to show in very different populations a significant scribed by Margaret Collier, an English woman who moved to the relationship between dietary habits and the respective incidence of Fermo area almost a century and a half ago following her marriage disease and mortality».* to an army officer by the name of Arturo Galletti. Looking out from Active, lively, witty. Flaminio Fidanza worked right up until the a window in her hilltop villa in the countryside around Torre San day he died, contributing in his field, to the growth of Italy. He trans- Patrizio, she wrote: «Between the Adriatic and the Sibylline range of mitted to his students and to those who studied his books a wealth of the Apennines lies a fertile undulating country, rich in corn, wine, and knowledge and insights, marking a path that Siliquini picks up and oil. Patches of wheat, of maize, of red clover, of flax, of beans, cov- continues in this book. er the valleys and the hillsides. Maples and poplars, garlanded with In the United States that diet is still being studied today, as a re- vines, rise from amidst the corn. Olives and mulberries abound. Aca- sponse to the serious problems of obesity. It is discussed at the FAO, cias border the roads, and occasional groups of fine oaks and elms as a possible way of tackling hunger in some parts of the world. It has make the traveller regret that more have not been spared in what was been recognised by UNESCO, which declared it part of the intangible once a beautifully wooded country. […] Enormous white oxen draw cultural heritage of humanity. It was the theme running throughout the plough and convey waggons along the road. Quaint villages are EXPO 2015. “Green gold”, a precious asset for the Marches of Italy. perched on the summit of each hill. The snow-capped Apennines close And “treasure hunter” Lando Siliquini, among other things a doctor, the horizon to the west, and distance lends enchantment to the view of humanist, and historian, who ponders, digs deep, and brings to the sur- the sea, dotted with the gaily-painted sails of the fishing boats, which face a traditional way of living, producing and nourishing ourselves. is caught by glimpses between the hills. All would speak of peace and And when he writes it down, it is as if he were saying: pay atten- contentment, were it not for the attitude of defence exhibited by each tion, we have a wealth of knowledge to share, concerning our health tiny town, with its massive surrounding wall». and the possibility of living better if we only follow some tricks that In his book, Siliquini is sending a message: it is time for a change we’ve always known! Handed down to us from the Picentes or may- of direction, time to get back to our roots, to take back what is ours, be even earlier. Things our grandparents knew! and that which sets us apart. The real importance of Siliquini’s current work lies here: having This is also partly what the Wall Street Journal was referring to declared, and demonstrated, that it is worth embracing the Medi- in 2012. The US newspaper claimed that Italy could overcome its terranean diet, he takes action, keeps on promoting it, in a broader financial crisis by rediscovering its history, especially that of the Re- framework, which includes farmers, restaurateurs, doctors, teachers, naissance, with its small homelands and city-states. That same year, tourism operators, institutions, and families. A community, in short. Salvatore Settis, archaeologist, teacher and writer, chose Moresco for In the words of Paolo Preti, professor at Bocconi University, speak- the launch of a campaign for the protection of the landscape and the ing at a conference in Le Marche many years ago: «Spread the word preservation of villages. And Vittorio Sgarbi, speaking in Penna San about things done well because they serve everyone». He was talking Giovanni (and previously in Porto San Giorgio and Montegiorgio) about economics. But the maxim can be applied to any field. further reiterated the need to defend the rich cultural heritage of the Mediterranean diet or driving force. An identity. A trademark, a Marches of Italy. Food is never far away from all of this; indeed, it is brand, to put it elegantly. Even a boon for tourism. I would stop short an essential component. of saying a turning point for civilization, but very nearly. Because be- Let us look at yet another aspect. Some years ago, in quick suc- hind our diet there is an intrinsic way of understanding life, because it cession, two television news channels reported on “recipes from evokes the flavour of our territory, the industriousness of our people, grandma’s kitchen”. And it didn’t stop there. Even newspapers and the enchantment of our mountains and our villages.

12 13 national periodicals continued the discussion by launching a “food not sophisticated but are sincere, loyal, and bound to the Shire and alert”. The first to join the debate wasLe Vie del Gusto magazine. The everything that grows there. premise: eight out of ten Italians were afraid that “grandma’s culinary wisdom” would one day be entirely lost. Lando Siliquini’s work in Italian boasts, among others, a publica- «If there were a WWF for gastronomy,» wrote another newspaper, tion edited by the Ordine dei Medici della Provincia di Fermo (the «the panda would be a beautiful woman with wrinkles, a flowered Province of Fermo Medical Association), and another in the Quad- apron and a wooden spoon in her hand». Grandma, in short, the per- erni del Consiglio Regionale delle Marche (Journals of the Marche fect homemaker. The grey-haired among us can still remember her Regional Council). delicious meals, her simple “cucina povera” recipes, and how she The expanded content and bibliography are the result of further could make the most out of every ingredient with nothing going to research that the author has carried out in consultation with mem- waste. But what about younger people? bers of the Laboratorio Piceno della Dieta Mediterranea (Piceno It would need restaurants (not to mention inns, trattorias and tav- Lab of the Mediterranean Diet) in the light of epidemiological and erns) to embrace and put our local cuisine, derived from the Medi- scientific innovations. terranean diet, back on their menus. And it would need someone at Far from undermining any earlier claims, the benefits of the Medi- home, someone foreword-thinking, to suggest a traditional meal. And terranean diet and its close relationship with the Marches of Italy are that would still not be enough. now even more apparent. Because the final and perhaps most significant element is still Let this book, therefore, with its rediscovery of the hidden deposits missing: the feast. This is also an integral part of our diet. The of our “green gold”, be the starting point for a series of actions (many “feast”, with its deeper meaning, and its rationale of overcoming the already launched) and a manifesto to be proposed everywhere. concept of “produce, consume and die”, in the words of a song by Giovanni Lindo Ferretti. Adolfo Leoni Again in 2012, in a national survey, half of those interviewed stated that «lunches and dinners with family relatives were a habit, while for a third it was a fixed appointment every Sunday; today, that same half at the very most will go to a restaurant to meet. But it’s just not the same...». So, we should rediscover the joys of “feasting”, the pleasures of meeting up, sitting around the table together, raising our glasses and toasting to hope, rendering sacred these moments of time within time, lending them importance. Eating the fruits of the season, transform- ing the simplest of foods into a “main course”. Listening to the bells, which sound the hours, the passing of time, and the joyful village bands. Where the wine flows generously, and the beer, likewise. Let us sanctify a day of celebration and then return, regenerated, to work. Rather like Tolkien’s hobbits, whom Cesare Catà, another writer native to these parts, describes as creatures linked to the rhythms of nature, lovers of drinking, eating, making love; creatures that are * Kromhout D., Menotti A., Blackburn H: The Seven Countries Study. Bower Offset bv, Utrecht 1993, pag 97-98

14 15 MANIFESTO

1) I pledge to defend our campaign, and to grow crops associated with the Mediterranean diet;

2) I pledge to create a tourist menu that includes the characteristics of the Mediterranean diet;

3) I pledge to involve and listen to the old custodians of traditional recipes;

4) I pledge to be welcoming and that my hospitality will come from the heart;

5) I pledge to carry out research into products from our territory and promote them through Municipal Designation of Origin certification;

6) I pledge to create very short supply chains and special occasions where farmers and small agri-food producers can present and sell their products;

7) I pledge to protect our villages. Places where it is still possible to lead a good life;

8) I pledge to support those associations that rediscover ancient paths and find new ways;

9) I pledge to bring back the true meaning of the feast as a component in creating a sense of community;

10) I pledge that our Mother Earth shall no longer be raped by this and future generations.

Adolfo Leoni

17 PROFANUM

The Mediterranean diet is not intended simply as a type of cui- sine or a way of eating, but a way of feeding ourselves and lifestyle, a scientific and cultural heritage, a socio-environmental context, an eco-history, an ecosystem. Indeed, the ecosystem. We will discover why. The organic complexity underlying this expression is sometimes described as the Mediterranean way, or better still the Mediterrane- an eating pattern, which translates our Mediterranean habits into a structure, custom, model of moderation, norm, and precept. The sea that was the catalyst for human civilization – and not by chance know as Mare Nostrum or “Our Sea” – emphasises the primacy of Italy. The umbilicus of the Peninsula, like the mundus of the early Lat- ins, is its temple – understood as a physical and mental place, a point of conjunction of the earth and the sky, of time and space, an altar of ideas, a treasure chest of knowledge, a source of health and puri- fication – all guarded by the matriarch of local legends known as the Vergara* or goddess Donna Sibilla.

* Translator’s note: “Vergara”, a dialectal word used in the central regions of Italy can be roughly translated as “matriarch”. The term is linked to the world of sheep farming and shares the same etymology as the French “berger” deriving from the Latin “berbicarius” (shepherd). The Sibillini mountains are steeped in legends about the “Sibilla” or Sibyl: a fairy, a priestess, a seer, or queen of the underworld, depending on which tale you read.

19 THE MEDITERRANEAN DIET

The Mediterranean diet has been declared by UNESCO as part of the «intangible cultural heritage of humanity»,1 described by the Unit- ed States Senate as “the best way to eat” and recommended by the sci- entific world as a benchmark diet that is both balanced and sustainable. Less well known is the major role played by the Sibillini valleys in its discovery and scientific validation, and earlier still in the develop- ment, transmission and maintenance of this anthropological heritage. The Mediterranean diet was discovered and promoted by the American physiologist Ancel Keys,2 who had visited Italy during the war, and the famous Italian nutritionist Flaminio Fidanza. After con- ducting research together during the 1950s, exactly sixty years ago they launched the Seven Countries Study in seven nations over three continents [Finland, the Netherlands, Greece, Italy, Yugoslavia, Ja- pan, and the United States]. In Italy, Montegiorgio, or more precisely the Tenna Valley (together with Crevalcore),3 was selected to prove the indisputable superiority of this diet and lifestyle for good health and longevity. The international study – which is revolutionizing humanity’s ap- proach to food, health, socio-economic, and ecological issues – was subsequently merged into the FINE study, followed by the HALE project, and continues right up to the present day; constant use is made of the data recorded in the Marche region among the population of Montegiorgio (unlike the rotation or disappearance of the other sample locations).4 Indeed, by “Mediterranean diet” we mean a behavioural model that encompasses health, tradition, culture, pleasure, socialization, and balance, or rather a set of dietary habits, combined with an ac- tive lifestyle, which are particularly characteristic of rural areas in the countries overlooking the Mediterranean, especially Italy. The towns and villages in the Piceno are the extraordinary custodians of this resource, not least because of the exceptional healthiness of the local environment.

21 Put simply, it can be defined as a predominantly vegetarian, or- products, eggs, white meat, fish, and the more sporadic consumption ganic,and biodiverse cuisine, based on local, seasonal, fresh or nat- of red meat; up to the apex that symbolizes the reduced use of simple urally preserved produce, subdivided into portions that meet daily sugars, salt, overly refined cereals, spirits, preservatives, additives or caloric requirements, and transformed into delicious fare through synthetic substitutes, margarines, butter, and solid animal fats (pork centuries-old culinary skills that have made a virtue out of necessity. fat is the healthiest due to the absence of trans fats and the higher con- It is the food of convivial meals, to be savoured with well-deserved centration of unsaturated fats, as demonstrated by how easily it liqui- slowness and without fanaticism; where physical activity and ade- fies). All based on a unique socio-anthropological and environmental quate rest, the combination of foods, a sparing use of salt, a balanced context. The “temple” is the alternative representation, proposed by attitude towards diet, plenty of sunshine, spring waters, and the ab- Fidanza, which best represents the harmonious and inspiring struc- sence of pollution,5 plenty of fresh air, socialization and tradition, all ture derived from the dynamic relationship between human civiliza- play a fundamental role. tion and the environment. From a medical point of view, such a diet prevents hypertension, The immediate effect is to provide adequate quantities of fibre, diabetes, gout, dyslipidemia, cardio and cerebrovascular diseases, unsaturated fats, minerals, vitamins, antioxidants, probiotics, anti- obesity, liver, biliary, urological and genital diseases, as well as di- septics, various micronutrients, liquids, and proportional doses of all gestive disorders, food allergies, infectious diseases, and even some the nutritive components (thanks to the greater bioavailability of the cancers. It is also beneficial to our skin, blood, veins, capillaries, substances when they are in their natural state); stimulate a sense of retina, nerve endings, bones, joints, muscles, and respiratory system. feeling full; prevent the introduction of toxins; activate the metabo- It can be used in slimming diets, in sports activities, during pregnan- lism, as well as thermogenesis and purification; increase the amounts cy, and as secondary prevention in the course of established diseas- of calcium and vitamin B12 in the blood, intestinal flora,9 and hormo- es. Several studies attest to its antidepressant effect and others have nal functions; improve vascular elasticity; combat pathogenic micro- demonstrated its preventive potential against Alzheimer’s disease organisms; reduce caloric overload, faecal stagnation, insulin stress, and Parkinson’s disease. Not to mention that it fosters fertilization,6 hyperlipemic effects, platelet aggregation, flogogenic agents, urice- development,7 and survival.8 mia, phosphoremia, nitrogenous waste, and water retention – which After the Seven Countries Study, all these benefits have been confirmed in the long run, thanks to the cultural and environmental contextual- by hundreds of studies involving millions of people around the world. ization, translates into the benefits quoad vitam ac valetudinem For the record, Ancel Keys lived to be 100 years old and Flaminio (to life and to health) formalized by the studies. Fidanza, a native of Magliano di Tenna, acclaimed Honorary Pres- Recent recommendations have further emphasized the healthiness ident of the National Institute for the Mediterranean Diet, died in of this food tradition, strongly encouraging the consumption of fruit March 2012 at the age of 93. and vegetables, legumes, whole grains, olive oil, aromatic herbs, as In terms of food, it is traditionally represented in the form of a well as the fractionation of meals, proper hydration, a varied diet, and “pyramid”, that is to say a diagram of food categories (practically physical activity. all of them!) represented according to their frequency of consump- tion (the decisive factor), whereby: the wide base indicates the daily In addition to the nutritional aspect, the economic advantage for use of wholegrain cereals, vegetables, fresh fruit, a variety of con- both private individuals and society should not be underestimated. Of diments, raw sweeteners, and vegetable fats from olive oil and nuts major importance, albeit little known, is the fact that the Mediterra- (walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts), with a moderate consumption of wine nean diet not only directly benefits human health but also helps in the in addition to an abundant consumption of water and herbal teas; the- conservation of land resources, therefore creating financial savings segment above alternates during the week between vegetables, dairy and making the environment more sustainable. The studies initiated

22 23 by the Dutch Nobel laureate Paul Crutzen, then continued by the FAO NOTES in the report Livestock’s Long Shadow, right up to the double pyra- mid devised by the Barilla Center for Food and Nutrition have shown 1 In November 2010 in Nairobi UNESCO added the Mediterranean diet to the list of that the food pyramid has an inversely proportional impact on the the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity (following its candidature by Italy, Spain, environment, in the sense that the foods to be consumed in greater Greece, and Morocco) with the following motivation: «The Mediterranean diet constitutes a set of skills, knowledge, practices and traditions ranging from the landscape to the table, quantities are those that (bearing in mind the entire supply chain, including the crops, harvesting, fishing, conservation, processing, preparation and, par- from production to consumption to disposal) produce less green- ticularly, consumption of food. The Mediterranean diet is characterized by a nutritional model that has remained constant over time and space, consisting mainly of olive oil, house gases, use less land, waste less water, require fewer pesticides, cereals, fresh or dried fruit and vegetables, a moderate amount of fish, dairy and meat, are energy saving, and consequently cost less, especially if produced and many condiments and spices, all accompanied by wine or infusions, always respecting beliefs of each community. However, the Mediterranean diet (from the Greek diaita, or locally. They also promote biodiversity. When one realizes that one way of life) encompasses more than just food. It promotes social interaction, since com- third of greenhouse gas emissions are generated by the food sector, munal meals are the cornerstone of social customs and festive events. It has given rise to a considerable body of knowledge, songs, maxims, tales and legends. The system is rooted that the Italian diet emits on average less than half the CO2 of the in respect for the territory and biodiversity, and ensures the conservation and develop- American diet, and that if the latter were to be adopted by the entire ment of traditional activities and crafts linked to fishing and farming in the Mediterranean communities […]». world population it would require double the resources that the earth 2 Ancel Keys lived for over 20 years in Pioppi in the municipality of Pollica (Salerno) possesses, one begins to have a pretty good idea of just how impor- in the Cilento area. For this, and other reasons such as: the various transversal studies tant the environmental sustainability of food is within the context of conducted in Cilento in 1967, 1982 and 1999, and (according to the Associazione Dieta 10 Mediterranea Ancel Keys Pioppi: diet and lifestyle), the numerous scientific meetings held the balance of our planet and the very survival of populations. there; the 80th birthday of the cardiologist Paul Ludley White was celebrated there in 1966; it hosted the Second International Seminar of Epidemiology and the Prevention of Cardiovascular Diseases in 1969; and finally because Keys, together with his wife, wrote At this point some considerations arise. the book “Eat well and stay well: the Mediterranean way” in Pioppi – the town in Cam- On closer inspection, Montegiorgio played a pivotal role, even pania has been recognised by UNESCO as being an Italian location emblematic of the more significant than would appear, in the discovery of the Mediter- Mediterranean Diet. ranean diet. Indeed, besides the direct link with Professor Fidanza, 3 Flaminio Fidanza began an investigation in Naples in 1952 in collaboration with Ancel Keys, showing that hypercholesterolemia was influenced by the intake of saturated what emerges from the entire story is that: Finland, the Netherlands, fatty acids. At that point, it was considered appropriate to carry out prospective studies on the United States, and Serbia were found to follow the least healthiest groups of people with different dietary habits and varying prevalence of cardiovascular diseases. In 1957 a pilot study was initiated in Nicotera by Flaminio Fidanza and Adolfo diets; among the most virtuous nations (Greece, Italy, Croatia, and Ja- Del Vecchio, with the involvement of a large group of Italian and foreign scientists. In 1958 pan) ours is the location where the study was launched and where the Fidanza again devised another pilot study, with the collaboration of the Centre for Cardio- vascular Diseases in Ancona, with a group of people living in Montegiorgio and Magliano best loved cuisine in the world still thrives; among the regions Cam- di Tenna, involving the participation of a large percentage of the population, even more pania, Calabria, Emilia, and Marche, where the Italian research was amazing when one considers the problems encountered in the Crete and Nicotera sam- ples. In 1959, the Seven Countries Study, launched by Ancel Keys and collaborators, got carried out, the latter still holds the record for longevity (to this day!) underway. A supervisory committee was set up in Italy, composed of Fidanza, Poppi, and and can claim the healthiness environment, while only Montegiorgio Puddu, who chose the Italian rural areas that would represent the south, centre and north. Fidanza’s emotional ties to the place must certainly have played a part in the selection of among the respective cohorts was able to scientifically demonstrate Montegiorgio, but it was the exceptionally high participation in the previous pilot study Italian excellence.11 and the objective representativeness of the town, with its hydro-geographic centrality and cultural equidistance between the sea and the mountains, which proved decisive. For the This means that the Mediterranean diet – that is the diet and lifestyle north the town of Crevalcore was selected (the culinary traditions of Emilia could hardly officially sanctioned worldwide as the most natural, complete, healthy, be ignored). On closer inspection, what seems particularly curious in the Seven Countries Study is that the planned study in Nicotera was cancelled! That shocking exclusion, rarely enjoyable, and economically affordable among those historically creat- mentioned today, was dictated by logistical difficulties and justified by the limited funds ed, experienced, and adopted by humanity – was discovered and fully available and the similarity of the results, observed in the 1957 survey, with those of Crete. The Calabrian town has since got it own back by being recognised as a Mediterranean identified in the first instance with the culinary culture, lifestyle, and diet of reference and by launching an incredible series of initiatives. Getting back to Mon- environmental healthiness of the valleys below the Sibillini mountains.12 tegiorgio, however, according to Alessandro Menotti’s publication on the results of the

