CIVI LT ÀDELL ATAVOLA ACCADEMIA ITALIANA DELLA CUCINA IN T ER E N D AT IT IO IO N N A L ACCADEMIA ITALIANA DELLA CUCINA A CULTURAL INSTITUTION OF THE REPUBLIC OF ITALY 3 FOUNDED IN 1953 BY ORIO VERGANI 1 0 2 Y A M www.accademia1953.it , 9 4 2 . N TABLE OF CONTENTS L’ACCADEMIA ITALIANA DELLA CUCINA FOUNDED IN 1953 BY ORIO VERGANI AND LUIGI BERTETT , D INO BUZZATI TRAVERSO , CESARE CHIODI , G IANNINO CITTERIO , ERNESTO DONÀ DALLE ROSE , M ICHELE GUIDO FRANCI , GIANNI MAZZOCCHI BASTONI , A RNOLDO MONDADORI , ATTILIO NAVA , A RTURO ORVIETO , S EVERINO PAGANI , ALDO PASSANTE , G IAN LUIGI PONTI , G IÒ PONTI , DINO VILLANI , E DOARDO VISCONTI DI MODRONE , WHIT MASSIMO ALBERINI AND VINCENZO BUONASSISI . DEAR ACADEMICIANS… CIVI LT ÀDELL ATAVOLA 6 The Birth of Middle Class ACCADEMIA ITALIANA DELLA CUCINA 3 Italian Restaurants Abroad Cuisine INTERNATIONAL EDITION (Nicola Rivani Farolfi ) MAY 2013 / N. 249 in a Time of Globalizazion EDITOR IN CHIEF (Giovanni Ballarini) GIOVANNI BALLARINI ASSISTANT EDITOR AND ART DIRECTOR 8 Restaurant Acoustics FRANCESCO RICCIARDI FOCUS (Maurizio Campiverdi ) COPY EDITOR SILVIA DE LORENZO 4 The Perennial Topicality EDITORIAL SECRETARY of the Italian Academy TILDE MATTIELLO FRANCO MARENGHI of Cuisine STUDY CENTER LAYOUT (Paolo Petroni) MARIA TERESA PASQUALI TRANSLATORS 9 Is Family Cuisine NICOLA LEA FURLAN DONALD J. C LARK CULTURE AND RESEARCH Still Alive and Well? THIS ISSUE INCLUDES ARTICLES BY (Silvia De Lorenzo ) Giovanni Ballarini, Maurizio Campiverdi, Silvia De Lorenzo, Paolo Petroni, 5 Piadinas and Piadinerias Gianbruno Polllini, Nicola Rivani Farolfi. (Gianbruno Pollini ) OOO PUBLISHER ACCADEMIA ITALIANA DELLA CUCINA VIA NAPO TORRIANI 31 - 20124 M ILANO TEL . 02 66987018 - F AX 02 66987008 [email protected] [email protected] www.accademia1953.it EDITORIAL OFFICE VIA CASALE TOR DI QUINTO 1 - 00191 R OMA TEL . 06 3336102 - F AX 06 3336102 [email protected] OOO MONTHLY MAGAZINE REG . N. 4049 - 29-5-1956 TRIBUNALE DI MILANO PUBLISHED BY RICCIARDI & A SSOCIATI SRL VIA DEL CASALE DI TOR DI QUINTO 1 R OMA TEL . 06 3336164 - F AX 06 3336174 On the cover: Lobsters , painted by Pasquarosa Bertoletti Marcelli around 1930, is part of the exhibition Our Fascination with Simple Objects , at the GNAM in Rome through June 2. The subtitle, Still Life from the Collection of the National Gallery of Modern Art well describes the artist’s slant. This rarely displayed series of works owned by the Gallery revolves around a common theme. There are many interesting still lifes in the exhibit, all painted between 1910 and 1950, including works by Pasquarosa (1896-1973 artistically she did not use her last name), a Roman painter of peasant origin born in Anticoli Corrado. Having come to Rome at an early age, she initially worked at as model. Her debut as a painter came in 1915 when the Rivista associata colorful verve of her work combined with her spontaneous opposition to the academy thrust her into the all’Unione Stampa limelight. Starting in the 1920s, although she still occupied a marginal place in the Roman context, she Periodica Italiana participated in all major expositions of the time. CIVILTÀ DELLA TAVOLA 2013 • N. 249 • PAGE 2 DEAR ACADEMICIANS... Italian Restaurants Abroad in a Time of Globalizazion BY GIOVANNI BALLARINI ing, the problem has increased ow - it is necessarily to make a schematic President of the Academy ing to the global economic crisis. distinction among at least three types One example is Argentina, which of Italian cuisine abroad: low cuisine , The Academy some time ago enacted a commercial industrial cuisine , and high cuisine , policy that could lead to the closing each of which is different from the has an important role of its markets to our typical and tradi - other. These differences in part re - to play in identifying tional products, and at the same time flect a situation that has already taken foster an increase in their imitations. place in Italy. thosenrestaurants abroad Along these lines it is easy to imagine It is very difficult to affect low cui - that offer, maintain how, in addition to Argentine wines, sine that, both in Italy and abroad we will soon see the emergence of qualifies itself as “Italian cuisine”, and defend true Argentine olive oil, pasta, and espe - starting with pizzerias or places that Italian cuisine. cially a series of Argentine cheeses offer low cost “pepperoni pizza” and salamis that are of lower cost made with sausage (NB: In Italian, and of increasingly good quality. All peperoni means green peppers) or these Italian style products compete “pasta Bolognese”, in which the with those that Italy exports in an in - spaghetti are served with meatballs. creasingly globalized market. The This is a cuisine in which “Italian well known example of good quality sounding” products are used because Moldavian grana cheese that