24 25 Seven Countries Study, the Committee settled in very happily thanks to the helpfulness of In 2006 a coordination group was set up to continue the analysis of the Seven Countries the local administration, the opportunity of staying in an easily accessible hotel in Fermo Study, including the mortality data covering the 50 years since its launch. As a matter of and being able to dine on excellent fish at Porto San Giorgio! 726 males between the ages of fact, the statistical elaboration of the Seven Countries Study is still ongoing and forecasts 40 and 59 were invited, of which 99% participated. [The total number of people surveyed the devising of new international algorithms for health and life expectancy! In short, our in the whole of the Seven Countries Study was in excess of 12,000.] Professor Adalberta valleys have played a fundamental role in what can be considered the greatest discovery in Alberti Fidanza coordinated the group responsible for the survey of food consumption. the biomedical field of the last sixty years both in scientific terms and because of its social, Glycemia, cholesterol, haemoglobin, electrocardiographic traces and mortality were sub- environmental, economic, touristic, cultural, and health ramifications. A role that stems sequently monitored. Checks were carried out in 1965 and again in 1970. Once again, on indirectly from the work initiated in 1952 by Professor Flaminio Fidanza (originally from those occasions Montegiorgio was notable for its very high participation (93%). Follow up Magliano di Tenna), together with his mentor Ancel Keys, and consolidated by the inclu- checks were made in 1980, 1985 and 1991, in which in addition to the incidence of coronary sion of Montegiorgio in the Pilot Study of 1958, in the Seven Countries Study in 1960, in and cerebrovascular disease, self-sufficiency, mental state and physical conditions were the FINE Study in 1984, in the HALE Project in 2001, and not to mention in the protracted also measured. After 31 years of observations the results of the Seven Countries Study statistical observations which lasted until 2014. Montegiorgio is the only locality, chosen officially placed only Montegiorgio among the Italian locations — given the worse results from the beginning to represent the Mediterranean diet, to be present throughout the entire of Crevalcore and the absence of Nicotera, which was taken into consideration only by way research period right from the preliminary investigations and has been decisive in demon- of its similarity to Crete in the pilot study conducted in 1957 by Fidanza, and because of strating the benefits on every level of the lifestyle now being adopted all over the world. another limited study in the 1960s — in the small group of places with a healthier diet and One should add that the Montegiorgio sample was examined in the greatest depth, not behavioural regime. Flaminio Fidanza and his collaborator Alessandro Menotti conclud- only because of its duration, but also thanks to the detail and frequency of the checks and ed that it was the first and longest survey conducted on samples of the Italian population follow ups on the incidence of new diseases over some 25 years (compared to the 10 years concerning the relationship between diet and health, with research on the prevalence, inci- dedicated to other Mediterranean localities). Sixty-two years during which Marche, with a dence and mortality from cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, and that for many cultural history stretching back thousands of years, was in the spotlight on the world stage, years they had been the only available and valid studies in Italy; that the schemes set up in a fact that has often been shamefully ignored. But no one can erase the fact that Professor the Italian cohorts of Montegiorgio and Crevalcore constituted the model for the variations Fidanza and the 726 citizens of Montegiorgio, drawing on the strength of our traditions, in the surveys in the other nations; that surveys on the way of eating and living in these inspired a true cultural breakthrough! localities had largely contributed to the definition of the so-called Mediterranean diet, to the use of eating patterns (in place of the analysis of individual foods or nutrients), and 5 The IARC in Lyon, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, which works for to the study of their relationship with different causes of death. Regarding the statistical the WHO, has recently officially classified air pollution among the “certainly carcinogenic” significance of the Seven Countries Study or rather the representativeness of the selected agents (in the same category as smoking, UV rays, asbestos, and benzene) that act by induc- samples, it is interesting to note that in 1993 a study based on data provided by the FAO ing mutations directly in the DNA and affecting both the lungs and other excretory organs. on food consumption and by the WHO on mortality in 40 countries (including those in the SCS) gave similar results. Moreover, the comparative life expectancy among the nations 6 Recent studies conducted in Greece have shown that the Mediterranean diet in men on the entire planet – confirmed by all the most recent research and which sees the Japan improves the quality of sperm and in women significantly promotes the success of assisted and Italy (and Marche!) in the top spots – accurately reflects the results of the samples reproduction. [See: Adherence to the Mediterranean diet and IVF success rate among non- chosen in the Seven Countries Study. obese women attempting fertility: Dimitrios Karayiannis, Meropi D Kontogianni, Christi- na Mendorou, Minas Mastrominas, Nikos Yiannakouris in Human Reproduction, Volume 4 The Seven Countries Study was the first and largest study to investigate eating 33, Issue 3, 1 March 2018, Pages 494–502.] patterns and lifestyles alongside other risk factors for cardiovascular disease in different countries and cultures over an extended period. In a “global” survey (involving seven 7 According to a two-year Swedish study of 7,600 children in eight European coun- countries on three continents), “decades-long” (developed over a period of more than 50 tries, Mediterranean food makes them happier, with higher self-esteem and fewer emo- years), “multifactorial” (including an all-encompassing socio-health, anthropological and tional and relational problems. [See: Tognon G, Hebestreit A, Lanfer A, Moreno LA, Pala environmental vision) and “unrepeatable” (as an observational ecological study of existing V, Siani A, Tornaritis M, De Henauw S, Veidebaum T, Molnár D, Ahrens W, Lissner L. conditions over half a century ago) such as this, Montegiorgio officially represented the Mediterranean diet, overweight and body composition in children from eight European Mediterranean diet together with Crete, Corfu and the Dalmatian coast. This modus viv- countries: cross-sectional and prospective results from the IDEFICS study. Nutr Metab endi was compared to that of other nations and Montegiorgio became both the Italianand Cardiovasc Dis. 2014 Feb;24(2):205-13.] world location of reference in the launch of the Mediterranean diet. Indeed, the Seven Countries Study launched in 1958, was then transformed into the FINE Study in 1984 with 8 The WHO constitution defines health as a« state of complete physical, mental and only the Italian cohorts of Montegiorgio and Crevalcore, and those from Finland and the social well-being and not merely the absence of disease». The WHO has also indicated Netherlands; in which the cardiovascular survey was extended to include the assessment four areas as the essential components of well-being: nutrition, physical activity, sexual of behavioural, physical, mental, and social risks for the elderly from the Seven Countries well-being, and stress management; and the transversal importance of water. Study. In 2001 the HALE Project, funded by the European Union, was launched and took into consideration the combined the data from the Seven Countries Study, the FINE Study, 9 Intestinal microflora (or microbiome) produces vitamins and antimicrobial sub- and a SENECA Study on the determinants of healthy ageing in a total of 13 European stances, promotes the absorption of calcium, magnesium, and iron, matures the immune countries (Italy, Finland, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Denmark, Greece, Hunga- system, has a barrier effect, regulates intestinal motility, and recovers energy from fibre. ry, Serbia, Poland, Switzerland, Spain, and Portugal). The databases created by the team Its biomass has a bacterial cell count ten times higher than that of human body cells. The that succeded Keys and Fidanza contain data on cardiovascular risk factors collected in alteration of the microbiome has been implicated in autoimmune diseases, rheumatoid the starting phase and subsequently every 5 years, with up to 40 years of follow-up data, arthritis and nonspecific rheumatism, obesity, multiple sclerosis, atherosclerosis, diabetes, only for the five countries participating in the FINE Study, and with far less frequency cardiovascular diseases, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, anxiety and depression, autism, ce- in Serbia and Crete. So, in these tables the central role of Montegiorgio is again evident. liac disease, tumours, and life expectancy in general. Other correlations are being studied.

26 27 Hippocrates already understood that «all disease begins in the gut» (on an experimental level, germ free animals age prematurely and die more frequently). Probiotic bacterial species include lactobacillus, bifidobacterium, some strains of streptococcus, and the yeast saccharomyces. Prebiotics, on the other hand, are substances that encourage the develop- ment of probiotics. The Mediterranean diet can provide both probiotics and prebiotics and therefore encourages microbial symbiosis.

10 The FAO Symposium held in Rome in November 2010 defined as sustainable …« those diets with low environmental impacts which contribute to food and nutrition security and to healthy life for present and future generations. Sustainable diets are protective and respectful of biodiversity and ecosystems, culturally acceptable, accessible, economically fair and affordable; nutritionally adequate, safe and healthy; while optimizing natural and human resources».

11 Giuseppe Fatati, President of the Foundation of the Italian Association of Die- tetics and Clinical Nutrition (ADI), writes: «In the data analysis [of the Seven Countries Study] the Calabrian cohort disappeared, so what was identified as the Italian Mediter- ranean diet was instead a central Italian diet». [See: Mediterraneità. Pacini editore, Pisa 2012, Page 10]

12 In the book How to eat well and stay well the Mediterranean way, Ancel Keys and his wife Margaret recounted the trials and tribulations of the Nicotera and Crete pilot studies. For the most part, in both locations the scientists had to interpolate or extrapolate much of the data and, regardless of the results, the lifestyle and diet were impractical. For different reasons. In Nicotera they were so bothered by the flies and their miniscule excreta that they were prevented from measuring cholesterol levels; they could not establish a good enough test bed because the total fat intake was too low, due to inveterate poverty; there was a lack of participation by the selected individuals because many had been admitted to the sanatorium and were afraid of being taken back there; the hotel was 30 km away and the road was terrible. In Crete they were tortured by lice; milk consumption was absent or negligible; the same for fresh fish; other habits were quite literally “purgative”; many of the selected subjects rejected the very idea of being monitored. Flaminio Fidanza’s story was very different – the pilot study in Montegiorgio and Magliano, where participation and collaboration were total, as well as the hospital- ity, the living conditions of the inhabitants were judged civilized, the diet was deemed acceptable, the social and environmental context liveable, with very good connections and receptiveness, giving utterly true and realistic results. These characteristics, main- tained in the Seven Countries Study, meant that Montegiorgio was the most intensively studied sample, for the longest period and with the best results, and therefore the true emblematic location of the Mediterranean diet.

28 THE IGUVINE TABLETS

According to research by Augusto Ancillotti, glottologist and scholar in the field of Indo-European studies, by matching the food terminology found in the Iguvine Tablets with local traditions we can deduce that the ancient Umbrian Picentes used a lot of flour (poni) and ate mostly bread (fikla) perhaps in the form of bruschetta (es- kamitu) or braided (tenzitim), a type of cheese bread called crescia (mefa), focaccia made from spelt (faru), toasted bread or frustingo (poni frehtu), olives in brine (ranu), layered focaccia (strusla), dough or polenta made from cereals (vestisia), lattice pastry tarts (petenata), donuts (arclataf), vegetables (felsva), fruit (frif), other agricultural produce (arvia), milk or product of the breast (feliuf), poultry (avis), and eggs (aueif) [author’s note], meatloaf with vegetables (cuma- ta), goat meat (pelmen cabrina), pork in the form of liver (iepru) or lard and pork rinds (sorsu) or lean meat (caro); they preserved meat in lard (pelmen sorser toco), wine lees, or olive sludge (fahe), or in salt (salu) such as pancetta (sufafia), a type of salame called cia- vuscolo (klavaf), and sausages (prusesie), or otherwise in a cellar (perso), a pit (rusime) or a cave (carsome) and may have used smoke flavourings (urset); they enjoyed river caught fish (iuieskani, azno, taleno, sata) and the earthy and divine scent of truffles (trifo); they used honey as a sweetener (miletinar); they used oil or fats (arsipes) and condiments (spefa) and “seasoned” food with grape syrup or sapa (sopa) [AN] and raw salt (pistuniru); they drank water (udor), mead (udor miletinar), and wine (vinu): for a shared / convivial meal (scesna), that was organic / healthy / without fault (sevacne). The Iguvine rite sheds light on what Ancillotti describes as «the menu of three thousand years ago handed down to us in the lands straddling the Apennines between Umbria and Marche» with its Mediterraneity: the context of rituality, religiosity, festivity, conviv- iality, socialization, sacrifice, and of music; the prevalence of vege- tarianism, seen in the use of cereals, fruit, vegetables and legumes; the implicitly high-fibre diet; the use of milk and eggs; the preference

31 for pork over other meats; the use of freshwater fish such as sturgeon, a community to colonize new lands and which folklore has handed- carp and pike (akipesis, kuprino, and esosce, in the Paleo-Umbri- down to us today in the town of Monterubbiano in the “Sciò la Pica” an language, according to Ancillotti); the importance of condiments, celebration during Pentecost. herbs and spices, honey, wine, and oil. But what should be noted The Iguvine Tables are a mine of clues and evidence about the cul- above all else is that far from being elementary or primitive, the Um- ture and history of Central Italy during the first millennium BC. One brian-Picene diet at the dawn of civilization instead presented all the need only consider how instrumental they have been in understand- elements of an advanced state of the art: the cultivation of the Med- ing both the procedures of the Roman ritual and the phonological iterranean triad (cereals, vine, olives), which even Roman authors values of the Etruscan alphabet. would recognize as typical of the Piceno area; a mastery of the skills The finds, of equal or even greater importance than the Rosetta required to transform the products of the earth (spelt into flour, olives Stone, the Zagreb Mummy, or the Pyrgi Tablets, show a cross-section into oil, grapes into wine); the processing of pork (in addition to poul- of Italic life and rituals around 1,000 BC and strike an ancestral chord try, beef and sheep), with an awareness of anatomy; a gastronomy with our culture and tradition. that indulged in complex preparations, imaginative recipes, doughs, Numerous studies have revolved around them. What is surprising, cooking methods, maturation, aromatization, condiments, sweeten- however, is that their message, which is clear even if far from being to- ing; food preservation using natural methods; a variety and combi- tally deciphered, is rarely remembered or embraced by historiography. nation of foods; an awareness of its cathartic / therapeutic function. In them we find, among other things, all the allegorical power of the “temple of the Mediterranean diet”, where rituality and religiosity The so-called Iguvine Tables were the starting point for Professor are one with socialization, celebration, music, dance, gastronomy, the Ancillotti’s research. environment, history, culture, language, and tradition. In 1444 near Gubbio (ancient Iguvium) seven bronze tablets were Suffice to say that same conviviality, which characterizes the con- discovered. The inscriptions found on both sides of the tablets, writ- sumption of Mediterranean meals, is etymologically contained within ten in the archaic Umbrian-Picene language (using Etruscan and Um- the archaic word “çesna” from which the Italian for supper – “cena”– brian-Picene characters in some cases, and Latin in others), describe is derived, and which literally means sharing. a complex propitiatory liturgy. The tablets, dating back to the I-III century BC, together with the Etruscan Liber Linteus, form the most ancient and complete docu- ment concerning pre-Christian religious rituals. The rites transcribed probably date back to the dawn of the first millennium BC and were celebrated by an order known as the Atiedian Brethren. The Priests represented a group of 20 communities from the Um- brian and Piceno territories. Countless studies, conducted by both Italian – notably Devoto, Prosdocimi, and Pisani, as well as Augusto Ancillotti – and foreign linguists, helped decipher the text. An important clue, however, was provided by Giovanni Rocchi, an epigraphist and linguist from the Piceno area, who guessed the ethnic significance of the rite, seeing in it the same fabled practice of the ver sacrum; that is, the ancient cus- tom that required the banishment of one tenth of the young people in

32 33 NATURALITER

The temple is the perfect expression of the enlightened and model temperance of humankind in harmony with the cosmos. The watchword is moderation, that happy medium, in the name of which social and eating habits take shape and complement each other. It fills the “tympanum”. It is the wisdom that draws on the culinary arts, on the know-how of an entire people, on its moral principles and on its ability to spread these cultural values and transmit them to new generations, using every kind of socialization: from contact to friend- ship, from conviviality to tolerance, from festivals to music, poetry and dance, from rituals to religion. The universal foods – Mediterranean but not exclusively – form the “metope”, while the “columns” and the pedestals conceptualize their characteristic groups. Everything contributes to the centrality of a good diet, one that is healthy, composed of foods, rhythms and colours that are an expression of the osmosis between humankind and nature. The platform upon which everything rests, the “crepidoma”, is economic and environmental sustainability, where biodiversity, sea- sonality, genuineness, and ecological healthiness all play prominent roles, alongside the cult of work and collaboration, respect and pride, frugality and recuperation. Within the temple burns the flame that the vestal Sibyl keeps alight, because when Prometheus stole fire from the Gods, he gave human- kind mastery of the energy that will one day allow it to reach the celestial spheres. His first gift to humanity was the source of other- wise unavailable nutrients and reserves of purified, dried, and smoke food. The flame, tamed by mankind, bright and hot, lit the fuse of aggregation, exchange, food adaptation, and consequently enabled civilization: the philosopher Claude Lévi-Strauss defined the cooking of food as the invention that made us human bringing mankind from the state of nature to that of culture (a concept expressed in the essay “The Raw and the Cooked” published in 1964).

35 In the same way, the home fire burning on thearòla (the “little ara” Beyond the massive amount of scientific studies that have high- or altar of the house), guarded by the matriarchal Vergara who ensured lighted the practical results of the Mediterranean diet, this is not it never sputtered out, was not only a source of physical and spiritual based on dogmatic principles but instead fully respects the philoso- warmth, but also encouraged the vigil, that moment of great human phy behind these results. intensity, fundamental in the diffusion and transmission of oral cul- The fractionation of meals allows for insulin peaks to be reduced. ture: the bright warmth of the flame would accompany the enjoyment For that reason, even when ingesting the same number of calories, the of wine and seasonal foods (corn, chestnuts, pancakes, potatoes and sense of hunger decreases, there is a reduction in the transformation so on), creating an atmosphere that would inspire conversation spiced of nutrients into fats, and diabetes from exhaustion of the pancreas with stories, memories, jokes, reflections, and warnings. All these in- is prevented. A predominantly vegetarian diet results in a moderate gredients strengthened emotional bonds and helped to overcome the protein intake which, together with a reduced use of salt, safeguards problems of everyday life, transforming this collective knowledge into renal function. It also provides large amounts of fibre that act as scav- indelible memories, and nourishing the soul with an understanding of engers, fat absorbers, and gut stimulators, as well as numerous mi- the sacredness of life, events, and interpersonal relationships. cronutrients from the most varied actions. Thanks to vegetable oils, it allows for the intake of unsaturated fats used for essential plas- “Natural” is the adjective that epitomises or identifies best the tic, vitamin, antioxidant, and anti-cholesterol functions, and serves Mediterranean diet. starches with a low glycaemic index (those with a slow absorption This one word encompasses the full impact of the diet and behav- rate, with less insulin stimulation). Pulses give us energy from slow ioural model based on naturalness and backed by scientific evidence. absorption carbohydrates, vegetable proteins, fibre and various other Why Natural? Because it is “normal”, ecological, holistic, uni- substances. The consumption of meat, in moderate quantities, com- versal, organic, balanced, biodiverse (multifactorial and integrated) plements the intake of those essential amino acids not found or lack- and biodiversifying, economic, waste-free, ethical, nutritious, pro- ing in strict vegetarian diets and supplies us with vitamins, iron and portionate, plentiful, tried and tested, practical, encourages social- other micronutrients in a bioavailable way. Fish contributes to the ization, healthy, therapeutic, stimulating, cheering, adaptable, cus- correct ratio between saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsatu- tomizable, democratic (created and enriched at a grass-roots level rated fats; supplies iodine and organic phosphorus; integrates amino and within everyone’s means), historical, syncretic, educational, free acids. Eggs are the best source of the so-called “noble” proteins, be- from dogmas or fanaticism, free from phobias or manias, in tune with cause they contain all the essential amino acids that cannot be syn- the rhythms of nature, without limitations of time, respectful of how thesized by the body: phenylalanine, isoleucine, lysine, leucine, me- our bodies are made, suitable for all ages, able to accommodate new thionine, threonine, tryptophan, valine, and histidine, out of a totalof trends, backed by science, and open to the future. twenty-two. Dairy products provide large quantities of calcium; Postmodern food science does not deny the origins of human civ- they contain tryptophan, an amino acid precursor of serotonin, and ilization. Instead, it is opening new frontiers in nutrigenetics, nu- therefore have a good antidepressant effect; they also provide noble trigenomics, epigenetics, metabolomics and proteomics, namely the proteins, vitamins, conjugated linoleic acid (an omega 6 acid which study of the effects of food on genetics, gene expression, pre-tran- reduces fat mass and promotes lean mass) and other nutrients. Milk scriptional modifications of DNA, the stability of messenger RNA contains nicotinamide riboside, a form of vitamin B3 that accord- (mRNA), metabolism, and proteins. The term “fudomica” is a ne- ing to recent studies would seem capable of reducing body weight, ologism that refers to food and genomics. This new major chapter cholesterol and fat, fighting diabetes mellitus, rejuvenating muscle (where Jean-Baptiste Lamarck can finally take some posthumous re- fibres, preventing neurological damage and prolonging life. Condi- venge) will put the Mediterranean diet centre stage. ments are extraordinary vessels for vitamins and micronutrients, not

36 37 to mention emissaries of culinary values refined over centuries, and They are “unnatural” because they are neither balanced nor ed- generators of pharmacological effects. Wine (whose production once ucational, and unfeasible for long periods; they are not affordable, earned Italy the name of Oenotria and is now regaining a reputation respectful of nature, or even healthy; because they are dogmatic, par- for excellence) consumed in moderation increases HDL cholester- tial, conditioning, insulating, insufficiently tested, depressing, and ol, reduces inflammation, and improves insulin resistance; thanks to contradictory to each other. its resveratrol content, it has an antioxidant and anti-intestinal action In general, these are passing fads and rip-offs. with a reduction in cardiovascular disease and mortality.1 Physical At the end of the day, nobody has invented anything new! activity works off excess calories, maintains or increases lean mass Our grandmothers already knew how to curb our appetites by eat- by raising basal metabolism (and therefore the consumption of calo- ing meat without bread, or by eating a particular type of food, or by ries even during rest), promotes the production of endorphins that im- filling up on water or fruit and vegetables before meals. They knew prove the mood, facilitates the excretion of toxins through sweating, how to stave off hunger by snacking between meals; that it was better raises sex hormone levels, catabolises cholesterol and blood sugars, to eat a little and often, and that daily rhythms needed to be respected. lowers blood pressure through peripheral vasodilation, exercises car- They also knew that a vegetable-based diet was light and digestible, diac muscle and improves collateral coronary circulation. Increasing while a meat-based diet helped to build up strength during conva- importance is being attributed in an ever-growing number of physio- lescence; that bolting down our food was bad for us while moder- logical and pathological states to the impact of intestinal flora, whose ate fasting, on the other hand, even on a weekly basis, was salutary; proper development is guaranteed by a Mediterranean-style diet. The that combining certain foods can increase their benefits; that herbs benefits of good hydration and the therapeutic role of spring waters contain medicinal properties; that “homemade” food (“zero km”, we go without saying even if deserving of lengthy discussion. would say today) was healthier because it was certain to be natural. The pharmaceutical value of highly beneficial foods has led to the Our grandmothers were wisely convinced that moderation was the development of so-called nutraceuticals. To be precise, a “nutraceu- high road to take in all aspects of life and that “eating to live” should tical” is the medicinal substance contained in a food, while the food not exclude the satisfaction that comes with “living to eat”. that contains it is known as “functional food”. In the Mediterranean Without forgetting that the lacto-ovo vegetarian diet and strict veg- diet there are many functional foods: olive oil, wine, whole grains, etarianism, or at least the strict pescatarian kind, as well as the Dash garlic and onions, cruciferous vegetables, fruit, garden vegetables, diet, the Chrono diet, prebiotic foods, some forms of fasting, and the dried fruit, legumes, yeast, and oily fish. fasting mimicking diet – in other words, diet plans that are for the most part acceptable albeit periodically – are direct descendants of A world that has completely forgotten how to live and eat well, has the Mediterranean eating pattern. allowed false prophets to thrive. Special reference should be made to personalized diet regimes de- The list of recent “miraculous” diets is endless: Scarsdale; Atkins; vised and monitored in the field of medicine, which have a specific Dukan; Zone; Color Diet; macrobiotic; lacto-ovo vegetarian; vegan therapeutic or preventive function, but which cannot be left to im- (very strict vegetarian); raw food; Reducetarian; Vigor; Adamski; provisation and generalization. Plank; Lemme; Novel Food; Blood Type; pescatarian. Not to men- tion exotic diets, fusion cuisine, Paleo, total fasting or low-protein In the face of this evidence, there are still some critical attitudes, diets, molecular gastronomy, you name it... even seaweed, cicadas remarks, reservations, or even outright objections to various aspects and grasshoppers. of the Mediterranean diet. Observations that invariably come from If the Mediterranean diet provides a “natural” way of eating, it fol- people intent on promoting their own alternative diets. Other criti- lows that these other regimes, that deviate from it, are not.