is avail - their cost is much lower than the im - able in Italy is a case in point. ported product. To some degree, per - What I have briefly outlined sug - haps it’s more opportune for Ameri - gests a series of questions regarding cans to believe that the pizza they or - Italian cuisine abroad in so many der in a their local fast food restau - countries with their own different rants is their own invention and a cuisines. For cultural reasons, the sit - unique American patrimony, only to uation in North America is different discover what real Italian pizza is ear Academicians, regional from that in South America, or from when they arrive in Italy. Italian cuisine is traditional the emerging countries of the Orient, It is equally difficult to intervene ef - D and is based on the use of lo - and so on. Equally different is the fectively in the industrial cuisine of cal products. This condition creates condition of those dishes that are of Italian style processed ready-to-eat difficulties abroad, given the large necessity tied to the Italian, if not re - foods, which owing to insurmount - number of so-called “Italian sound - gional, origin of one or more ingredi - able conditions imposed by the in - ing” imitations - products that con - ents, from that of those dishes that do dustrial economy, primarily use jure up a non-existent Italian image not necessarily have that require - generic products, or at best those but are not Italian at all. They are ment, as in some of the above men - “made by Italy ”. It is also a cuisine generally low quality products, pack - tioned examples. There is also the that utilizes production, conserva - aged using an Italian name or flag delicate issue of the use in Italian cui - tion, distribution and consumer sys - but having nothing to do with Italy. sine of “made by Italy” products; that tems that are not part of traditional For quite some time we have ob - is, those Italian style products that Italian cuisine, starting with heating served and noted this situation, Italian companies are increasingly by microwave, that are required by which has caused considerable harm producing abroad using Italian customers who demand “fast” or to the Italian economy and indeed to equipment exported for those mar - “convenience” foods even at home. the very image of our products kets (pasta, salami, etc.) In a complex Most important for Italy, and espe - abroad. Today, rather than diminish - situation like the one outlined above cially “ made by Italy ” firms, remains CIVILTÀ DELLA TAVOLA 2013 • N. 249 • PAGE 3 DEAR ACADEMICIANS... high cuisine , which is analogous to perfect, or near perfect, and it must High cuisine Italian restaurants high fashion, quality interior furnish - satisfy the needs of a relatively re - abroad, with their “great chefs” are ings, exclusive jewelry, and luxury stricted social group. It is in high cui - the only ones that are able to pro - car sectors in which price is not seen sine that we find the best Italian mote, sustain and defend high quality as an obstacle, but rather confers an products, in which the brand name and elite Italian food products. Our elite and prestigious symbolic value or high specification assume particu - Academy has an important role to to the product. High prestige prod - lar importance: a simple DOP or IGP play by pointing out which restau - ucts, like high cuisine , cannot and denotation will not suffice. A perfect rants abroad can teach people about should not compete with mass pro - example is DOP Champagne, in true Italian cuisine, thereby safe - duced and broadly consumed ones, which the brand name, with the qual - guarding the identity of our tradition - for which price plays a decisive role. ity specifications, vintage, and in - al and regional foods. In high cuisine everything must be evitably price, predominate. GIOVANNI BALLARINI DI PAOLO PETRONI THE PERENNIAL TOPICALITY OF THE ITALIAN ACADEMY OF CUISINE he adjective in the title may appear a tad imposing, of Lincei that could apply the acuity of sight of the lynx in strong and almost a provocation. Perennial here observing the universe; the Academy of Crusca that aimed T does not mean eternal, but rather it stands for the at protecting the true language by separating the wheat enduring, continuous presence of our Academy. The from the chaff; the Academy of the Intronati that strove to name was debated long and hard by our founders, who at be free from the noises of the world and to harbor sharper first were hesitant about “Association” or “Club” but then thoughts; the Academy of Concordi that had solidarity on became convinced, at the suggestion of the talented pub - its mind; the Academy of Oscuri that was devoted to ema - licity guru Dino Villani, that “Academy” was the correct nating the light of truth; the Academy of Umidi that cele - designation.