38 39 cisms are merely the result of ignorance about the importance and use of fruit and vegetables. The virtues of cheese would seem to be intrinsic value of the Mediterranean diet. due to the release of active peptides, with antihypertensive and an- One might readily debate some of the more controversial claims. tithrombotic effects, during the ripening process. The saturated fats But at the end of the day the paradoxes remain, which speak for derived from milk and vegetables appear to be less harmful, indeed themselves, when the food is so deliciously addictive (sic) and the even healthy, compared to those derived from meat.2 Dairy products diet seems too good to be true! have been shown to reduce blood pressure, dyslipidemia, insulin re- The aspects that are most frequently challenged in the Mediterra- sistance, and the risk of colorectal cancer, in addition to contributing nean food model are: an abundance of carbohydrates and oils, and essential calcium, proteins, tryptophan, vitamins and other nutrients. therefore calories; the controversial role of dairy products; the high The frequent intolerance to dairy products (or genuine idiosyncrasies) glycaemic index of potatoes; an excessive use of cooking salt; the is not indicative of their being unhealthy.3 Even honey and strawber- presence of pork; the primitive / caveman model; the ideological and ries, found among the products with some of the best nutritional and material differences found in the Mediterranean basin; the influence therapeutic qualities, frequently cause allergies. The Mediterranean of cuisines from all over the world; the mythologization; the lower diet embraces such a variety of foods that it is easy to compensate weight loss compared to other alternative diets; other diets with bet- for the elimination of a single category (which is not the case with ter health claims such as Japanese, Chinese, Eskimo; the presence other diets).4 Milk also plays a part in the important matter of sir- of toxins, antienzymes, and antivitamins, even in natural products; tuins. These antioxidant, anti-stress, anti-inflammatory, antitumoral, being a product of poverty; the present day social, environmental and and anti-dysmetabolic proteins, are stimulated mainly by resveratrol health problems in the representative regions of the Mediterranean found in wine, and nicotinamide riboside in milk and beer, not to diet; the health and survival problems of our ancestors. mention by flavonoids in oil, citrus fruits, dark chocolate, cabbage, These arguments are easily answered. blueberries, parsley, strawberries, red peppers, onions and radicchio In the Mediterranean diet the concept of proportionality of calo- rosso (red chicory); and even by fasting and physical activity. ries with respect to physical activity is implicit. To suggest – as once Regarding the glycaemic index of potatoes, in other words their happened to an Italian Health Minister – that the Mediterranean diet ability to raise blood sugar and stimulate insulin response, it should should be corrected by reducing the amount of carbohydrates, means be noted that this is largely offset by the lower calories contained in talking about something without knowing the facts. this tuber compared to their equivalent weight in cereals. Relegat- As for dairy products, we could argue that they play a phylogenetic ing them to the apex of the pyramid, according to certain guidelines, and ontogenetic role for humankind. The concept of criminalizing a makes little sense (and what is more, repudiates not only central Eu- food which is fundamental for development is inherently wrong. And ropean countries, but also Spain and France, where consumption is rushing to the defence once again, we find statistics and science. In almost twice that of Italy and Greece). France, in spite of a high consumption of saturated fats (besides high The erroneous conviction that Mediterranean cooking makes ex- levels of cheese consumption, the French diet also uses more butter cessive use of sodium chloride derives from the misinterpretation of than that of the American one), the so-called “French paradox” is ob- data from the Seven Countries Study, which was falsely attributed served: it has the lowest mortality rate due to cardiovascular diseases to the coastal towns of the Campania region that were never really with respect to other countries that consume animal fats (keeping in involved in the historical research. The cuisine that represented Italy mind that the longevity record is held by Japan and Italy). This fact and the Mediterranean was instead that of the Marche hinterland, an is attributed to the use of cheese, as much as that of wines and spices, area necessarily but also culturally poor in salt (remember the central physical activity, a relatively moderate overall food intake, and the Italian unsalted bread known as “pane sciapo”). The Dash (Dietary

40 41 Approach to Stop Hypertension) diet, crowned by the USA as the (however it may be expressed), and sustainability. This “Mediterra- best ever, is simply the Mediterranean diet with a very low sodium nean” harmony is strengthened by the historical contributions made content: exactly the same diet exhibited in the Montegiorgio sample! by both the Islamic and Jewish civilizations to food syncretism and Given that the Mediterranean diet does not exclude meat (or any by the fact, reported by AnnaMaria Aisha Tiozzo, that «Halal is in- other food for that matter!) – simply proposing a more balanced ratio, creasingly associated with concepts such as bio, organic, OGM free, with a focus on genuineness and a preference for white or lean meats, vegetarian, environmentally friendly or not tested on animals [...], or those containing unsaturated fats – pork has always been the major local, traceable, healthy, eco-ethical». source of animal protein for the Italic peoples; its unsaturated fats, The fact that the Mediterranean diet, as far as food is concerned, increased by selective breeding and modern pig fattening feeds, and is the result of innumerable contaminations from China, India, the absence of trans fats, bring it closer to the beneficial powers of vege- Middle East, Islamic countries, Northern Europe, the Americas, and table and fish fats. According to the Academy of Georgofili, modern Jewish cuisine – grafted onto the Mediterranean triad of bread, oil, cured meats, researched and prepared by going back to their territorial and wine – does not diminish its originality, but underlines its long origins, are finding new areas of appreciation, uses and development history and extreme yet uncompromising adaptability instead. Today, possibilities, as they provide high quality noble proteins, a guaran- faced with the pressures of the industrialized world, unexpected af- teed level of quality, a wide variety of flavours, as well as strongly fluence, the latest innovations, combined with a contempt towards reflecting tradition. Moreover, pork is considered the most ecological cultural identity, which have suddenly exposed the intrinsic fragility meat given that pigs can feed on many types of food waste. of a crystalline structure, the main challenge should be how to draw The history of Mediterranean cuisine is so long and complex that upon our historical ability to integrate new ideas without the Medi- to confuse it with a primordial or primitive diet would, quite frankly, terranean lifestyle becoming distorted. be an insult to the reader’s intelligence. Monastic canonisation, with historical precedents, unequivocally It is true to say that the food and lifestyles in the countries bor- attests to its popular reach, despite those who consider it mere rhe- dering the Mediterranean are very different and often contradicto- torical idealization. Monasteries and particularly convents were not ry. It will suffice to consider the attitude of Arab countries towards foreign bodies but institutions in perfect osmosis with society. And wine and pork. Neither are their respective cuisines comparable. those who cooked for the rich came from the lower classes. Indeed, The “Mediterraneity” of reference can only be that of Italy. This the daily diet of the nobility in the Middle Ages was typically Med- concept was clarified by Ancel Keys himself who explained that by iterranean (if one excludes banquets and feast days), with prevalent “Mediterranean” diet he meant that of the European coasts of the use of bread and cereals, fruit, vegetables and legumes, white meats Mediterranean (to be more properly called “Graeco-Roman”), see- and fish, eggs, milk and cheese, desserts, wines and slightly alcoholic ing as how neither the Islamic way of eating nor the Israeli (which drinks. Neither did they turn their noses up at broths and soups if suffers from the influence of imported northern European traditions) spices were added, whereas for common folk they constituted their have diet models comparable to that under discussion. That said, the most frequent meal, which they would flavour with aromatic herbs. Mediterranean diet is a unifying language, a common denomina- Lower weight loss compared to specific diets is a false assumption. tor (in terms of health, history, geography, economics, environment, By taking appropriate steps, the Mediterranean diet can be trans- and culture) for the three continents that overlook the Mediterranean formed into a weight loss diet, underpinned by its educational value Sea. So much so that even Morocco was one of the signatories back- (which allows you to maintain the results obtained) and above all by ing the UNESCO nomination, recognizing the values of the “sharing the certainty that one is not harming the body. [see Appendix] diet”, in the sense of conviviality and socialization, which goes hand The records for life expectancy and health held by Italy dispel any in hand with moderation, naturalness, tradition, rituality, religiosity doubts concerning the merits of national food models (even if they

42 43 have deteriorated over recent decades). On the other hand, even the NOTES healthiest foreign diets fail to compete with the Italian or Mediter- ranean diet in terms of all the related aspects: international accepta- 1 Researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC), in the state of bility, economic and environmental cost, risks, cultural context, ex- New York, published a study in the journal Scientific Reports according to which the con- perimentation, and so on. sumption of 2 glasses of wine per day (as well as exercise and sleep) makes the lymphatic system more efficient in the elimination of toxins from the brain (including those associated Natural products have needed to develop self-defence mechanisms with Alzheimer’s) and reduces levels of brain inflammation. [See: Research | 2 February (now substituted by pesticides), at times unhealthy or poisonous, to 2018 | OPEN: Beneficial effects of low alcohol exposure, but adverse effects of high alcohol intake on glymphatic function, Iben Lundgaard, Wei Wang […] Maiken Nedergaard, Scien- resist external attacks, while the culinary culture of the Mediterra- tific Reports 8, 1–16.] This mechanism helps to explain the improvement of cognitive and nean civilization has tried and tested appropriate countermeasures motor skills highlighted by previous research. Another study, published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry and based on laboratory experiments conducted by Marìa over the centuries through selection, cooking methods, waste remov- Victoria Moreno-Arribas of the Spanish National Research Council, demonstrates how al, proper conservation, food combinations, maturation, decantation some red wine antioxidants (caffeic acid and coumaric acid) help prevent plaque, caries and periodontitis by preventing the bacteria responsible from adhering to teeth and gums. [See: and, as always, moderation! [see Appendix] Inhibition of Oral Pathogens Adhesion to Human Gingival Fibroblasts by Wine Polyphenols While the Mediterranean way of living was not simply the fruit of Alone and in Combination with an Oral Probiotic. Article in Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 66(9), February 2018.] poverty, as the whole world has experienced poverty at some point, 2 Eating cheese every day (about 40 grams per day) could help prevent heart attack and only our ancestors were able to raise an admirable temple from it. stroke, according to a study by Li-Qiang Qin from the University of Soochow in China pub- Unliveable social and environmental conditions and high incidenc- lished in the European Journal of Nutrition: The China Study by Campbell (together with all the other milk critics) contradicted by the Chinese themselves (who are also genetically es of disease and mortality from other causes concern places that may more intolerant to dairy products). [See: European Journal of Nutrition, December 2017, be emblematic of the Mediterranean diet but were never actually part Volume 56, Issue 8, pp 2565–2575, Cheese consumption and risk of cardiovascular disease: a meta-analysis of prospective studies, Guo-Chong Chen, Yan Wang, Xing Tong, Ignatius of the Seven Countries Study! M. Y. Szeto, Gerrit Smit, Zeng-Ning Li, Li-Qiang Qin.] Unfortunately, in the past a combination of huge economic prob- 3 In this regard, it is important to remember that Europeans descend from Indo-Eu- lems (with consequent “quantitative” dietary deficiencies) and very ropean and Mediterranean agro-silvo-pastoral civilizations stretching back thousands of little scientific knowledge (whence illnesses and mortality from other years whose chromosomal, epigenetic and microbial selection explains a lower intolerance to dairy products than can be found in African and Asian ethnic groups. The virtues of milk causes) served to partially undermine the value of such a lifestyle. are confirmed by the low levels of cholesterol and the excellent cardiovascular health of the If today we were to unite this cultural and environmental heritage – Masai, the pastoral people of East Africa who unlike other African ethnic groups drink up to 6-7 litres of milk, fermented, per day. This would also appear to be the case among the Bal- that even in those indescribable conditions allowed for the survival kan peoples, producers and large consumers of yoghurt. These facts, also observed by Ancel andeven well-being of our forefathers – with the enormous opportu- and Margaret Keys, highlight the role of genetic adaptation and intestinal flora. The couple nities for prevention and treatment offered by modern medicine and always noted that a Mediterranean diet without cheese would be unimaginable. the very different socio-economic conditions, we could achieve truly 4 IGF-1, insulin-like growth factor or somatomedin, is deliberately brought into play by the fundamentalist denigrators of animal proteins (especially milk), capable of increasing exceptional results. Max Weber, the German sociologist and philos- the aforementioned factor, because they believe it encourages tumours and diabetes. On the opher who acknowledged the disenchantment of the modern world, contrary, in addition to its important role during growth, it reduces insulin resistance, stimu- lates neural pathways and memory, protects motor neurons, tones the muscles and performs wrote that where food had become disenchanted, we should turn to other important functions. Therefore, it is essential at all ages. On the other hand, it neither Mediterraneanism to rediscover that enchantment. increases nor stimulates tumour cells. Regardless of the advisability of reducing it in the presence of an existing tumour – one of those conditions in which Valter Longo recommends the fasting mimicking diet to maximise the greater adaptability of healthy cells compared to cancerous ones – it is absurd to constantly deprive the body. It would be like excluding vitamins from a normal diet because they are not recommended in the presence of tumours. Nor do the cues provided by the effects of Laron syndrome make for a scientific anti-somat- omedin approach. Naturally, too much stimulation of the IGF-1 could be negative. Once again it is moderation that leads the way.

44 45 THE FATHERS OF ITALIAN DIETETICS

The Marche territories of Ascoli and Fermo have produced many notable figures recognised as founders of Italian dietetics: Luigi Lu- ciani, Silvestro Baglioni, Eugenio Centanni, and Emidio Serianni, not to mention the late Fidanza. Flaminio Fidanza was the scion of an illustrious family from Mag- liano di Tenna, a town to which he remained attached throughout his entire life; indeed, he met Adalberta Alberti there, the woman who would become his life partner and collaborator, and would return frequently, even choosing it as the final resting place for his mortal remains. He conducted studies together with Ancel Keys from the 1950s onwards; he was then Principal Investigator of the Italian co- horts (the most active and productive) for the Seven Countries Study and Honorary President of the National Institute for the Mediterra- nean Diet and Nutrigenomics. Ancel Keys and his wife Margaret also collaborated with other Italians such as Vittorio Puddu, Mario Mancini, Alessandro Menotti, and Alfonso Del Vecchio, as well as Jeremiah Stamler from the United States, Martii Karvonen from Fin- land, Noboru Kimur from Japan, and others; however, Fidanza was his first and closest collaborator, as well as pioneering Italian succes- sor. During his crucial contribution to what can be considered one of the most important discoveries of the last sixty years in the biomedi- cal field, he could count upon the collaboration of his wife Professor Adalberta Alberti, an expert in nutritional education in her own right. Together they put Nicotera and Montegiorgio in the internation- al spotlight, planned and monitored the Italian cohorts, devised the Mediterranean diet temple, and elaborated one of the main indices of adherence to the Mediterranean diet – the Mediterranean Adequa- cy Index (MAI) – which calculates the ratio between the percentage of energy derived from the consumption of typical Mediterranean foods (cereals, legumes, potatoes, vegetables, fruit, fish, wine, and oil) and the percentage of energy derived from non-typical Mediter- ranean foods (dairy products, meat, eggs, animal fats, and sweets): an index with which he conducted a review study of food consumption

47 over the decades following those recorded in the Seven Countries nicotine and alcohol, the dietary benefits of cocoa, mineral water, Study, drawing the conclusion that «the departure from the healthy cheese, food storage, sports nutrition, longevity, motherhood, and the Reference Mediterranean Diet, observed not only in Montegiorgio Italian diet in general. During the First World War, on behalf of the but practically throughout the whole of Italy, represents a serious Italian War Ministry, he studied the diet of the military (continuing problem that requires immediate action». Professor Lluìs Serra-Ma- the studies of his mentor Luciani), that branch of dietetics that would jem, President of the Mediterranean Diet Foundation, writes that Fi- only later acquire a certain prestige during the Second World War danza’s contributions had an impact on «the determination of body through the work of Ancel Keys. Despite the ensuing controversy, composition, the characterization of the Italian Mediterranean diet, this work would remarkably anticipate the need to reduce the intake the role of nutrition in coronary artery disease, quantitative methods of meat protein to three times a week, to introduce fish and vegeta- of dietary survey [...] and the publishing of fundamental texts of Hu- bles while increasing pasta and reducing the use of lard in favour of man Nutritional Status Assessment, widely used for those who are olive oil. An intrinsic Mediterraneity led Baglioni to become inter- dedicated to the fields of Nutrition, Food and Public Health,» con- ested in literature, poetry, music, languages, dialectology, as well as cluding that «undoubtedly he has been and will be one of the greatest archaeology, an interest that was rewarded by the discovery of the assets in the world history of Food Sciences and Nutrition».1 extraordinary pre-Roman necropolises at Belmonte Piceno. Luigi Luciani was born in Ascoli Piceno in 1840 and after gradu- Francesco Fidanza, father of Flaminio and Alberto, was a student ating in medicine, carried out extremely wide-ranging physiological of Luigi Luciani and a colleague and friend of Silvestro Baglioni, research, so much so that he was the first Italian professor to write with whom he carried out research on nutrition, creating a direct link a treatise on “Human Physiology”, which was even translated into between the founder of the prestigious Marche dietary school and his English, German and Spanish. His name remains synonymous with own sons. some of the pathological phenomena he identified. He taught in Par- Eugenio Centanni was born in Monterubbiano in 1883. He pro- ma, Siena, Florence, and finally in Rome where he became rector of duced many scientific works on biochemical, immunological, infec- La Sapienza University. He was also appointed senator of the King- tious, toxicological, and oncological agents. He was among the first dom of Italy. An important sector of his research was dedicated to to focus on the relationship between food shortages, vitamin defi- food; indeed, he would become the founder of an authentic diet from ciency and its consequences. the Marche region recognised on a worldwide level. Also deserving of mention is Emidio Serianni, a native of Asco- Silvestro Baglioni was born in 1876 in Belmonte Piceno. Like Lu- li and founder in 1950 of the Association of Dietetics and Clinical ciani, he was also a research doctor, and succeeded him as director Nutrition (with the aim of promoting and supporting any initiatives of the Institute of Human Physiology at the University of Rome. In concerning the science of nutrition) and creator of the first courses in addition to his friendship with Francesco Fidanza, he taught several Italy for dietologists and dieticians. A dynamic scholar and pioneer, prominent students including renowned fellow Marche-native Vin- he dispelled prejudices around pork consumption, which he always cenzo Monaldi, who became the first Italian Minister of Health, and advocated seeing as it was a staple food in rural diets for millennia the senator Giuseppe Alberti, father of Flaminio Fidanza’s future wife. and is high in unsaturated fats and protein thanks to modern pig fat- He explored various branches of human physiology through numer- tening feeds. ous publications and showed a particular interest in the physiology This field of study is beginning to read like a traditional family of nutrition, where he advocated the healthiness of the Mediterranean saga set in the Piceno territory, so it is inevitable that we should also diet highlighting the nutritional value of proteins from cereals as well mention Alberto Fidanza. Flaminio’s brother was full professor of as the importance of wine, olive oil, fruit, vegetables, and fish. His nutrition physiology at the faculty of human physiology at the La publications focus predominantly on corn-based diets, the effects of Sapienza University of Rome (like Luciani and Baglioni). He still

48 49 lectures there to this day. He is considered Italy’s first and most im- “De Thermis”, which was reprinted several times right up until the portant vitaminologist (without detracting from the pioneering merits eighteenth century. of Centanni) and is ranked among the greatest names in vitaminology Francesco Scacchi, born in Fabriano in 1577, is yet other Italian in the world. He was part of the Seven Countries Study team. from the Marche region, after Bacci, who described the production As for childhood nutrition, significant personal contributions were of sparkling wine, decades before Dom Perignon. made to the field by Mario Santoro, who adopted Fermo as his home. Contemporaries of Bacci were Andrea Marcolini from Cantiano, Out of this scientific ferment a generation of Marche-born nutri- who published the notes taken from the lessons of Gabriele Falloppia tionists was formed, now fully operational and often involved as au- in seven volumes entitled “De Thermalis Aquis”, and Orazio Augeni thors in Italian and international studies on the subject. from Monte Santo (today’s Potenza Picena), professor of medicine in Rome, Turin and Padua, whose focus was on diets and beverages. Widening our historical and territorial perspective, as well as pro- Giuseppe Tarugi, a native of Jesi, is also worthy of note for the fessional categories, we should also remember the contribution made publication in 1685 of his “Prerogative dell’acquaticcio”, a treatise by the Marche region in terms of food with its wealth of naturalists, on the strictly seasonal beverage traditionally known as acquaticcio winemakers, agronomists, stewards, recipe book authors, almanac in the Marche region, obtained from the fermentation of the marc compilers, and excellent chefs. with water (whose history dates back to the Greeks, Jews, and Ro- Costanzo Felici, born in 1525 in Pesaro, was a doctor, historiog- mans), and which is known as acquarello in Florence, vinello in Pis- rapher and naturalist. He wrote an epistolary treatise on all edible toia, caccemitte as one nears the Abruzzo region, raspato in Umbria plants entitled “De l’insalata e piante che in qualunque modo ven- and Rome, and mezzovino in Lombardy and Romagna. gono per cibo all’uomo” (“Some of the salads and plants that may in The large collection of pantry, kitchen and dining hall papers, any way be food for man”) and another in Latin about general botany owned by Cardinal Bonaccorsi, dates back to the early 1600s. on “leaves, flowers, seeds, fruits, mushrooms, truffles”. Antonio Latini, born in Fabriano in 1641, became a “scalco” [TN: In 1596 Andrea Bacci, primary physician to the Pope, hydro-cli- household steward or banquet organizer with theatrical meat carving matologist and oenologist, born in Sant’Elpidio a Mare in 1524, pub- skills] or master of ceremonies at the court of Naples. Bellesi, Franca lished “De naturali vinorum historia”, the first and most scholarly and Lucchetti all note that he encouraged the use of traditional Med- oenological guide. It was a monumental work in Latin in which he iterranean aromatic herbs in place of exotic spices, simple rather than discusses the historical, territorial, anthropological, bromatological, mannerist and baroque Renaissance recipes, and the grafting of pep- and medical aspects of wine, with descriptions of both Italian and pers and tomatoes, which went from being rarities to everyday ingre- European production. The fifth volume “De vinis Italiae” includes a dients.2 He wrote “Lo Scalco alla moderna” (The modern banquet or- chapter where the wines of the Marche region are described, identi- ganizer), which also included his “Trattato di varie sorti di sorbette, o fying as many as twenty different territories as well as the cultivation di acque agghiacciate” (Treatise on various kinds of sorbets, or water and wine-making techniques typical of the region, not forgetting the ices) with recipes on how to mix snow with sugar, salt, lemon juice, wines of Amandola, Montefortino, and San Ginesio (including vino strawberries, sour cherries, and chocolate to create «milk sorbet that is cotto – literally “cooked wine”). He was also the first to mention first cooked». The first written codification of the birth of ice-cream! sparkling wine. The treaty today constitutes reference documentation Other noteworthy stewards from Marche were Venanzo Mattei, au- in Denomination of Controlled Origin applications. Andrea Bacci thor of “Il teatro nobilissimo di scalcheria” (The noble theatre of ban- also took an interest in local history, pharmacy, and zoology. But his quet organizing), Vittorio Lancillotti who wrote “Lo Scalco Prattico” main concern was that of spa waters, thermal baths and hydrotherapy, (The practical banquet organizer), Monsignor Centini, and Antonio whose history and healing properties he brought to light in his book Amati. Giovanni Battista Rossetti, author of the publication “Del-

50 51 lo scalco” (On organizing banquets), was in the service of Lucrezia At the beginning of the nineteenth century cookery almanacs were d’Este, wife of the Duke of Urbino, but was originally from Ferrara. published based on more or less seasonal recipes. Between 1832 and Antonio Nebbia, who lived in the second half of the 18th century, 1834 Vincenzo Agnoletti, the Roman author of several texts by virtue wrote “Il cuoco maceratese” (The chef from Macerata), a recipe book of his long experience in Italy, France and Europe, chose Pesaro for that met with great success throughout Italy, at least until the publica- the publication of his “Manuale del cuoco e del pasticcere di raffinato tion of Pellegrino Artusi’s cookbook. He proposed a regional cuisine gusto moderno” (Manual for the cook and pastry chef of refined mod- (immediately evident from the title, but also apparent in the termi- ern taste), one of the most important works dedicated to the national nology he used) based on healthiness, economy of recuperation, an gastronomy of Italy, where he demonstrated a more Italian way of aversion towards fats (while tolerating pork lard), and national dishes cooking, and also paid homage to the culinary art of Marche by in- free from the influence of French cooking. The Mediterraneity of his cluding various recipes from the region. cuisine is also reflected by the attention he gives to fruits, legumes, Of interest during the early years of the same century are the anno- vegetables, truffles, sauces, milk and cheese, eggs, creams and cakes, tations made by the great poet and thinker Giacomo Leopardi, who fish, while keeping one eye on pork, beef, veal, goat meat, lamb and greatly appreciated Neapolitan cuisine during his stay in Naples but game. It is also evident in the chapter dedicated to seasonal foods. He was also proud of the gastronomic delights of his Marche homeland was the first to collect (or even invent) the recipe for the renowned in which he saw a potential stimulus to the region’s economy. The dish vincesgrassi [TN: a traditional Marche pasta recipe similar to la- Pesaro-born Gioacchino Rossini, besides being a brilliant compos- sagne al forno], which appears in his book with the name of princis- er, was a refined gourmet and a talented chef, so much so that he gras and enriched with truffles. As incredible as it may sound, he was invented many famous recipes of his own, while numerous others also the first person to record the preparation of sauces and tomato were dedicated to him. He was born with a passion for cooking that preserves: «Then take the tomato, cook it in a casserole over a low rivalled his love of music and he improved his culinary skills in Paris, flame, simply chopped in half, and leave it cooking in this way until although at the risk of offending French palates he often gave prom- it disintegrates; afterwards pass it through a sieve with a wooden inence to entirely Italian delicacies and held in particularly high es- spoon: once this is done, go back to simmering it over a low flame, teem truffles from his native country. let it reduce greatly; put it in a well glazed earthen jar, and once In the very same year as the proclamation of Italian national unity, cooled, cover it with paper, tightly closed with a string, place it in a a work appeared by an anonymous author entitled “Il cuoco delle dry place, and in summer in a cool, dry place. You can serve this pre- Marche” (The Marche chef) and thirty years later, once again anon- serve in soups and sauces when they are not fresh at that moment». ymously, “Il cuoco perfetto marchigiano” (The perfect chef from At the end of the 18th century, Giuseppe Montechiari, a librari- Marche). Indeed, a host of facts testify to the nineteenth-century an from Macerata, published the translation of a manual on dietary awareness of regional culinary culture. hygiene written by an English gentleman doctor, entitled “Metodo “La pratica del distillatore e confettiere italiano” (The practice of facile di prolungare la vita” (The easy way to prolong life). Monte- the Italian distiller and confectioner) by Giseffantonio Landriani, a chiari’s own notes are extensive throughout the publication, which very rare book today printed in Ancona in 1816 (a new edition of a seems to use the English work above all as a springboard for his own slender volume first published in 1785 in Pavia) paved the way for ideas, with the premise of wanting to «draw attention to our food the entrepreneurship (of which Varnelli, Meletti, Borghetti, and Ol- and drink» and to carry out «a chemical analysis, that is a study of ivieri are the best known brands) that would become an international the nature and properties of all types of food, to what degree they endorsement of the Marche art – distilled from the thousand-year-old are healthy and suitable for different constitutions, with some rules monastic and rural tradition – of exalting the noblest and healthiest regarding our way of life». principles of nature.

52 53 The Marche soft drinks tradition, enhanced by the natural spring a week, strictly lean: baccalà (salted cod fish), stockfish, fish, fish or waters of the Sibillini mountains and the result of the industrious vegetable broth, flour-based foods, legumes, and vegetables. One day inventiveness of post-war artisans, has been overshadowed some- a week vegetarian cuisine: vegetable broth, flour-based foods, eggs, what by mass-produced brands made by multinationals. Perhaps legumes, and vegetables. Five days a week as desired, always healthy this tradition can once again play a leading role in the rebirth of cooking and with a preference for vegetarian food». Mediterranean authenticity, as already affirmed by Piceno wine Lorenzo Totò, born in 1930 in Monsampietro Morico and raised production and the promising results of artisan brewmasters, custo- in Servigliano, lived in Lucignano in the Chiana Valley in Tuscany dians and innovators of ancient conventual skills. The international where he managed the inn “da Totò”. He died in 2011. In 1987 he success of the “Maccheroncini di Campofilone” (maccheroni pasta became the official chef on the RAI television programme “Uno Mat- from Campofilone) – which in November 2013 obtained the IGP tina”. He also worked on other television shows, even in Japan. In certification label from the European Union: the first Italian egg his work and publications, he celebrated the peasant cuisine, simple pasta to be legally protected by the prestigious recognition regula- ingredients, the use of herbs, and the flavours and aromas of the past. tions – is the most striking example of the considerable potential of His deep-rooted Mediterraneanism was perfectly summed up by his the Piceno territory in the field of food culture. moniker “Lord of the herbs”. Only a vast treatise could summarize the work and achievements Moving forward to the chefs of our day, it should suffice to men- of Nazzareno Strampelli, a native of Castelraimondo. The great, al- tion the Associazione Cuochi del Fermano (Chefs Association of the beit neglected, agronomist and geneticist from Marche, who died in Fermano Territory), which for many years through the magazine “Il 1942, achieved an important milestone on an international level in Gusto... della vita” (The Taste ... of life) has recommended and dis- the genetic selection of wheat (and not only), becoming the reference seminated the principles of Mediterranean cuisine, intended as a cu- authority for worldwide problems in agricultural production during linary art capable of fusing the past, present and future, welcoming his lifetime and providing the basis for cereal crop cultivation today. any new trends compatible with the distinguishing characteristics of Cesare Tirabasso was born in Montappone in 1888. He wrote “La the Mediterranean victus. guida in cucina” (Cooking guide), “Il cuoco classico” (The clas- The contribution of our region to the international field of dietet- sic chef) and “La gioia del focolare” (The joy of the hearth), with ics is further underlined by the Marche Polytechnic University logo extensive and specific references to the Marche tradition. He lived found at the bottom of the new Mediterranean Food Pyramid (2010). and worked as a chef (but was also a writer with a passion for the The Marche institution represented Italy in the collaboration on its medical and biochemical sciences) between Macerata, Argentina, design on behalf of the Fundación Dieta Mediterránea (Mediterra- Camerino, and Rome. A knowledgeable and professional figure, with nean Diet Foundation), together with other European and African his multidisciplinary approach he understood the medical and so- institutions: a version in which the importance of the daily lifestyle cial implications of proper nutrition, identifying the salient features as the foundation of the Mediterranean diet is restored – neglected of the Mediterranean tradition as follows: seasonality; the preva- in the first draft, while back in 2002, Flaminio Fidanza had already lence of vegetarianism; the importance of fresh fish; the quality of included it in the temple – placing at its base the stylization of phys- ingredients; hygiene during preparation; the combination of foods; ical activity, rest, conviviality, biodiversity, seasonality, genuineness, wine-pairing; the role of water; a disciplined relationship with food; short supply chains, tradition, and gastronomy. the incomparable health benefits of gastronomy; the ideal balance between the good, the rare, and the economic; the dignity and moder- nity of culinaryart. His advice sounds surprisingly modern: «One day

54 55 NOTES MARCA MEDITERRANEA

1 Flaminio Fidanza graduated in medicine in Naples where he would return, after specializing in nutrition and physiology in Rome, becoming assistant to Gino Bergami, who assigned him field research with Ancel and Margaret Keys. Lluìs Serra-Majem con- tinues that after receiving a grant from the Rockefeller Foundation that allowed him to work in Professor Keys’ Laboratory of Physiological Hygiene (correcting the non-scientific When scrolling through Italian agricultural statistics, it becomes Italian way of thinking) he became the main researcher of the Seven Countries Study and evident that the Marche region is still dedicated to wheat, olive trees, international point of reference in the field of nutrition. He was expert advisor to several working groups of the FAO and WHA and President of the European Group of Nutrition- and grapevines. ists. For thirty years he was Professor of the Institute of Food Science at the University of This is the triad that the twentieth-century French historian Fernand Perugia. Being one of the indisputable fathers of the Mediterranean diet, in 1998, together with Keys, he was recognised with the Grande Covian (awarded in memory of the Spanish Braudel dubbed the “plants of Mediterranean civilization”: the native researcher Francisco Grande Covian, established in 1996 and assigned every two years) products grown in the very first agriculture settlements that ushered in and consequently made Honorary President of the Scientific Commission MDF. He was admired for his erudition and eloquence, was enormously resilient, intransigent yet with a the Neolithic along the shores of mare nostrum or the Mediterranean. dry and Mediterranean sense of humour: a tireless worker, stimulated by scientific argu- Margaret Collier’s opening words demonstrated, even in the nine- ments until the day he died, active in various lines of research together with Alessandro Menotti, his wife Adalberta Alberti, and others. teenth century, the uninterrupted usage of Marche farmlands: «Be-

2 Indeed, he was the first to create the tomato sauce, albeit in the form of a salad: tween the Adriatic and the Sibylline range of the Apennines lies a «Take half a dozen tomatoes, which are ripe; lie them over embers, to roast, and after they fertile undulating country, rich in corn, wine, and oil». are charred, carefully remove the skins, and chop them with a knife, add finely chopped onions, at your discretion, season with finely ground chilli pepper, a little wild thyme, and The Romans mythologized in the form of the gods Ceres, Minerva, mixing everything together, adjust with a little salt, oil, & vinegar, which will be a very and Bacchus the vital principles expressed by the Braudelian triad, tasty sauce, for boiled meat, or for anything else». while also creating etymologically Italianate versions of the arche- typal Greek divinities Demeter, Athena, and Dionysus. And it was precisely in Italy, the “Land of the Young”,1 where those restorative plants for the body, mind, and spirit would soon take root and thrive.

The skills of the Picentes in these branches of agricultural were already documented on the Iguvine Tablets. In Roman times, various authors testified to the bountifulness of crops grown on the Adriatic side of the peninsular. Thus, we can trace modern day viticulture in Marche back to Stra- bo, Polybius, Cato the Elder, and Pliny the Elder. The Piceno grape was exported and highly appreciated in Gaul! Camerino conditum [TN: a strongly flavoured wine] was used to make absinthe wine (a kind of amaro liqueur, or apéritif), as recorded by the cook Apicius. Sapa, closely linked to the Marche region, as well as vino cotto (cooked wine), was well known to the Romans so much so that the name is almost a byword for flavour. The quality of Piceno olives was noted both by Pliny the Elder (who considered them the best in Italy and the whole world for producing good oil) and by Martial. Varrone referred to the cultivation of wheat and the production of sweet bread in the

56 57 Piceno territory. Likewise, the excellence of the flour was praised by It is a food that has become a symbol of both nutraceuticals,5 in Juvenal, Martial, and Pliny. A unique harvesting technique was also other words food with important pharmacological qualities, and attributed to the Picentes. They were also known for growing apples Mediterranean cuisine, being the agricultural product that is shared and pears, and for the practice of fishing and hunting. by the nations situated south of the 44th parallel. The Seven Countries As for wheat, the toponym of Montegranaro, which Andrea Bacci Study statistically and concretely demonstrated its benefits for health attributed to a granary built by the Romans, must surely have meant and survival. something. Bacci also talked about the “calvisia” (bald) spike (so- The Picentes also excelled in making oil and growing olives, as called because it was free of awns), referred to as “siligine” by Pliny mentioned above, and having got through the Middle Ages thanks to the Elder, «from which a bread is made that is very sweet and for its monasticism, the Marche region would regain its supremacy in terms whiteness and lightness». of production and quality during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. Farmlands and agricultural methods – safeguarded by the monas- It was at that point considered the most highly prized oil in Italy by the teries in the territories where religious communities prospered – sur- greatest merchants of the day, the Venetians! However, the great frosts vived the uncertainties of the Middle Ages and were in various forms of the 1600s that destroyed the olive trees would prove devastating; redistributed among the general population, allowing the Marche re- furthermore, recovery would be impeded for a couple of centuries by gion to become Rome’s granary once more. the very nature of the sharecropping and lavoreccio [TN: contracted Finally, to complete the history of wheat in the Marche region, we tilling work] contracts. These facts, however, led to a resurgence and come to Nazzareno Strampelli from Castelraimondo, who lived at the refinement of the art of pork butchery, in which the Marches of Italy turn of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. A passionate agrono- demonstrate unrivalled excellence and possess unexplored potential, mist of immeasurable talents, he created many types of wheat with having rediscovered and partly created an animal fat with qualities high yields and resistance, including the durum strain “Senatore Cap- very close to those of vegetable oils. Even the plantations of nuts such pelli” (named after the person who had supported research), which as walnuts, hazelnuts, and almonds (after which the town of Amando- in turn would itself become the basis for the genetic improvement of la is named) provided – as demonstrated by the recent Spanish study Italian and international durum wheat cultivars. PREDIMED – equally effective nutritive and pharmacological prod- The Senatore Cappelli strain and the soft wheat Jervicella, which ucts that allowed them to cope with the scarcity of oil. were later abandoned in favour of shorter and more productive varie- Today, olive production has returned to excellent levels not only ties, have recently been planted in the Sibillini mountains and benefit in terms of quantity (albeit with ups and downs) but also quality and from many advantages: superior milling and pastification quality; the media visibility. The tender Ascolan olive is best known among the wholesomeness of a product grown in an uncontaminated mountain numerous other native varieties. environment thanks to the reduced need for fertilizers; an increased As for winemaking, it perfectly encapsulates the strengths and presence of polyphenols, carotenoids, and tocopherols; authentic aro- weaknesses of Italian production. In a peninsula with a natural pre- mas and flavours; a lower risk of provoking cases of gluten intolerance.2 disposition for the creation of an innumerable quantity of vines and As for extra virgin olive oil, it should firstly be noted that it is the wines, which earned it the name of Oenotria, the provinces of the only vegetable fat (like butter among animal fats) to be extracted Piceno area have achieved outstanding results, so much so that today through natural methods,3 in a physical and direct way, unlike seed it makes one smile a little to consider how that early appreciation in oils and margarines that require chemicals and complex processes. Gaul may well have planted the seeds of French oenology. Building On the other hand, the word “oil” in a strictly etymological sense is upon this ages old know-how, already clearly identifiable in the Igu- derived from “olive tree”.4 vine tablets, was hindered by historical events far more complicated than that of the French nation, an oenological tradition that had re-

58 59 mained the preserve of the culturally conservative rural environment The numerous merits of the Marche region are encompassed in the since the Middle Ages, and perhaps by a typically Italian individual- Mediterranean diet. ism, a paradoxical consequence of the widespread expertise that as Marche comes out top in scientific validation, carried out mainly in such does not recognize auctoritas. Andrea Bacci, with his first uni- the Piceno valleys beginning with the pilot study of the 1950s, then versal wine guide at the end of the 1500s, made it clear to the world during the thirty-year Seven Countries Study, and subsequently in the that Marche was the repository of wine culture. He described the FINE Study and the HALE project, right up to EXPO 2015 and the oeno-diversity of his motherland, noted the typical Marche method forthcoming elaboration of new predictive algorithms for health and of vite maritata [TN: literally “married vines”] whereby the vines are survival, with credit primarily due to Marche-native Fidanza. supported by a tree, made reference to sapa and acquaticcio, praised The Marche region also preserves the historical testimonies of Med- vino cotto, and predicted Dom Perignon’s bubbles. iterraneanity, stretching back some three thousand years: the Umbri- Nevertheless, in Italian rural communities, wine more than any- an-Picene archaeological finds, Latin literature, the legacies of mo- thing else represented a saline and caloric water supplement, a cat- nasticism, an array of naturalists, winemakers, agronomists, banquet alyst for meetings, a sign of hospitality, a versatile healing remedy. organizers, and excellent chefs, the entrepreneurship of the last two cen- Besides that, genuineness has always taken precedence over organo- turies, right up to the most illustrious names in the science of nutrition. leptic qualities. Today, respect for traditions, revisited in the light of Marche is also the region where the female universe (symbolized the solutions adopted by our cousins across the Alps, not to mention by the authoritative wisdom and providence of the Vergara and my- scientific progress, allows the two aspects to be combined. The quan- thologized through the Sibyl 6) – the essential role of women in the titative gap with France has finally been bridged. Average quality transmission of the cultural heritage summed up by the Mediter- wine is still penalised by an individualistic centuries-old approach, ranean diet has been acknowledged by UNESCO – has generally even now to be found in promotion, while often achieving excellent enjoyed a respect not found in the history of other Italian and Medi- results. In this context, producers in the Marche region are climbing terranean districts. the international rankings and it is not difficult to find them in top Nor should we forget a series of further merits: the record for positions, while at the same time allowing residents to preserve their active longevity, intended not only as a measure of life expectation healthy habit of drinking local genuine wine. The recuperation of but also of health; fewer days of life lost in the Italian preventable other vines and crops, such as the “married vine”, should constitute a deaths index; more DOP (Protected Designation of Origin) and IGP further step towards a greater territorial identity. (Indication of Geographic Protection) certifications than the Italian average; the undeniable healthiness of the environment; a high per- The Mediterranean diet, as both a food and a lifestyle, is consid- centage of land given over to agricultural production; the practice of ered a key component of prevention in the field of medicine. fishing; a tradition that embraces the entire gamut of Mediterrane- Several factors explain the superiority of the Mediterranean diet: an food categories: fish, oil, cereals, potatoes, vegetables, legumes, economic sustainability that makes it accessible to every social class; fruit and nuts, meat, dairy, eggs, wines, condiments, and desserts; a behavioural model that incorporates memory, beauty, culinary art, conservation and transformation techniques; a distinctive cuisine; harmony, and moderation; the naturalness that embraces the concepts social liveability; a way of life still strongly influenced by the values of genuineness, biodiversity, and bioavailability; the centuries-old of Mediterraneanity.7 selection that comes with it; its pairing with a particularly healthy en- In 1874 the Jacini survey photographed the eating habits of the vironment and climate; scientific validation; international approval; rural population of Marche, perfectly predicting today’s pyramidal reduced environmental impact. representation of the Mediterranean diet: «The Marche farmer is

60 61 extremely frugal in his diet and it is not only out of necessity, but NOTES out of habit. So much so that the farming families who enjoy a cer- tain level of well-being do not eat much more lavishly than those that do so out of necessity. Corn polenta, flavoured with cheese, oil, 1 The etymology of the land called “ITALIA” derives from the Oscan word “viteliu”, not because it was the “land of calves” but rather a young land or new world for the migrant lard, onions, ricotta, tomato, vegetables, legumes, etc.; wheat bread populations of antiquity, or a land of conquest for the young people who left their Piceno mixed with corn; wine only in times of greater fatigue, sometimes Sabine communities during ver sacrum. The name also represents a clear example of a term salted pork. Veal, lamb, and chicken are prepared only on solemn with its origins in the Umbrian Piceno territory. In fact, this linguistic first is widely attested in the Iguvine tablets by the words “vitlu”, “vitluf”, “vitlup”, “uitla”, and “vitlaf”. occasions and wedding feasts [...]». This official testimony, back in the day, cemented the historical foundations of the lifestyle repre- 2 In the case of true celiac disease, it should be noted that it is essential to eliminate from the diet all staple foods containing gluten, or foods that contain or may have traces sented by the Mediterranean brand. of wheat, spelt, barley, rye, Kamut, and emmer. Among starchy foods, rice, corn, and po- tatoes are allowed. While oats do not contain gluten, crops are sometimes contaminated by wheat so are the subject of continued study and in Italy permitted only if certified glu- ten-free; what is more, the rich Mediterranean diet has often managed without this cereal. Gluten intolerance is different from celiac disease, causing symptoms such as poor diges- tion without damaging the intestinal wall. Finally, an allergy to wheat can provoke all the abdominal and extra abdominal symptoms (skin, respiratory tract, cardiovascular system), sometimes serious, but comparable to other types of allergy.

3 By “natural” in this context we do not mean as opposed to “cultured” or “civilized” but rather “industrial” or “artificial”, in other words physical chemical variations obtained by means that do not exist or cannot be extracted directly from the environment.

4 The Latin “oleum” is related to the Umbrian-Picene “arsipes”, to the Greek “aleiphar” / “elaiphon” / “elaion”, and to the Akkadian “ulum”.

5 Extra virgin olive oil contains a very high percentage of monounsaturated fatty acids (75%) which have the advantage of being more stable at high temperatures and less oxidizable than polyunsaturates. It also has the right amount of saturated fats (16%) and an optimal share of polyunsaturated fats (9%) divided into the best ratio between omega 6 and omega 3. Harmful trans-fatty acids are absent, if the smoke point is not exceeded. It also contains polyphenols, tocopherols, and carotenoids. The effects are: structural, plas- tic, vitamin, and energy functions; organoleptic stimulation; antitumoral, anti-microbial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-neuronal decline, and anti-thrombogenic actions. A recent detailed study by the University of Granada has shown that extra virgin olive oil is the best fat, compared to sunflower oil and fish oil, in the protection of the liver. A true elixir of life and health.

6 During the pre-unification period, in the first half of the nineteenth century, when geographers and cartographers envisaged the imminent regionalization of a united Italy, the name of “Clivo della Sibilla” [TN: literally, the “hillside of the Sibyl”] was proposed for the Marche territory, indicating the strong geographical and cultural symbolism of the Sibillini Mountains.

7 In a statistically significant survey with the eloquent title of “Vino, cibo, moder- atezza e territorio i segreti della longevità nelle Marche” (Wine, food, moderation, and territory: the secrets of longevity in Marche) – commissioned by the Istituto Marchigiano Tutela Vini (Institute for the Protection of Marche Wines) and conducted by Professor Gabriele Micozzi, lecturer in Marketing at the Marche Polytechnic University, with 3, 121 interviews in the Marche region and the rest of Italy – reveals a picture of a population over sixty years in age with among the best life expectancy and health in the world, whose lifestyle would appear to adhere strictly to the food, cultural, and social structure of the Mediterranean diet (differentiating itself dramatically from the Italian average!) In fact, these are the generations who adopt a mixed and varied diet, with a preference for bread, pasta, rice, pulses, red wine, olive oil, local fruits and vegetables, oily fish, white meat,

62 63 meat from the Marchigiana breed of cattle (and of course dairy products, eggs, and pork): THE MONASTIC DIET foods that are consumed with the same frequency as suggested in the classic pyramid and introducing on average less calories than in other regions. Spirits are almost totally excluded. A high percentage of people belonging to these generations have been, and con- tinue to be, physically active in the countryside or in the vegetable garden, take exercise or practise sports. They socialize and are involved in socializing activities, meet up, play, support the family, do housework, help friends and neighbours, volunteer, nurture hob- bies, keep up with the times, enjoy conviviality. Those who do not have and have never had health problems are in the majority. They feel largely happy and agree that the beauty Western monasticism flourished in the territory between Umbria of the landscapes and places (among which the Sibillini mountains stand out) encourages and Marche – suffice to remember the ancient abbey of Saint Eutizio, serenity and mental well-being. They have made moderation their modus vivendi. the birthplaces of Saint Benedict of Nursia and Saint Scholastica, Saint Francis and Saint Clare of Assisi, the indelible mark left by the Farfensi, the arrival of Saint Romuald and the Camaldolese order, and of the Cistercian “tilling monks” founded in France (an offshoot of the Benedictines), the presence of the Benedictine nuns and the Poor Clares, the rapid diffusion of the Franciscans and the Domin- icans, the works of Saint James of the Marches, the contribution of canonized and blessed Augustinians, the Jesuit imprint of Father Matteo Ricci and that of Saint Philip Neri through Father Pietro Con- solini, the sheer number of monasteries and convents, the traces left by the Templars and heretical groups (!), even the name adopted by the town of Monte Monaco – which through its industrious charac- ter gathered, enriched, codified, and preserved the culinary and rural Mediterranean culture. The monastic rule – even with the variations that differentiated communities according to the principles of their founders and the de- velopment of the conventual form – was fundamentally inspired by a spiritual asceticism closely linked to the rhythms of daily life, places, nature, work, culture, and hospitality (“ora et labora”). Monastic cuisine was an expression of this symbiosis with the en- vironment and had both a dietary and a therapeutic function. In the first instance monasticism inherited the Roman Mediterra- nean triad (of bread, wine and oil), already adopted by Christianity in the symbolism of the Eucharistic and sacramental unctions together with the emblematic acronym of the fish [in Greek ICHTHUS = Iesus CHristos THeu Uios Soter = Jesus Christ Son of God Saviour]. The Cenobitic monastic lifestyle with its concurrent relationship with the outside world favoured the enrichment of knowledge in terms of nature and eating habits but also study, experimentation, and reli- gious sublimation. The precepts of the frugality of food, far from im-

64 65 poverishing nutrition, encouraged research into refined, ethical, and THE VEGETABLE GARDENS OF THE MARCHE VALLEYS healthy solutions that could be based on the Mediterranean tradition. Firstly in the abbeys therefore, and then in the convents, a diet was sanctified that was linked to the territory and to the seasons, predom- inantly vegetarian, which made ample use of nutritive, aromatic, and medicinal herbs (also in the form of tisanes and elixirs), included the The Hortus simplicium, a botanical garden of simple medicinal daily albeit moderate use of wine and beer, olive oil (as opposed to the plants that even today retains an intrinsic charm, was summed up near demonization of animal fats), fish (river, sea, or farmed), bread, by: «Herbis non verbis fiunt medicamina vitae». Following the wis- cereals, soups, legumes, fresh fruit, walnuts and almonds; meats, dom of this Latin maxim discovered in a fourteenth century mo- dairy products and eggs were permitted above all during periods of nastic herbal, according to which remedies in life are made not of hard labour or illness; desserts typically made with honey, jam, or words but of herbs, horticulture has been the pride of the Marche sapa were enjoyed on feast days. Also, a semi-fast Lent was observed region for centuries. and the total abstention from meat consumption for at least a third of Indeed, the territory has enjoyed renown and recognition since the year. During “lean” periods, in fact, the diet was strictly pescatari- classical antiquity for its cultivation of the Mediterranean triad: an because the Church prohibited, until 1491, even milk, eggs, and wheat, olive trees, and vines. derivatives: a devotional act that continued to be observed in some Vegetable gardens have allowed one to eat healthily with relish. families right up until the last century. Biodiversity, a distinctive hallmark of Mediterranean cuisine, is The air, water, earth, and fire along with the sun, moon, and stars best exemplified in its use of herbaceous plants. The discovery of were blessed by Saint Francis as brothers or sisters; the earth as a sister wild species alongside vegetable gardening and cooking were the and a mother. Prayer, rituality, conviviality, the cult of work, culture, specialized tasks of the Vergara, who seemed to almost carry in her gastronomy, hospitality, and moderation were the basis of the rules. chromosomes that incredible wealth of knowledge, traditions, and The monastic communities, following the teachings of the bible, popular wisdom that were fundamental for dealing with economic recognized in Man – in his being a unified expression of spirit, mind hardship and living with dignity. Herbal gastronomy was a viable and body – the image of God, rather as the entire universe is reflected alternative when food was short, likewise, it constituted the main in Mandelbrot’s fractals or Leibniz’s monads. For this reason, through way of flavouring dishes and was used for its pharmacological ef- prayer and asceticism they represented a spiritual beacon for souls; fects both in a preventive and curative sense. These factors fostered they fertilized minds by preserving the immense wealth of Roman an attitude of great respect and care for the environment, facilitat- Greek knowledge; to not neglect corporeal materiality they carried ing its biodiversity. out food and pharmacological research and experimentation, founded The achievements of classical culture, research on ancient texts industrious farms, and encouraged crop production, artisanal crafts, (Hippocrates, Aristotle, Theophrastus, Pliny, Dioscorides), obser- commerce, and entrepreneurial activities. vations and experiments (conducted above all by monastic commu- nities), and the oral tradition (the prerogative of women), have been passed down to us in written and systematic form thanks to scholars such as: Costanzo Felici from Marche, the Umbrian author Cas- tore Durante (who wrote “Herbario nuovo” [New herbal] illustrated by Parasole da Norcia), the Tuscan Andrea Mattioli (translator and expander of the work of Dioscorides), Giacomo Castelvetro from Emilia, Salvatore Massonio from Abruzzo, Antonio Cocchi and

66 67 Vincenzo Corradi from Campania. But the credit for its translation marjoram, mallow, lemon balm, mint, oregano, parsley, anise, purs- into practice has long been due to the Vergara (and her Sibyls). lane, rhubarb, rampion, rosemary, rue, sage, santolina, savory, shal- UNESCO, in its description of the Mediterranean diet, recog- lots, celery, thyme, valerian, and so forth. nized that «women play a particularly vital role in the transmission Finally, spices, which are distinguished from aromatic herbs by of expertise, as well as knowledge of rituals, traditional gestures being dried and often imported: aniseed, cinnamon, cloves, turmeric, and celebrations, and the safeguarding of techniques». juniper, hyssop, liquorice, myrtle, lesser calamint, nutmeg, paprika, With the consumerist economy gaining the upper hand, herbal pepper, chili pepper, horseradish, savory, sesame, tamarind, vanilla, cuisine and centuries-old know-how were suddenly shunned or ne- saffron, ginger, etc. glected, with a dramatic impoverishment of the quality and quan- Their nutritive action is carried out thanks to a reduced energy in- tity of micronutrients in the diet, with the simultaneous physical take and above all the supply of fibre, mineral salts, vitamins, vege- destruction of wild plants and the oblivion (unless irreversibly lost) table oils, and enzymes. Their organoleptic function is the result of of our cultural heritage: in practice, the collapse of biodiversity in centuries-old culinary experience that used the wide variety of com- nature and on the table, for which humanity is already paying the ponents to create endless combinations to stimulate the taste buds. price in terms of health and ecosystem. The pharmacological effects are also varied: antiseptic, anti-parasit- The revaluation of the Mediterranean diet and corresponding life- ic, anti-rheumatic, anti-itching, cholagogic, eupeptic, carminative, style is luckily finding its way. It is still an almost elitist phenome- diuretic, laxative or astringent, fluidizing, anxiolytic, hypotensive, non, but the declarations of intent by governments and international cicatrizing, tonic, balsamic, analgesic, febrifuge, rubefacient, antiox- associations, which pay heed to the observations of scientists most idant, and anticancer. sensitive to the matter, bode well. If we think of modern nutrition based on a very small pool of in- Without going into the symbolic meanings of the medieval gar- gredients (rarely controlled; almost certainly contaminated during den – which constituted for the monks a place of physical, intel- processing; containing additives such as preservatives, dyes, stabi- lectual, and spiritual exercise – what is immediately apparent is lizers, thickeners, gelling agents, emulsifiers, sapidifiers, flavourings, the triple function (nutritive, organoleptic, and therapeutic) that has coatings, acidifiers, leavening agents, anti-caking agents, and anti- always been a part of herbal cuisine. foaming substances; proposed or imposed by those countries with The already extensive list of cultivated plants was continuously poorer culinary traditions) we quickly realize how the cultivation and expanded to include the wild species that were known and respect- the culture of herbs is fundamental for saving biodiversity and thus ed. Mediterranean cuisine could therefore inventively avail itself of helping both mankind and the environment. a remarkable variety of vegetables and cultivated or wild aromatic herbs and spices. Among the first (vegetables classified as fruiting, stem, leaf, flow- ers, root, tuber, seed) we find: garlic, asparagus, beets, broccoli, ar- tichokes, cardoons, cabbages, carrots, cucumbers, chicory, onions, fennel, salads, legumes, aubergines, peppers, tomatoes, leeks, tur- nips, radishes, spinach, tubers, pumpkins, and so on. Aromatic herbs are known as “odori” (smells) by Italian home- makers: bay leaves, artemisia, wormwood, burdock, basil, borage, chervil, cumin, coriander, tarragon, chives, helichrysum, lavender,

68 69 TRUFFLES. THE DIAMONDS OF THE SIBILLINI

Among the wild or farmed products of the soil that are a bona fide ingredient in Mediterranean cuisine, truffles are worthy of separate discussion: for various reasons, not least of which the ancient and modern vocation of the Apennines between Umbria and Marche. At first glance, however, they would appear to be somewhat incom- patible with the Mediterranean diet, which embraces the concept of tradition, solid nutritional principles, and low-cost ingredients. The truffle, on the other hand, is an apparently new ingredient, devoid of local tradition, an ingredient that is completely lacking in nutritional principles in the strictest sense, a food for the affluent layers of society. Instead, a strong physical bond with our territory, an exceptional complementarity and, on closer inspection, diverse historical testimo- nies associate this luxurious ingredient with the renowned diet. The very high yields of the finest truffles also help to keep costs down. The “true” truffle is a valuable addition of major importance to the Mediterranean cuisine in the Marches of Italy. Truffles, in usable doses, have very limited nutritional value. One hundred grams of the hypogeous fungus contain on average six grams of protein (rich in methionine, cystine, and lysine), less than one gram of carbohydrates, and half a gram of lipids (including linoleic acid), as well as water, mineral salts, very few vitamins, and a large amount of fibre. But consuming a hundred grams would be both economically and physiologically prohibitive. From this we can deduce that their aroma and flavour are greatly ap- preciated. Among the odorous compounds found in truffles, high con- centrations of steroids have been identified, analogous to pheromones produced both by animals and human beings. Indeed, according to a 1971 study by Claus and Hoffman [see: Claus R., Hoffmann B. – Acta endocr. Suppl. 150, 70, 1971], their concentration in truffles is twice the amount found in the blood of a boar! Pheromones are volatile sex hormones, secreted by salivary glands and excreted by the skin, capa- ble of influencing an animal’s oestrous cycle and behaviour. Truffles and mushrooms stimulate the so-called “umami” taste, or rather the fifth taste (that of glutamate, sapidity, or a “pleasant savoury

71 flavour” in the literal translation of the Japanese loanword) that is as- In the Middle Ages, by contrast, the truffle was considered the devil’s sociated with the four we already know – sweet, salt, bitter, and sour dung and the food of witches (perhaps because of its fame as an aph- – and to the two in the process of scientific definition, fat and fried. rodisiac), or even poisonous, so they were therefore loathed or ignored. The intense, umami flavour together with an enveloping and char- They reappeared in the modern era, first in Spain and then in acteristic aroma makes them valuable from an organoleptic point of France and Italy. view, allowing for the reduction of calories from condiments. Their The renewed admiration for the earthy protuberance was celebrated appeal is then amplified by their supposedly aphrodisiac properties. by Gioacchino Rossini who called them the “Mozart of mushrooms”. The most important recommendation – which applies to the entire The “true” truffle varieties, or those that can be marketed as such Mediterranean food model and to an even greater extent to truffles – according to Italian legislation (law no. 752, 16 December, 1985) are is to use natural products, particularly avoiding artificial or imitation the Bianco Pregiato (prized white truffle), Nero Pregiato (prized black flavours whether legal (read the labels in the case of truffle-flavoured truffle), Bianchetto or Marzuolo (“whitish” truffle), Nero d’Inverno sauces) or illegal (rely on experts to avoid buying truffle-like Terfe- (black winter truffle), Moscato (muscat), Estivo or Scorzone (black zia fungi that have been flavoured using various methods), because summer truffle), Uncinato (hooked truffle), Nero Ordinario (common regardless of potential health risks, one might acquire a distorted per- black truffle), Nero Liscio (smooth black truffle). In actual fact, only ception of the truffle and be put off eating them for ever. Obviously, the white and black Pregiati, Bianchetto, and Scorzone varieties have in order to fully enjoy them, one should choose between the finest a market. varieties: Bianco Pregiato (prized white truffle) and Nero Pregiato Their preferred trees are the downy oak, Turkey oak, holly oak, wil- (prized black truffle), not forgetting the Marzuolo and Estivo (spring low, poplar, lime tree, and common hazel, as well as beech, common and summer) varieties. and hop hornbeam, black pine, and cedars. They are a typically Mediterranean product: they are held in high «Those that are commonly referred to as truffles are more precisely esteem in France, Greece, Spain, and the Middle East; Italy may, how- the fruiting bodies (carpophores or ascocarp) of various species of ever, be considered the nation best suited to truffles because all the mushrooms of the tuber genus. They live in mutualistic symbiosis with species grow there. The Italian regions traditionally rich in truffles are the root system of some arboreal plants with which they form a mycor- Marche, Umbria, Piedmont, Lombardy, Tuscany, Emilia Romagna, rhizal association and develop underground, earning them the name and Abruzzo; others, like Sicily, have only recently entered the market. of hypogea. They have been known since ancient times, but the first to While the Sibillini mountains may have their slice of international show interest in them from a biological point of view were the Greeks, fame thanks to the Nero di Norcia (black truffle from Norcia), recogni- who called them Hydnon, hence the term “Idnologia”, the scientific tion is certainly limited. As a matter of fact, even the valleys to the east study of truffles». [Alberto Mandozzi, I Tartufi del Piceno (Truffles of and the adjacent Umbrian Piceno territories can boast a respectable and the Piceno), Edizioni Tuber Communications, Amandola 2006] above all varied production, embracing all the species and seasons like The Romans believed that they had been created by Jupiter’s light- a miniature Italy. A treasure trove that has slowly been rediscovered ning bolts when they struck the ground near the tree sacred to him, only in the last few decades. the oak; they knew of their aphrodisiac properties, which they as- Modern knights in search of lost senses return to drink their fill in cribed to Venus, and enjoyed the black tubers from the central areas the enchanted gardens of Alcina. of the Italian peninsula, but more frequently they used African Ter- fezia or Greek truffles. According to the Roman cook Apicius, Nero Etymological research regarding the historical significance of dubbed them the “food of the Gods”. the central Italian districts in the production and use of truffles is most illuminating.

72 73 Until recently, the most probable origin of the word “truffle” was thought THE NAME OF THE “MELA ROSA” to derive from “terrae tuber” via a late Latin hypothesis “terrae tufer”. Then along came Giordano Berti, a scholar of historical esotericism – perhaps for this reason specializing in truffles! – who, from a clue found in an ancient codex, pinpointed the medieval origins of the term that refer to the consistency and tufaceous porosity of the tuber, which By typicality in the food sector we mean the unequivocal link be- would have inspired the definition of “terra tufola” (tufaceous soil). tween a specific product and a distinct territory or, more accurately, This last hypothesis is gaining ground, but if truth be told, it sounds between a quality product and its genius loci! more like para-etymology. The presence of the term throughout the Ro- The baselessness of typicality tout court and the importance of re- mance and Anglo-Saxon language areas is a clear indication of a much counting the eco-history stem from this hypothesis. older root. Likewise, the Middle Ages, for the reasons we have outlined One of the first to do so back in the sixteenth century was Andrea above, would not have been the ideal period for the material and lin- Bacci, a native of Sant’Elpidio a Mare, whom Professor Giovanni Mar- guistic diffusion of a deliberately ignored product. On the other hand, an tinelli dubbed as the inventor of “typicality”. inattentive or superficial study of the subject could easily create a meta- Nowadays, storytelling about the fruits of the relationship between phorical folk etymology based on the assonance of the Italic terms, but humankind and the earth, and the history of our ecosystem, form an not explain its sudden expansion in Europe. It should be noted, however, integral part of marketing. that Berti’s hypothesis converges on the belief that central Italy, precisely The modern tourist is seeking an aesthetic experience, an escape because of the nature of its tuff soil, is the homeland of modern truffles! from reality, entertainment, educational involvement, which take the The classical etymological theory remains the most supported and form of trying things and making one’s own judgements, immersing chronologically acceptable. oneself in the uses, traditions, practices of the places one visits, and And it lends itself to further study. in this way contributing to the enhancement and preservation of their Since Latin, unlike Umbrian, did not allow for an intervocalic “f” cultures. Hence the dietary choices of those who start to appreciate the (which was replaced by a “b”), the Italian words of Latin derivation that wholesomeness and the eco-historic impact of the Mediterranean diet include it (when not composed of or inherited from Greek or other lin- and the importance of Claude Lévi-Strauss’s vision that «cooking is a guistic groups) rather than from Late Latin are thought to originate from language through which society unconsciously reveals its structure». the Sabine variant (in other words, more archaic terms than Latin itself), Our story revolves around the “Mela Rosa”: the perfect symbol of such as “bifolco” (yokel), “tafano” (horsefly), “bufalo” (buffalo), “gufo” the Sibyl and her realm. I find the name of this apple from the Sibil- (owl), “cafone” (boor), “zufolo” (flute), “scarafaggio” (cockroach), or lini mountains highly evocative: “mela”, meaning apple, the arche- “scrofa” (sow). This would suggest that the word “tufer” (or “tufulus”, if typal fruit, and “rosa”, meaning pink, but also rose, the archetypal you prefer), a counterpart of the Latin “tuber”, is indisputably Umbrian- flower. The mela rosa represents for me an emblem of the feminine Piceno-Sabine in origin and has established itself in modern European and its ambivalence, of the witch and the pagan sorceress and of the languages, despite the more cultured Latin, due to the close relationship Christian prophetess, of “nature” in the sense of birth and the vagi- of that protohistoric region with the hypogeous fungus. na, of the forbidden fruit and source of life, of sin and redemption, The intense association of the truffle with central Italy, found in its knowledge and transcendence. Or the Great Mother as suggested by archaic etymology and even medieval para-etymology, speaks vol- the writer Enrico Tassetti. umes about the role played by the enchanting Lands of the Apennine No modern copywriter could have invented a more eloquent or in- Sibyl in the discovery, rediscovery, and exaltation of the magic of the cisive name. earth, the sky and the underworld!

74 75 And if Umberto Eco and Steve Jobs had known about the mela rosa Characterized by a unique flavour derived from the wholesomeness they might well have given a slightly different name to their creations... of the air-water-earth-fire, in other words from clean matter and en- Starting with the mela rosa of the Sibillini mountains our story ergy, enriched by a history that go back to the esteem of the Romans, unfolds along the path of civilization. an organic production balanced somewhere between the wild and the Telling stories along the way about... cultivated, a name that recalls health and beauty and blends romanti- The Apennine Sibyl: a mythological and anthropological figure cism and mysticism, the “Mela Rosa” guides the entire marketing of who has stirred international curiosity for centuries and inspired cen- food products from the Sibillini mountains and the Marches of Italy. tral European sagas and the greatest artists of all time (from Virgil to For each of these products, typicality begins with its name, ex- Ariosto to Goethe to Wagner). Womankind: emblematized through pressed in the Piceno language. the authoritative wisdom, pacifism, and providence of the Vergara, If we imagine a store selling Mediterranean brand products, where descended from deep matriarchal roots, and modelled on the pagan smaller producers would find shelf space alongside larger companies, Sibyl. Western monasticism: which was literally born here and left the Mela Rosa of the Sibillini would sit alongside: its mark over a wide area (the Syrian monks of Preci, Saint Benedict pèrsiche (peaches) and piricòche (apricots) and cerèscie (cherries) and of Nursia, the Farfensi of Santa Vittoria, links with the Franciscans, scòrvie (sorbe) and nocèlle (hazelnuts) and amàndole (almonds) and Augustinians, and Templars). Destinations of faith: such as the Sanc- grélle (wild mulberries) and vìscini (sour or wild cherries) and spruìlli tuary of the Madonna dell’Ambro, which is one of the oldest sites (sour hedgerow fruit), sèllero (celery) and mastricìtti (radicchio) and of Marian devotion historically attested in Italy. The Mediterranean tresomarì (rosemary) and meràngole (cucumbers) and gòrbini (wild diet: discovered and scientifically validated in these valleys, but even spinach) and ùmbrici (common hops) and scarciòfoli (artichokes) before that time, developed, transmitted, and preserved here. The and peparóli (peppers) and rùgni (chicory) and erbétta (parsley) and “comunanze agrarie” (agrarian communities): the last vestiges of an crespégne (barberry) and acquacòtta (minestrone with garden veg- archaic socialization with complete equity, a precursor of the “pieve” etables, cheese, eggs) and frecantò (pan-fried vegetables) and mes- (ancient Christian community) and the “comune” (municipality). Ag- tecànza (mixture of herbs) and tartùfoli (truffles), sgrìsci (slices of riculture and pastoralism, repositories of the ancient knowledge of fried pork) and ciavùscolo and sacìcce (sausages) and tùrdi matti the Umbrian Picentes (which nurtured the Latin civilization, thanks (rolled slices of pork) and scottóna (heifer) and cordésca (young ewe) to transhumance and Ver Sacrum) and characterized by a total respect and prisùttu (prosciutto) and porchétta (whole roasted pig) and còppa for the environment. Active longevity: the Marche region holds the (cured neck of pork) and galantìna (chicken, turkey and pork sausage) world record. Pictorial and architectural art: a widespread heritage, and ruscìi and maghìtti (chicken giblets) and trippa (tripe) and cuc- which reaches international heights in the Pinacoteca di Montefortino ciòle (snails), fascióli (beans) and lènta (lentils) and rovèja (robiglio (Montefortino Art Gallery). Artisanal craftsmanship: historical tradi- or field peas) and cécio (chickpeas), acquatìccio (fermentation of the tions in the field of antiques, building, textiles, and terracotta. Italic marc with water) and uàta (grape jam) and sàpa (syrup made from linguistic archaism: according to philologists of the calibre of Devo- cooked grape must) and vì còtto (vino cotto) and vì róscio (red wine), to, Ancillotti, Pallottino, Merli, and Alinei. The Naturalistic Nation- fregnàcce (a type of lasagne) and vincisgràssi (a traditional type of al Park: unique botanical varieties, supported by a well-established lasagne) and frascarélli (white flour polenta) andstracciatèlla (a type culture, of herbs, flowers, fruits, mushrooms, truffles, Mediterranean of soup cooked with small shreds of eggs and cheese) and cappellétti scrub (with historic beech forests), and characteristic ichthyic fauna. (egg pasta filled with meat or tortellini) and quadriccióli (quadrelli Medieval villages, fascinating testimonies of the flowering of munic- pasta squares) and tajulì pilùsi (thin noodles without egg) and mac- ipal society. Anthropic landscapes shaped by their eco-history. The cheroncini and ngrìccio (vegetable soup made from potatoes, beans, mountains that reach towards the sea.

76 77 corn) and tritéllo (finely sieved bran) and crispèlle (fried bread dough) HONEY and cacciannànzi (focaccia baked before bread) and créscia (a type of focaccia) and pizzùto (corn bread) and pane sciàpo (unsalted bread), òe (eggs) and càscio (cheese) and caciù (ravioli with cheese and eggs), jìa (olives) and òjo (oil) and panzanèlla (bread soaked in oil, vinegar, salt, onion, and basil), varàccole (skate) and strùmmi (mackerel) and Even if the famous food pyramid relegates sweets and sweeteners sardèlle (anchovies) and rosciòli (red mullet) and papalìna (sprat) and to the category of products to be reduced or eliminated, Mediterra- rénghe (herring) and saràche (salted fish), dulcis in fundo pastarèlle nean cuisine uses a traditional sweetener that is delicious and boasts (biscuits) and sèrpe and ciammellòttu and picù (other names for caciù) remarkable benefits: honey. and scròccafusi and sfràppe (desserts eaten during Carnival) and cic- There are clues from the Stone Age and written testimonies by the erchjàta (balls of sweet dough) and pizza sbattùta (cake made with Sumerians, Babylonians, and Egyptians, in the Bible and the Koran, beaten eggs, sugar, and flour) and ciammèlla strozzósa (a ringshaped by the Umbrian Picentes, through to the Greek Roman civilization cake made with eggs, oil, mistrà, sugar, and salt) and ficaónta (a type and medieval monasticism, of the Mediterranean use of honey as of biscuit) and frustìngo (a dessert made with dried fruit and figs), both a food and medicine right up until the nineteenth century, when with mistrà liqueur and... Amaro Sibilla. it was supplanted by industrially refined sugar. Cane sugar, equal- And those names will be just the beginning of many more sto- ly-known since ancient times and introduced to Europe by the Arabs ries to come. between AD 700 and 900, was extracted by hand maintaining its nat- ural properties, but it was not used widely because of its high cost. Production was then transferred to the Americas, from where it was imported at lower prices. The discovery of the sucrose content of the appropriately named “sugar” beet allowed for its industrial extrac- tion in the nineteenth century and the definitive elimination of costs, which led to the disappearance of beekeeping. This has meant that a product like honey – which is the quintes- sence of nature distilled by the entomological miracle of bees and instinctively appreciated since prehistory – has been replaced by that monotonous, insidious, and sterile artificial product that is useful in very few occasions, frequently superfluous, and very often harmful. It is perhaps the most striking example of cultural loss and the conse- quent degradation of food today. A return to the use of honey – with its fructose content with a lower glycaemic and insulin index compared to sucrose, as well as its fla- vonoids, carotenoids, vitamins A, B, C, E, and K, mineral salts, trace elements, and micronutrients, which differ according to the variety – would mean stimulating antibacterial, antiviral, antiparasitic, anti- inflammatory, and antitumour effects, while reducing blood sugar, cholesterol, triglycerides, homocysteine, C-reactive protein (CRP),

78 79 and body weight to prevent cardiovascular diseases: in other words, PANE NOSTRUM: PANE SCIAPO - UNSALTED BREAD good to taste and good for our health. The Marche region, whose three-thousand-year-old beekeeping by Amedeo Grilli tradition is recorded in the bronze Iguvine tablets, is increasing pro- duction and quality thanks to the uncontaminated biodiversity of its countryside and particularly the national parks, conquering the mar- Across the whole of central Italy, from Tuscany to Marche by way ket with varieties such as millefiori (wild blossom), acacia, chestnut, of Umbria, bread is made without salt. There are many stories that lime tree, and honeydew. recount the reasons behind this age-old tradition. Recommended daily consumption is up to 50 grams (equal to six It is an ancient custom. As early as 1200 the use of unsalted bread teaspoons), reducing the dose in cases of diabetes and never giving was widespread, so much so that Dante Alighieri, when describing to infants younger than 12 months of age (because of the possible, exile in Canto XVII of Paradiso, the third and final part of his Divine albeit very rare, presence of spores that cannot be counteracted by Comedy, writes: «You are to know the bitter taste// of others’ bread, the intestines of babies) and, obviously, to anybody who is allergic to how salt it is, and know// how hard a path it is for one who goes// pollens or fructose intolerant. descending and ascending others’ stairs». [See: Mandelbaum trans- lation of Dante: https://digitaldante.columbia.edu/dante/divine-com- edy/paradiso/paradiso-17/] There are many stories related to bread without salt: in Perugia it dates back to 1540 when Pope Paul III imposed the purchase of salt from papal salt flats, and so to avoid this arrangement the Perugians decided not to use salt in their bread; the origins of the Florentine “sciocco” unsalted bread are connected to a well-known event: in the twelfth century the price of salt in Tuscany skyrocketed due to the decision by the city of Pisa – in conflict with Florence – to block the trade of salt that arrived in the area directly through the Pisan port, so there too it was decided to skimp on salt in bread. I do not know the real reason nor do I have a precise map of the areas that use unsalted or salted bread, but certainly central Italy uses bread without salt and it is worth bearing in mind that in these central areas, far from the coast, salt was a luxury, although I do not believe that this is the only reason for “sciapo” bread. In the Marche region settlement was mainly distributed in scattered houses, so bread was not bought in bakeries except in the larger cities. In the countryside bread was made once a week; it had to last sev- en days and the addition of salt, which makes bread “chewier” and harden more quickly, as well as inhibiting the activity of yeast that is dehydrated by the effect of sodium chloride, did not help in the preservation of bread.

80 81 They say it is good for our health not to salt our bread, but regard- Everything was served with unsalted “sciapo” bread; cured meats less of any requirements for our well-being, unsalted bread enhances were full of flavour and fish was preserved in salt (cod, herring, etc.). the base flavour and lends itself perfectly to enhancing that ofits I think that this way of making bread is an aspect of our identi- accompaniment. How delicious! It does not fall apart, it does not ty, we try to spread the word, and encourage the many tourists who smother flavours, it lasts longer because, unlike hygroscopic salt, it come here and admire our homeland to try it. does not absorb moisture. Nowadays every bakery offers bread in all shapes and sizes, not Eating bread is a widespread custom not only as a way of reducing only with salt but with oils, fats, olives, seeds, etc. Luckily, tucked the amount of food and therefore saving money, but as a way of eat- away in a corner there is still a row of “normal” bread, that unsalted ing that expands the range of flavours. bread that is a part of our history. Bread adds flavour to meals and its use associated with various foods helps to create new ones, even different from the two compo- nents – bread and its accompaniment – when eaten separately. This creates a new range of unique flavours, so why then add a third flavour in the shape of salt to the aroma of flour mixed with water and yeast? Knowing how to savour food also means establishing a perfect balance between bread and dish. In Marche families we used to eat homemade bread, naturally leav- ened, using lievito madre (sourdough starter) that was passed along day to day. Once kneaded on a special wooden board, it was left in the cupboard to rest and rise, covered with white cotton sheets and woollen blankets. It was baked using a specific wooden paddle for cooking, always in a wood-fired oven. While it cooked its aroma filled the neigh- bouring houses, greeting their inhabitants at the start of a new day. I remember the smell of freshly baked bread, its warmth when it was taken out, the eyes of the kids who were waiting to eat the crescia (a kind of focaccia) made with the dough. Loaves came in only two shapes: file and filoni. There were no rolls, bread was eaten in slices. The memory of lost flavours: that of a slice of warm and soft bread with a sliver of ham or mortadella inside it, a slice of bread, still warm and fragrant, with a dribble of raw olive oil, or the unique fla- vours of bread with grapes, figs, and walnuts, a slice of bread with oil, salt, and marjoram, or with wine and sugar. Combined with pasta too, bread creates new flavours, not to mention dry bread used in rec- ipes like pancotto (bread soup) or panzanella (bread salad). Everyone knows the traditional bruschetta or panunto (oiled bread) recipes, while Nutella is a recent fad!

82 83 REDISCOVERING OUR TYPICAL PRODUCTS BY OBSERVING WORKS OF ART

by Amedeo Grilli

Territorial cuisine is made up of typical specialties that character- ize the tradition of local – sometimes lost – flavours, which are often re-evaluated and revisited. Nowadays only a typical product can attract attention and really make the difference. The right product, rediscovered and presented with professional- ism, constitutes an added value for an area. Today we are trying to reclaim a well-chronicled delicacy of the past that belongs to our history. The “salata” or “pista” ritual [TN: regarding the domestic butch- ering of home reared pigs] is intrinsically tied to the rural family tradition, and a strongly seasonal event with its own recipes and uses related to the history of this corner of the Marche region. I will not dwell on the many aspects and traditions surrounding the salata “ritual”; it is already widely documented in some interesting literature. I would like, instead, to draw attention to the type of pig that was bred and then transformed into delectable cold cuts. When presented with a sausage, do we ever think to ask where the pig came from, where it was raised, or what it ate? There are many people who are willing to pay handsomely for the Spanish “pata negra” ham, which is the most expensive in the world, known for its breed of pig, how it is reared, and its methods of prepa- ration and conservation. Should one pay more for a higher quality product? I think so, even if is not always necessary to travel thou- sands of miles or to go abroad to find that quality. And why should our pigs be reared in large-scale intensive livestock farms producing breeds selected to satisfy international tastes? What breeds were reared in our area before we were contaminated by globalization that introduced identical flavours and dishes everywhere?

85 If we look at some of the works by the Renaissance painter Vin- The meat obtained from this rediscovered breed of Fermo pigs cenzo Pagani (1490-1567) from Monterubbiano, and in particular the could be used mainly for processing into high quality cured meats Sarnano and Cossignano altarpieces, we discover, among the details typical to the local area, such as prosciutto crudo (dry cured ham), in the background, that the intricate and precise landscape settings spalletta (shoulder ham), coppa (air dried pork collar), pancetta (ba- for these sacred images include pigs at pasture or a solitary pig. They con), ciavuscolo (a local variety of salame), lonza (pork loin), sau- are black pigs with a white belt that closely resemble the famous sages and so on, or even for ready-to-eat foods. breed that we know today as Cinta Senese, one of the most important There could be incentives for managing medium-intensive fam- autochthonous breeds reared in Italy. ily farms in the mountain area, even encouraging semi-wild breed- The Cinta Senese is a breed of black pig with a characteristic white ing, perhaps initiating the formation of a consortium aimed at gain- belt that girdles (“cinge” in Italian) the withers, chest, shoulders, and ing Protected Denomination of Origin certification for the “belted front legs, and from which its name derives. If you go to the atrium Marche pig”, the only way to ensure the safe traceability of the fin- of the church of Saint Augustine in Fermo, you will find a beautiful ished product from our historic breed and to guarantee quality. It Istrian stone medieval plaque, which commemorates the Fermo-born would be another step towards the enhancement of an area that with condottiero or military leader Francesco Guerrieri and features a pig this rediscovered typicality could attract even more interest. with a characteristic belt around its middle. These works of art tell us that in this area the most widespread breed of pigs, so much as to be chosen as a typical representation, was that unusual breed with a black coat and a white belt running from its back to around its belly. Why don’t we see if we can reclaim it? Let’s take look at how our neighbouring Sienese cousins describe their Cinta Senese: «The origins of this breed are very old and there are pictorial testimonies that demonstrate the breeding of pigs simi- lar to the present-day Cinta Senese since the Middle Ages. The most characteristic feature of this pig is the presence of a white belt, which gives the breed its name, on a coat that is grey-black in colour. The most famous representation of a pig that resembles the present Cinta Senese is by Ambrogio Lorenzetti, The Allegory of Good and Bad Government (1319-1347), in Siena’s Palazzo Pubblico. Other rep- resentations of pigs with a white belt appear in paintings and fres- coes of the twelfth century Sienese school in different churches in the Sienese countryside». [Atlante delle razze autoctone: Bovini, equini, ovicaprini, suini allevati in Italia - Daniele Bigi, Alessio Zanon - Ed- agricole - novembre 2008] After a long period of neglect due to the introduction of select breeds, it is high time to rediscover, reintroduce, and start promoting our native Marche breed found in the Fermo territory and represented and documented in local works of art.

86 87 THE MAJESTY OF THE PEAKS

“Il Libero Regno della Sibilla” (The Free Realm of the Sibyl) the- orized by the writer and journalist Adolfo Leoni, with its inherent social principles of the comunanze agrarie (agrarian communities), could become a real model of collective recovery of abandoned build- ings and uncultivated lands in the mountains, an environment which remains unique in terms of health, naturalness, productive vocations, traditions, and liveability on a human scale. The “ancient communal societies” as defined by the Jacini enquiry of the late 1800s, typical of the Marche-Umbria Apennines, amounted to a few hundred scattered throughout the Sibillini municipalities. Their founding principle, as Ugo Bellesi recalls, was the use of common prop- erty subject to individual labour and in proportion to the needs of the family. They were always managed autonomously and peacefully, man- aging to remain free communities, in spite of whoever was in power. Were these agrarian communities the last vestiges of a golden age? As lawyer Walter Massucci explains, civic usages are archaic cus- tomary rights; they fall outside the categories of real/personal or pub- lic/private rights and are not inherited but linked to one’s dwelling in a community. Officially reinstated by the emperors of the Middle Ages to counterbalance the property and powers of the feudal lords, they are so rooted in the mountain populations that they evade the laws designed to regulate and extinguish them and represent the most vivid testimony of an ancient environmental and interpersonal rela- tionship model. They represent our primordial right to exist in the world, to enjoy the products and nature of places in peace, and to have equal opportunities. Almost a transcendent normative force that calls to mind fides and fas (faith and divine law), the fideistic rules that we find, together withager publicus (public land) and res publica (public property), at the root of Roman law and religion. The Sibyl, identified by Joyce Lussu as the repository of the socio-cultural patrimony of populations genetically predisposed to socialization with the highest degree of fairness, no longer seems a merely romantic or ideologi- cal hypothesis but an inspired idea in the investigation of phenomena

89 that spontaneously stood the test of time thanks to their intrinsic vitality. THE LADY OF THE WATERS Pacifism, tolerance, and a social sense resulting from experiences and assortments that took place long ago proved to be the trump card for that central Italian civilization, which through its openness and aggregation created the most complex and enduring social organism in history. After all, the Picentes civilization, even before that of the Romans, was the The Sibillini mountain range is a vast reservoir of water of the result of a multi-ethnic encounter in the region, indirectly influenced by highest quality. Water that bubbles in the belly of the mountain; trade with the Mediterranean coasts and Danubian Europe, while main- erupts into spring pools; slips between crevices; breaks into torrents taining its own anthropological social identity. Even the Inquisition was and waterfalls; flows in rivers; lies still in mirrorlike lakes; gurgles powerless against the rights sanctioned by the people of the Goddess. in fountains; drips secretly at the bottom of ancient wells; spreads in Agrarian communities have demonstrated an inherent ability to re- transparent veils percolating from the rocks; crystallizes in glimmer- shape themselves, so much so that today’s structure has once again ing cathedrals under the moon on clear winter nights. become an admirable balance of socialism, democracy, and federalism, Blue gold, the real treasure of the twenty-first century – what oil following in the primitive footsteps of the Atiedian Brethren. was to the twentieth century – has always been a source of wealth in Pievi share the same background – “plebeian” (from populus) com- these mountains, lavishly bestowed in a display of forms and reflec- munities, earning their livelihoods from “public” properties (from tions under the disenchanted but ever respectful eye of those it has poplicus, populus) used in an equal way – then becoming the Christian accustomed to such exuberance. community and its lands, to later focus on the church and adjoining The Sibyl has been an austere guardian, in the role of priestess of presbytery, with authority over the other churches in the district. Typical divinities, inspired by the precious fluid in many ways. of central and northern Italy, they were also exported to Corsica where The temple of the waters has sustained a flourishing ecosystem they represented territorial units on a religious basis with socio-eco- where man could integrate and spread ideas about civilization. nomic functions and increasingly strong cultural connotations; until the Then came the abuses, indifference, and ingratitude, the sins of French Revolution, when many were transformed into administrative pride. The sacred place was desecrated, the spell broken. The wound- subdivisions, including several municipalities, known as cantons. ed Queen abdicated her throne, withdrawing disdainfully. A sense of identity, a yearning for freedom, and their attitude to sharing and solidarity, which remained unchanged after the social Let us, therefore, retrace the footsteps of the Sibyl, that powerful storms of the early Middle Ages, rendered the population who recog- symbol of the organic unity and versatility of the mountain region; nized themselves in the Queen of the Mountains active participants in metaphor of the relationship between man and the earth, so evocative the birth of the municipal civilization. as to have seeped into the oldest layers of European culture. The Lands of Queen Sibyl created forms of coexistence and planted Let us go in search of our roots, determined to find – in the culture seeds of civilization that have lasted three millennia: the comunanza of respect for the world around us, the conservation and renewal of agraria, primordial expression of the pagan era; the pieve, a model resources, and the preservation of values – the founding principles of with a Christian vision; the comune (municipality), a model carved out a socio-environmental balance stretching back thousands of years, from the secularization of society, from the relics of earlier ones. In the which can cement the foundations of new rules necessary for the sur- fourth epoch ab urbe condita, in those same districts the social para- vival, well-being, and progress of modern communities. digm dictates that revisiting the past in the light of scientific, cultur- al, and economic advances would allow for the continuous growth of healthy food and life styles and a renewed respect for the environment.

90 91 APPENDIX

93 THE MEDITERRANEAN DIET AND DISEASE PREVENTION

Primary prevention – the set of rules that serve to maintain good health – finds an important ally in the Mediterranean diet. Fidanza elaborated, on the basis of the research carried out in Nic- otera in the 1960s, a daily chart which called for: 465 g cereals; 43 g legumes; 46 g fish; 309 g vegetables; 42 g virgin olive oil; 104 g fruit; 294 ml wine; 12 g cheese; 47 g meat; 21 g eggs [of course these were average daily standardized amounts based on weekly consump- tion]. Put simply, he recommended eating «meat no more than twice a week, preferably backyard poultry, skimmed milk, low-fat cheese, no more than eighty grams a day of pasta, as for fish tuna is fine, your fill of vegetables and fruit, olive oil» and engaging in at least «fifty minutes of physical activity a day». The Italian Society of Human Nutrition (SINU) periodically up- dates the so-called LARN levels of recommended nutrient intake (daily) divided by age, weight, and gender. Given that the proportions of macronutrients have been defined as the percentages of energy obtainable from 45-60% carbohydrates, 20-30% lipids, and 10-15% proteins (with a range of variability depending on various factors), the quantitative standards (defined to understand the quantities of a specific food implicit in the concept of “portion”), updated in 2014, and referring to raw food excluding waste, are the following:

95 milk 125 ml The following is a possible plan for subdividing food portions yogurt 125 g throughout the day [based on typical Italian meal structures], in a fresh cheese 100 g basic format that does not depend on cooking methods and does not mature cheese 50 g consider tastes, intolerances, diseases, physical structure, intense ac- eggs 50 g tivity, work commitments, particular physiological states [for weekly fresh or frozen meat 100 g frequency, refer to the 2010 edition of the Food Pyramid published preserved meat 50 g by the FDM]: fresh or frozen fish 150 g preserved fish 50 g Breakfast milk or yogurt coffee or tea bread 50 g honey or sugar bread substitutes 30 g sweetened pastry cereals 80 g potatoes 200 g Snack fruit fresh legumes 150 g Lunch cereals dried legumes 50 g legumes and/or cheese and/or eggs bread or substitutes or potatoes vegetable 200 g vegetables herbs and spices fresh fruit 150 g oil dried fruit 30 g non-alcoholic drink and/or wine or beer nuts 30 g dessert nuts oil 10 ml coffee butter 10 g honey or sugar non-alcoholic drinks 200-330 ml Snack yogurt or tea and biscuits or herbal tea or fruit tea 250 ml coffee 30-50 ml Supper meat or fish wine 125 ml bread or substitutes beer 330 ml vegetables alcoholic aperitifs 75 ml herbs and spices spirits 40 ml oil fruit sugar 5 g non-alcoholic drink and/or wine or beer honey, jam 20 g dessert 100 g * Plenty of water sweetened pastries 30-50 g * Liqueurs as an occasional substitute for wine or beer (in equiva- lent amount)

96 97 The Mediterranean diet, however, is also used in secondary pre- * legumes should often be used to replace meat, fish, and their derivatives; vention (that is, in the framework of activities that prevent the aggra- * potatoes may occasionally replace cereals; vation or complication of diseases that have already occurred). * fruit can be fresh or preserved with a little sugar, avoiding in- What follows are some outline schemes, by way of example – stead fruit that is very sweet, dried, floury, or in syrup; oily nuts or which must always be personalized through consultation with your shell fruit should be calculated as part of the fat portion; doctor or nutrition specialist, taking into account age, sex, consti- * alcoholic, sweetened, or carbonated drinks are to be avoided; a tution, activity, sports, pregnancy, and so on, as well as the stage of glass of wine is permitted; the existing disease and any concomitant illnesses, intolerances, or * eliminate portions of desserts and sweets (except in the of case of ongoing therapies etc. intense physical activity); In practice, these are measures that do not overturn the general * use honey as a sweetener. principles already expressed in the Mediterranean diet, rather they Other tips: underline the extreme adaptability of this way of eating (which we do 1) have main meals at fixed times, but eat at least five times dur- not find in any alternative diet). ing the day; 2) take pauses during your meals or take more than twenty min- To begin with, let us look at a generic example of the Mediterrane- utes to eat; an diet in a HYPOCALORIC VERSION, aimed at slow and gradual 3) snack on fruits, vegetables, and fluids to break hunger; weight loss (which must not exceed 10% of the starting weight and 4) engage in motor activity (subject to medical supervision); in any case 3-4 kg per month) in order that the body’s adipose tissue 5) reduce the use of salt; can adapt, without reducing lean mass, and with no harmful side 6) fatty condiments can be reduced through cooking methods (in effects, while at the same time adopting the principles of proper nu- the oven, grilling, spit roasting, simmering, steaming, baking in foil, trition that will be fundamental in the subsequent maintenance diet. pressure cooking) adding raw oil or using only spices, herbs, lemon, It is reiterated that the specific diet should be prescribed by a doctor, vinegar, tomatoes, or truffles; taking into account the characteristics and possible pathologies of 7) check liver and thyroid function; the individual: 8) regulate the menstrual cycle; * drink plenty of still, low mineral content water, without food or 9) normalize the intestine; before meals; 10) monitor the effects of the diet through blood tests and measure- * chose lean, fresh or frozen meat; remove visible fat; avoid meat ment of weight, fat and lean mass, and hydration. In general it is con- broths, offal, skin, marrowbone, fatty meats; sidered that, compared to current habits (except in special cases): the * fish should be eaten two or three times a week, choosing the consumption of fruit, vegetables, legumes, fish, skimmed milk and lowest in fat, fresh or frozen; yogurt, and water should be encouraged; the consumption of animal * cheese should be limited to once or twice a week, choosing soft fats, meat, eggs, cheeses, cooking salt, sweets, and alcoholic bever- fresh varieties, and avoiding or reducing dried ones; ages should be reduced; the consumption of vegetable oils (olive oil * milk and yogurt should be partially or totally skimmed; is best) and whole grains should be continued; refined and industrial * eggs should be used completely without or with very little seasoning; alternatives should be avoided. * fats, preferably vegetable, in condiments should be adequate but In addition: lay the table with strictly necessary table settings; eat not eliminated entirely; only when sitting at the table; do not do anything else while eating, * spices can be used as desired; except for holding a convivial conversation; put down your cutlery * cereals (bread, pasta, rice, corn, barley, oats, etc.) should be eaten as soon as you take a bite, picking it up again only after swallowing; in moderation, preferably wholemeal, seasoned simply (oil + vegeta- cut food into very small pieces; use small plates and spread out the bles + spices), excluding fatty, sweet, or salty dressings; food; chew for a long time; get up from the table as soon as you fin- * eat plenty of vegetables but at the beginning of the meal; ish eating; remove leftovers immediately; do not keep chocolates at home; get enough sleep.

98 99 A helpful trick to help curb the sensation of hunger, without dis- Further important advice: eat slowly, taking small bites, chewing turbing the naturalness of the diet, is to reverse the classical order of well (to keep the chewing apparatus in shape); avoid foods that are food intake, starting with water and fruit, moving onto the vegetable either too hot or too cold; cook foods well and over a low heat; rec- course, then the so-called “second course” (typically meat or fish in ommended cooking methods are in the oven, grilled, spit roasted, Italy), ending with ... the “first course” (typically pasta or rice in Italy). steamed, simmered, pressure cooked; use olive oil for cooking (if you prefer seed oils, peanut, corn, or sunflower are recommended, For those with DIGESTIVE PROBLEMS, some tricks are useful using fresh oil every time you cook, and never heating beyond the to improve the digestibility of foods. smoke point); avoid physical or mental exertion before 2-3 hours af- Meat should be lean, white, from young animals, aged, well- ter the end of meals. cooked but not over-cooked (boiled, prime meat is best, not ground or minced). For those suffering from DIABETES divide food into 5 or 6 Fish is more digestible than meat (especially lean, boiled); as are meals per day. crustaceans; molluscs, on the other hand, take a long time to digest. Avoid: large meals; sugar, sweets; fatty meats; oily fish, molluscs Milk should be mixed (with barley, bread, biscuits, etc.), skimmed, and crustaceans; whole milk, full-fat cheeses; butter, lard, mayon- drunk in small sips (boiled or lactose-free, if not tolerated). naise, margarine; cream; fried, stewed, or roasted foods; sugary dried The most easily digestible cheese is low-fat or hard dry, not fer- fruit (raisins, dried figs, etc.); spirits. mented, and should be well-chewed. Eggs are more easily digestible Use in moderation: eggs (no more than twice a week); low-fat when soft-boiled or poached. cheeses (no more than twice a week); fresh sweet fruit (grapes, figs, Condiments: oil and butter are preferable raw and in moderate persimmons, bananas, etc.); white bread; potatoes; cereals; coffee, quantities; animal fats are not recommended; herbs and spices are tea, and wine. Reduce cooking salt. permitted such as basil, bay leaves, mint, oregano, parsley, rosemary, Recommended: legumes and vegetables; fresh fruit that is low in sage, thyme, while cinnamon, capers, cloves, nutmeg, pepper, chilli sugar or with a low glycaemic index (pears, apples, cherries, etc.); pepper, and mustard are not recommended. wholemeal bread; skimmed milk or yogurt; lean meats; lean fish; ol- Salt, vinegar, and lemon should be used in moderation. ive oil and seed oils; herbs, spices, vinegar, lemon juice; bran. Vegetables are better cooked (boiled), pureed, not spicy (avoiding To lower the glycaemic index, it is recommended that one eats garlic, asparagus, beets, cabbage, cucumber, onions, fennel, peppers, fresh foods, less mature fruits, and wholemeal, less cooked, more celery, and spinach). compact carbohydrates, eaten together with fats and proteins, en- Potatoes are more digestible pureed or boiled. riched with acidic condiments (vinegar, lemon). Legumes should be cooked for a long time, after being soaked in- In addition: do not smoke; reduce excess body weight; take reg- water, which should be changed during cooking and with the addition ular exercise. of bicarbonate, pureed or mashed (only after being cooked), eaten in small gradually increasing amounts. In the presence of MIXED DYSLIPIDAEMIA (increase in both Fruit should be fresh, well-ripened (better still, cooked or blended). cholesterol and triglycerides) do as follows. The most digestible bread is white, with little crumb, well cooked, Avoid: large meals; animal fats; fatty meats, liver, brains, offal, stale, toasted or rusks. game, red meat; salted codfish, molluscs, crustaceans, caviar; whole Pasta is easily digestible, especially if thin, preferably lightly milk, full-fat cheeses; butter, lard, mayonnaise, margarine; fried, dressed and cooked al dente. stewed, roasted foods; eggs; chocolate, pastries, ice cream, custard Desserts are quickly absorbed if they are low in fat (but they may cream, cream; sugar, sweets; bananas, figs, grapes, persimmons, sug- provoke stomach grumbling, diarrhoea, or abdominal pain). ary dried fruit, fruit in syrup; alcohol; strong coffee or tea. Drink plenty of water, except for during meals. Drink still or slight- Use: wholemeal bread; pasta or rice (in limited quantities), with ly sparkling, bicarbonate-alkaline water, rather than any other drinks. oil and tomatoes; vegetable broth; lean meats; fish; low-fat milk and

100 101 yogurt, low-fat cheeses (no more than twice a week); vegetables; leg- broth; olive oil; lean meats; lean fish; low-fat milk and yogurt; lowfat umes; potatoes; fresh fruit with a low sugar content; oily dried fruit cheeses (in any case no more than twice a week); vegetables; leg- (in limited quantities); light tea or coffee, unsweetened drinks; bran; umes; potatoes; ripe fresh fruit; sugars, honey, jam, fat-free sweets; garlic, onion, red pepper; olive oil or seed oils. non-carbonated water, light tea. Choose raw food whenever possible, or cook foods that are grilled, Cook by grilling, steaming, or simmering. Season with olive oil, spit roasted, baked in foil, simmered, steamed, or pressure cooked, tomato sauce, lemon. adding raw seasonings. Do not smoke. Reduce body weight. Engage Do not smoke. in physical activity. In the presence of abdominal disorders, also limit legumes; beets, broccoli, artichokes, cabbage, mushrooms, aubergines, peppers, tur- For those suffering from HYPERCHOLESTEROLEMIA without nips, radicchio, radishes; chestnuts, coconut, avocados. increased levels of triglycerides, the diet is similar, however, larger Drastically reduce cooking salt in cases of cirrhosis. quantities of bread and cereals, low-fat sweets, vegetable fats, and fruit are allowed, as well as a glass of wine at mealtimes (but all in For those with SYSTEMIC ARTERIAL HYPERTENSION. doses that do not encourage weight gain). Avoid: cooking salt, citrate or sodium bicarbonate; large meals; condiments, sauces, stock cubes, butter, margarine; alcohol; coffee, During acute attacks of GOUTY ARTHROPATHY alcoholic bev- chocolate, Coca-Cola, fizzy drinks; liquorice; salted meats, canned erages are eliminated, as is red meat; urine is alkalized (especially meats; salted bread; pickled foods; fatty meats, offal; animal fats through fruit and vegetables); drink plenty of water; fasting, on the (butter, lard, creams); preserved fish, molluscs, crustaceans; full- other hand, is to be avoided! fat, matured, fermented, or strong-flavoured cheeses; high-fat des- During periods of interval gout, the following should be limited serts; whole milk; full-fat yogurt, cream, or ice cream; fried eggs; or avoided: wine, beer, sparkling wines, spirits; large, rich meals; fried, stewed, or roasted foods; corn flakes, crisps, crackers, savoury oily fish, canned fish, trout, cod, pike, herring, molluscs, crustaceans; snacks; canned vegetables and fruit, pickles, capers, sauerkraut. excessive meat, especially fatty and/or red meat, dried or salted or Use above all: olive or seed oil; veal, chicken, rabbit; fresh or fro- preserved meat, meat extracts or concentrates, offal. zen fish; rice, pasta, polenta; unsalted bread; fresh fruit; vegetables, Use in moderation: mushrooms, aubergines, tomatoes, celery, garlic; legumes; potatoes; honey, fat-free desserts; skimmed milk or spinach, beets, asparagus, cabbage, turnips; legumes; dried fruit; per- yogurt; ricotta, mozzarella, fresh cheeses; low mineral content water. simmons, figs, bananas, grapes, dates; honey. Engage in moderate (isotonic) exercise such as walking, swim- Recommended: milk and low-fat dairy products; eggs; vegetables; ming, cycling on flat terrain. Reduce body weight. Do not smoke. potatoes; fruit; bread, pasta, rice; sweets (fat-free and without cocoa); Get enough sleep and relax. raw olive oil; lean meat; lean fish. Pay attention to medication (consult your doctor); colds, cough- Drink plenty of water (low/medium mineral content and alkaline). ing, sneezing; intense (isometric) exercise or sports; anger or frights; Engage in moderate physical activity; reduce body weight. physical or psychological stress.

DISEASES of the LIVER obviously benefit from the appropriate EARLY STAGE KIDNEY DISEASE can benefit from the follow- Mediterranean diet. ing dietary suggestions (always consult your doctor). Avoid: alcohol (totally); large meals; animal fats; elaborate pasta Avoid: cooking salt, citrate or sodium bicarbonate, baking powder, dishes; fatty meats; oily fish, molluscs, crustaceans; fermented and salted condiments, sauces, nuts; chocolate, Coca-Cola, carbonated full-fat cheeses; fried foods, stews, condiments, sauces, meat ex- drinks; salted meats, canned meats; salted bread; pickled foods; fatty tracts; butter, lard, mayonnaise; eggs; chocolate, pastries, ice cream, meats, offal; preserved fish, molluscs, crustaceans; cheeses, whole cream, custard cream; dried and oily fruit; coffee, tea. milk, yogurt; full-fat desserts and ice cream; fried, stewed, or roasted Use: toast, rusks; pasta or rice, with raw oil or tomatoes; vegetable foods; corn flakes, crisps, crackers, savoury snacks.

102 103 Use in moderation: meat; fish; eggs; wine. mented cheeses; fried eggs; pork, lamb, or game; fried or fatty foods, Permitted: olive or seed oil, butter; rice, pasta, polenta; unsalt- gravies, sauces, spices; vegetables; legumes; dried fruit, persimmons, ed bread, biscuits, rusks; fresh fruit; fresh vegetables; legumes; strawberries, blackberries, plums, grapes, fruit with peel; full-fat des- potatoes; refined sugar, honey, fat-free desserts; skimmed milk; serts, ice creams; foods that are too hot or cold. ricotta, mozzarella. You may use instead: liquids (as above); white rice, thin pasta, sem- Drink still low mineral content water. Keep cholesterol level under olina, thin soups; raw oil; grilled lean white meat; boiled or grilled control. Avoid rapid weight loss. Do not smoke. fish; ricotta, mozzarella, parmesan, melted cheese; boiled potatoes; In more advanced stages, the diet involves far more complex re- stale or toasted bread, breadsticks, biscuits; honey, fat-free desserts; strictions and supplements, under strict medical supervision, as a re- fresh ripe fruit. sult of continuous clinical monitoring. For those suffering from CONSTIPATION because of LAZY For those suffering from LOWER URINEARY TRACT INFECTIONS. BOWEL SYNDROME. Avoid: large meals; beer, wine, spirits; strong tea and coffee; car- Drink plenty of water (magnesium-rich mineral water is best), on bonated soft drinks, bicarbonate or sodium citrate; animal fats; cured an empty stomach and not with meals. meats, game; salted, smoked, canned, or pickled foods; salt, vinegar; Eat: wholemeal pasta and bread; vegetable soups and broths; veg- spices and spicy sauces; spicy or high-fat condiments; molluscs; ma- etables; legumes; ripe fruit (grapes, figs, persimmons, plums, dates, ture, fermented, strong-flavoured, and full-fat cheeses; fried foods, oranges, blackberries), cooked fruit; lean meat and fish; low-fat milk sauces; garlic, onions, aubergines, peppers, radishes, truffles; cocoa, and yogurt (except in cases of intolerance); unrefined sugars, honey, full-fat desserts. jam; bran or other sources of fibre; olive oil; herbal teas. Use in moderation: pasta with cheese and tomato; roasted white Avoid: alcohol; fat; overly refined foods; rice, parmesan, carrots; meat; lean ham; bland sauces; tomatoes; grated cheese; citrus fruits, unripe fruit; lemons, bananas, apples; carrots. bananas, chestnuts. Try to have a bowel movement every day, at the same time, after breakfast. Recommended: toasted bread, wholemeal breadsticks, whole Engage in physical activity and strengthen the abdominal muscles. grains, bran, pasta or rice seasoned with raw oil or butter; vegeta- ble broths; olive or seed oil, margarine, fresh butter; lean and white In cases of SPASTIC CONSTIPATION, in addition to the advice giv- meats; lean fish; low-fat milk, yogurt, and cheeses; eggs (not fried); en above, reduce emotional stress, exclude spicy foods, fermented chees- vegetables; legumes; potatoes; ripe fresh fruit; honey; non-alcoholic es, legumes, onions, garlic, cabbage, chilli pepper, celery, unripe fruits, drinks and non-carbonated water. melon, carbonated drinks, coffee, foods that are too hot or too cold. In addition: do not smoke; maintain regular bowel movements; drink plenty of water (1-2 litres a day); do not wear clothing that is For HEADACHE or MIGRAINE sufferers, limit and if need be, too tight in the groin; suspend sexual relations (until after recovery). avoid: red wine, beer, alcohol in general; carbonated or fermented drinks; mature fermented cheeses; milk; eggs; mayonnaise, custard In the acute phase of ENTERITES with DIARRHOEA, it is better cream, cream, ice cream; stock cube broth; processed meat (aged, to observe one or two days of semi-fasting, limiting oneself to drinking smoked, processed, canned, cured, tenderized); game, sausage, ba- as much non-carbonated water as desired and possibly a hydroelectro- con, liver; salted or dried fish, or fish in oil, or with additives; mol- lytic solution (one litre of water, four tablespoons of sugar, a teaspoon luscs; herbs and spices; legumes; onions, garlic; olives, tomatoes, of salt, and the juice of two citrus fruits) in addition to taking light cabbage, spinach, sauerkraut, aubergines; citrus fruits, bananas, sweetened tea with lemon, vegetable broth with carrots, diluted orange plums, avocados, figs, raisins; chocolate, hazelnuts; yeast, soy sauce; juice, non-carbonated citrus drinks, or an apple and banana smoothie. foods preserved with or containing: nitrates, nitrites, tyramine, so- Over subsequent days the following should be excluded: coffee, dium glutamate (Chinese cuisine); excessive sugars, sweets, jams; alcohol, cocoa; wholemeal bread, bread with dense crumb; milk, fer- coffee, smoking.

104 105 Recommended: toasted white bread, crackers, oat flakes, pasta, laryngitis (persistent hoarseness), chronic bronchitis (chronic catarrhal rice; fresh or frozen meat and fish; soft fresh cheese; olive or seed cough), rapid weight loss without explanation, prolonged fatigue, per- oil; vegetables; fruit; desserts without chocolate. sistent temperature, oedema, nosebleeds or blood in mucus from the Check for any food allergies. Avoid fasting. Monitor any medi- respiratory tract; undergo Pap smears, rectal explorations, faecal and cines taken. Reduce mental or physical stress. urinary occult blood tests, carry out breast or testicular self-examina- tions. Avoid the pollution of big cities as much as possible. In terms of SKIN PROTECTION, the benefits of the Mediterrane- Health monitoring and training and information initiatives are the an diet are clearly visible. best protection against exposure risks for an increasing number of po- Indeed, the following are recommended: plenty of water; whole- tential carcinogens in the workplace. meal bread and pasta; low-fat milk and cheeses; white meat; fish; olive oil; vegetables; legumes; potatoes; fruit; fibre. It is important to be aware of VITAMIN FOOD SOURCES, bear- Eliminate instead: coffee, chocolate; alcohol; animal fats; red ing in mind the greater bioavailability of substances when they are in meat; fried foods; foods that alter cholesterol levels and affect the their natural state and by contrast, the well- and lesser-known chem- liver; allergenic foods. ical residues that contaminate biomolecules that are extracted or cre- In addition: get enough sleep; do not smoke; ensure regular bow- ated artificially. el movements; engage in physical activity; spend time outdoors in Vit. B1: cereals (germ and bran); yeast; peanuts, walnuts, hazelnuts; healthy areas; humidify and change the air indoors; maintain a con- legumes; liver, kidney, heart, ham; egg yolk. stant body weight; pay attention to allergies; check moles and chron- Vit. B2: liver, kidney; milk, cheese, egg yolk; yeast; chicory, aspar- ic skin lesions; avoid absurd slimming diets, stress, anything other agus, spinach, mushrooms; almonds, hazelnuts, chestnuts. than strictly necessary creams, excessive exposure to ultraviolet rays, Vit. B6: liver, kidney, stewing steak, tuna, mackerel, anchovies; egg and irritants in general. yolk; whole grains; yeast; bananas. Vit. B12: liver, kidney, heart; oysters, herrings, mackerel. The PREVENTION of TUMOURS of the colon, prostate, breasts, Vit. B7: liver; egg yolk; yeast; carrots, lettuce; royal jelly. endometrium, pancreas, urogenital apparatus, and lungs has been Vit. B5: liver, kidney; egg; fresh vegetables; yeast; royal jelly. demonstrated through the consumption of vegetables, fresh fruit and Vit. B3: yeast; liver, muscles; egg; whole grains. nuts, olive oil, cereals, potatoes, dairy products, white meat or meat Vit. Bc (folic acid): liver, kidneys. with unsaturated fat content, and fish, while limiting the intake of eggs Vit. C: citrus fruits, strawberries, currants, chestnuts; broccoli, chil- and red meat, meat from unregulated sources, refined sugars, animal li peppers, cabbage, spinach; liver. fats, industrially preserved, smoked, or charred foods, and alcohol. Vit. A: carrots, spinach, tomatoes; melons, apricots, persimmons, But there are other very important rules: do not smoke; limit expo- peaches; liver of animals and fish; egg yolk, cheeses; butter, cream. sure to sunlight; avoid x-rays and CAT scans other than when strictly Vit. D: liver, kidney; milk, cheese. necessary; be aware of oestrogens (found in the contraceptive pill Vit. E: wheat germ; hazelnuts, almonds; vegetable oils. and meat from unregulated sources), anabolic steroids, nitrites and Vit. K: vegetables (spinach, cabbage). nitrates (in preserved meat), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (from Vit. F (mixtures of unsaturated fatty acids): vegetable oils; fish. incorrect cooking), heterocyclic amines (in over-cooked meat and fish), acrylamide (caused by high temperature frying and roasting), At the top of the FIBRE content table we find bran, which contains benzene (from petroleum derivatives), asbestos (from Eternit or fibre as much as 30-40%. This is followed by the group containing 6-9%: cement); check polyps, cysts, chronic skin ulcers (especially on the dried legumes; peanuts, hazelnuts, almonds, coconuts; chestnuts, face), enlarged glands, thyroid goitre, urinary disorders, white spots blackcurrants; dried fruit; black truffles; dried dates; pearl barley, oat in the mouth, gastric ulcer or atrophic gastritis (gastric pain and dys- flakes, cereal seeds; whole grains. Then the foods that contain 3-5%: pepsia), ulcerative colitis (diarrhoea with traces of blood), chronic fresh legumes; green beans; rye bread; walnuts, avocados, raspberries,

106 107 blueberries, blackberries, red currants; mushrooms; parsley, celery, NATURALLY HARMFUL ELEMENTS IN FOOD broccoli, cabbage, carrots, onions, artichokes. Then those with 2% fibre content: vegetables, potatoes, and fresh fruit.

Finally, an approximate distinction should be made between LEAN and FATTY elements within foods groups. The naturalness of food is not a guarantee in itself of the absence Lean meats: breast and sirloin; chicken, rabbit, lean pork, young cattle, game, pigeon, kid meat, horse, guinea-fowl. of harmful or toxic substances. Fatty meat: brains, offal, skin, marrow, spare ribs, hamburgers, Given that the quantity of the toxic ingredient found in our food cured meats, meat broths; fatty pork, turkey, hen, quail, lamb, hog- and actually ingested at the time of eating is decisive, the cultural get, mutton, adult cattle, duck, goose. experience accumulated over thousands of years by populations re- Lean fish: cod, sea bass, sea bream, grouper, sole, plaice, brill, mains fundamental. Modern science, however, has identified more ray, tench, lobster, dogfish, trout, pike, stockfish, salted cod fish, nuanced and complex correlations, which should be taken into ac- molluscs, crustaceans. count without traditionalist or philosophical fanaticism. Oily fish: eel, salmon, tuna, mackerel, herring, caviar, red mul- Let us quickly list some well and lesser known examples. let, carp, sturgeon, swordfish, grey mullet, sardine, big-scale sand The antitrypsins contained in egg white, milk, and legumes reduce smelt, bonito. their digestibility. Their thermolability, however, allows for this prob- Low-fat cheeses: mozzarella, scamorza, certosino, Dolce Verde, lem to be simply solved through cooking. fior di latte, crescenza, low-fat Camembert, Grana, ricotta, stracchi- no, fontina, caciotta, Quartirolo, processed cheese. Cabbage, soy, and garlic contain glucosides that fix iodine reducing Full-fat cheeses: mascarpone, provolone, pecorino, Bitto, Roque- its uptake by the thyroid. The once common goitre can nowadays be fort, Gervais, Gruyère, Parmigiano-Reggiano, caciocavallo, robiola, prevented by halogen supplementation. Emmental, cream, custard cream. The toxicity of peach, plum, apricot, cherry, and bitter almond ker- Eggs: egg whites are low in fat while yolks are high in fat. nels is widely known. This is due to the hydrogen cyanide (prussic Vegetables are mostly low in fat, like cereals, potatoes, fruit, veg- acid) released by glucosides, which besides having an antithyroid ef- etables, legumes; while nuts, olives, oil bread, breadsticks, crackers, fect, above all, may cause anoxemia. biscuits, panettone, ice cream, cakes, and pastries are fatty. Oxalic acid, found in potatoes, cocoa, spinach, and rhubarb, lowers calcium levels in food by making it less absorbable. Supplements can All of the above suggestions and data should be considered in be taken to reintroduce calcium, but the risk of kidney stones must be generic terms and are presented with the sole purpose of encour- taken into account. aging interest, reflection, and debate in the field of nutrition. Their practical application should always be in correlation with continu- Phytic acid, present in cereals (particularly wholegrain), and in leg- ous scientific updates and the specific physiopathological state of umes, binds with calcium, iron, zinc, and magnesium, reducing their the individual, and for that reason, in accordance with doctors and bioavailability. specialists in this field. Thiaminase, which destroys vitamin B1, is found in offal and meat. Ascorbic acid oxidase, found in courgettes, cucumbers, melons, cabbage, carrots, and apples, modifies vitamin C. Egg white contains antibiotin but is destroyed by boiling. Solanine is an alkaloid found in potatoes, which becomes danger- ous when it increases in quantity due to parasitic infection or the ex-

108 109 posure of the tuber to light. At that point it interferes with nerve con- as: irritation of the gastrointestinal mucosa (all mushrooms are intrin- duction and appears to exert a teratogenic effect on the human foetus. sically difficult to digestible, and while Seneca may have exaggerated Coniine is the alkaloid contained in the infamous hemlock (dan- when he claimed that «any mushroom is poisonous», one should avoid gerous if it is confused with parsley), which causes death by paralysis feeding them to children); the parasympathomimetic effects (pain, of the respiratory muscles. vomiting, diarrhoea, hypersecretions) of muscarine found in the Clit- Other familiar alkaloids are the xanthines (caffeine, theobromine, ocybe species; panterinic syndrome (vertigo, agitation, hallucinations) theophylline) present in a variety of exotic plants (coffee, cocoa, caused by muscimol and ibotenic acid found in the Amanita muscaria tea), which stimulate the nervous system in a positive or sometimes and pantherine species; the hallucinogenic effects of the genus Psilo- negative way. cybe; a cardiovascular response similar to the reaction to disulfiram Liquorice contains glycyrrhizin, which at medium to high doses (tachycardia, redness, sweating) due to the accumulation of ethanol causes hypertension, hydroelectrolytic retention, hypocalcemia, and and acetaldehyde induced by the compound coprine found in the ge- even myopathy. nus Coprinopsis atramentaria; the carcinogenic effects of hydrazine Parsley, celery, figs, and bergamot contain furocoumarin that can found in the Gyromitra esculenta fungus; acute liver failure induced cause photosensitization. by the amatoxins in the Amanita phalloides fungus; the nephrotoxicity Safrole, which is found in saffron, nutmeg, and cinnamon, has been of orellanine in the Cortinarius genus. discovered to be toxic in animals, but only in unnatural doses. Remaining in the mycological field, it pays to keep in mind both Estragole, a hepatocarcinogen, is found in tarragon and in essential possible allergies or intolerances to mushrooms and their power to oils made from anise and fennel. absorb and concentrate any toxic substances present in the soil (met- Many plants are rich in substances with an estrogenic effect. als, radioactive isotopes, and so forth). Moreover, in recent decades, Beans and soy contain lecithin, a phytohaemagglutinin capable of some unsuspected syndromes have been identified that are all the agglutinating erythrocytes in vitro (but not in vivo). more dangerous for having been caused by mushrooms previously Tyramine found in cheese, red wines, soy sauce, cocoa, fish, and considered edible. Among these, Tricholoma equestre, appreciated bananas, can cause acute hypertension and migraine by releasing cat- since ancient times, which in 2000 caused several cases of rhabdo- echolamines and serotonin, especially if consumed at the same time myolysis (muscular lesions) in France. While it remains uncertain as monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs). whether it was a case of toxic accumulation due to excessive use or a A diet based almost entirely on peas, broad beans, and vetches, mycotoxin from a contaminant mould, Italy has also banned its sale without discarding cooking water, would cause Lathyrism (muscular as a precautionary measure. Acromelalgia syndrome (with severe paralysis, tremors, skeletal changes). pain in the feet and hands and a long recovery period) is caused by The fresh broad or fava bean and even its pollen cause the destruction an Eastern species of the genus Clitocybe, yet in 1996 it was reported of red blood cells in individuals with glucose-6-phosphate dehydroge- in France and in 2002 in Italy. Sichuan syndrome is a haemorrhagic nase deficiency (favism).Pitagora docet! [TN: even the mathematician disease discovered only in 1980, caused by a fungus that grows in Pythagoras advised his followers to abstain from eating fava beans and the homonymous area of China and is frequently used in the local went so far as to prevent them from crossing fava bean fields] traditional cuisine. Finally, allenic-norleucine syndrome was first re- The flavones found in orange, mandarin, and grapefruit peel are ported in France in 1994 in the form of acute renal failure (fortunately highly poisonous. reversible) caused by the ingestion of Amanita proxima (a member of The entire oleander plant is cardio-entero-neurotoxic. the ovoidea species). The harmful effects of mushrooms cover a range of ailments such

110 111 Among the natural contaminants of food – putting aside “rye er- it to become rancid. Preparation hygiene, high temperatures, pH lev- got fungus” (the parasitic rye fungus Claviceps purpurea, whose els below 4.5, proper salting, autoclaving or industrial sterilization alkaloids caused hallucinations, convulsions, lethal gangrene... are the best preventive measures. Honey, where botulinum spores can nowadays an entry in the pharmacopoeia annals) – attention should be found precisely because of how it is created, deserves a particular be given to moulds producing aflatoxins, the Anisakis parasite, and mention. If the spores reach the intestine of a newborn baby, which Bacillus botulinus. has not yet developed sufficient natural defences, their bacilliform Aflatoxins are mycotoxins that are harmful to the liver, kidneys, state can, albeit only rarely, become reactivated and produce the toxin and the nervous system. They are teratogenic and carcinogenic and that leads to paediatric botulism. are produced by contaminating moulds in grains, maize, peanuts, and Many polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are carcinogenic and are oil seeds. Above all, the large quantities of imported products are of found in plant products grown in industrial areas and in marine organ- major concern because of the varying degrees of leniency regarding isms in areas polluted by petroleum products. They are also formed controls in the exporting countries. The danger can be avoided, but during severe heat treatments of foods rich in lipids, especially if they only by searching for these and other mycotoxins by means of specific come into contact with the flame, as well as being a consequence of analysis of dosage levels and compliance with specific standards re- smoking foods. Mutagenic and carcinogenic activity is also carried lated to Italian consumption, which are often underestimated abroad. out by heterocyclic amines or substances that develop from cooking The eating of raw fish (uncommon in Italian culture) entails the meat or fish. Mutagenic/carcinogenic substances are mainly formed risk of contracting Anisakis, a parasite which immediately causes during roasting or grilling foods. But even exceeding the smoke point gastroenteritis and subsequently a chronic and ulcerative inflamma- when frying or cooking at too high a temperature causing vegetable tion of the intestine, strong allergic reactions, and sometimes coloni- foods (potatoes, coffee, cereals) to become overly browned could be zation of the liver, spleen, pancreas, blood vessels, and myocardium. considered dangerous methods as they produce carcinogenic acryla- Anisakiasis can only be prevented by cooking or freezing (storage for mide. The practical impossibility of avoiding and eliminating these at least seven days at -20°/-21°C). substances totally, even after putting into place all the precaution- For foods preserved in traditional natural ways, the risk of botu- ary measures imaginable, makes it essential to counterbalance them lism should always be taken into account. Botulinum spores are re- through the introduction of protective principles, which are found in sistant to heating at 100°C and when they are found in an oxygen-free plentiful supply in the traditional Mediterranean diet. environment, at suitable temperatures, with a pH level greater than Not to be neglected are the numerous strains of food-borne and in- 4.5, in the absence of antiseptics, and in isotonic osmotic conditions, fectious gastroenteritis (more or less serious) caused by a whole series they will germinate and begin to produce the highly potent botu- of other microorganisms, as a result of flaws in production, storage, linum toxin. This induces a progressive flaccid paralysis beginning or usage of food. with strabismus and palpebral ptosis, descending downwards from the mouth, neck, arms, thorax, and abdomen, to the bladder. Treat- Already from this brief toxicological survey, it is evident why to- ment is based on the administration of the relative antitoxin, with day it is no longer possible to use homemade albeit traditional meth- probability of success proportional to the speed of diagnosis. If food ods of production and conservation, because of the safety standards, is cooked again before consumption (for example, in the case of to- methodology, results, and traceability required for wider public con- mato preserves) the risk disappears because the toxin, unlike the sumption. On the other hand, it is clear that faceless manufactur- spores, is thermolabile. However, the appearance, smell, and colour ers, long chains, complex manipulation, transgenic foods, reduced of preserved food are not indicative because only a few strains cause biodiversity, unnatural breeding, chemical-physical or biological

112 113 alterations and contaminations, international transportation, byzan- tine legislation, eco-and agro-mafias, counterfeit products, and food fads, are creating increasingly serious health risks and sustainability problems. A happy medium should be sought in the controllability of short supply chains, in a greater awareness of local typical prod- ucts, in a willingness to adapt our diet to the seasons, in encouraging the preservation of foods through physical (hot or cold) means rather than chemical contaminants, in the guarantees provided by Denomi- nation of Origin and Protected Geographical Indication certification, in directing our attention towards genuine biological products, in choosing healthy production areas, in the valorisation of the tradi- tion, culture, and history behind the products on the market, and in the recovery of a healthy way of life. All aspects in which Italy, and the Marche region in particular, can play a leading role.

The Seven Countries Study and subsequent investigations direct- ly connected to it, put the scientific seal of approval on the Mediter- ranean lifestyle and unleashed an enormous amount of research that continues to substantially confirm their conclusions (and in so do- ing, clearly and resoundingly differentiating the Mediterranean diet from any other human dietary and behavioural model). Moreover, by also highlighting occasional critical elements, they have helped to perfect its structure.

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118 119 SITOGRAPHY

www.academiabarilla.com www.aditalia.net www.agrimarche.it www.amint.it www.ansa.it www.barillacfn.com www.coreras.it www.dietamed.org www.dietamediterranea.com www.dietamediterraneaitalia.it www.docenti.lett.unisi.it www.fao.org www.ilgustodellavita.info www.isprambiente.gov.it www.laboratoriodietamediterranea.it www.nicoterranea.files.wordpress.com www.sevencountriesstudy.com www.unesco.org/culture

121 LANDO SILIQUINI was born in Montefortino. He has maintained strong ties with the physical and socio-cultural environment of the Sibillini moun- tains thanks to his medical practice in Amandola, where he is Doctor of General Medicine, specializing in Hygiene and Preventive Medicine, and through his work in local administration as Mayor of Montefortino from 1985 to 1995, and then as a member of the National Park Authority. He was a Provincial Councillor and President of ATO 5 Marche (the local authority water board). He held the position of Mayor again from 2005 to 2010 and is currently President of the Piceno Lab of the Mediterranean Diet. An expert in Sibylline mythology, Piceno anthropology, and central Italian dialects, he has written both poetry and fiction, and is the author of sever- al publications: Così parlò la Sibilla Appenninica; La Dama delle Acque; Il dialetto Fermano Maceratese; Sibylla Italica (English edition); Sibil- la Italica: Miti e Misteri dei Monti Sibillini; Dieta Mediterranea. He has participated in numerous press conferences and seminars and is also the co-author of statistical essays in medical scientific publications.

Email: [email protected] www.laboratoriodietamediterranea.it

ADOLFO LEONI was born in Montegiorgio some time ago. At the age of eight he had three professions in mind: an airplane pilot, a journalist, or a chef. He managed to become a pilot and also a journalist: his articles have been published in the Italian newspapers Corriere Adriatico, Il Messagge- ro, Il Sole 24 Ore, Avvenire, La Nuova Fermo, Il Loggiato, La Voce delle Marche. He also writes for the website www.informazione.tv and has ed- ited numerous television and documentary reports. Until recently he was editor in chief at the Medi@Comunicazioni Group. He contributes to Il Resto del Carlino. He also ran the food and wine magazine Il Gusto ... del- la vita, satisfying his childhood dream, albeit slightly differently, and his love for cooking. He has also published: Il Fermano tra storie e leggende; Incastro Perfetto (in collaboration with Petrax); L’Incontro... e altri rac- conti; Storie sparse e ritrovate; Verso Assisi con tre santi che spingono; Alla mia terra · Racconti e leggende di un amante quasi deluso; Parole di Pietra · Parole di Carne; Cammino la Terra di Marca · Sulle tracce del Genius Loci; Le grandi storie d’Amore della Terra di Marca.

Email: [email protected] www.adolfoleoni.wordpress.com

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