Focusing on contemporary Italian and Tuscan gastronomy as its starting point, the course examines the history of Italian cuisine and the economics and sociology of food in Tuscany, particularly in the city of Siena. The analysis will begin with the ancient Etruscan and Roman periods, then more through the Medieval and Renaissance times, in order to fully compare them to the early modern and contemporary periods. Special emphasis will be given also to relevant historical events, such as the discovery of America in 1492. All course’s contents will be discussed in connection with socio- cultural and gender connotations.
History and culture are reflected in alimentary traditions, rituals, philosophies and behaviours. The Tuscan ones, and in particular the Sienese ones, find their roots mostly in the Etruscan Age, Middle Ages and the Renaissance times, as wonderfully mirrored also in the visual arts.
The course will further take into consideration the development in history of contemporary Tuscan and
Sienese cuisine and their association with traditional drinks. The course includes field study visits to restaurants, cooking schools, butchers, vineyards, cheese-producing dairies, gelato makers, pasta factories, enoteche, wineries and similar institutions. Several hands-on classes include units on pasta- making, Italian cooking and cheese tastings. Field-studies and field-trips are intended to make the students draw the maximum advantage from the local context, a perfectly preserved Medieval social entity, applying the conceptual cognitive aspects of their academic learning to the intra-personal level, in order to be able to develop skills of inter-personal and inter-cultural competence.
Attendance policy:
Successful progress of the program depends on the full cooperation of both students and faculty members: regular attendance and active participation in class are essential parts of the learning process. Attendance at and participation in all class meetings and field-studies are required. More than TWO unjustified absences (that are not medically excused with a written certificate of the doctor or caused by sudden serious family and/or personal occurrences, as for example death of a family member) will result in a lowering of your grade.
Learning outcomes:
By the end of the course, students will be able to:
Analyze aspects of the history and culture of Italy and Tuscany as reflected in their cuisine and gastronomic traditions
Analyze, describe and compare the art and the context of Tuscan and Sienese foods in their past and present socio-cultural connotations.
Method of presentation:
Lectures, seminar discussions, oral presentations, practical cooking classes, and guided visits to restaurants, butchers, vineyards, cheese-producing dairies, gelato laboratories.
Note: During field-studies students are kindly advised not to carry bulky backpacks or troublesome objects. Photography is usually allowed in parks and gardens but is in general forbidden in museums.
Required work and form of assessment:
Active class participation and class discussions (20%)
Oral in-class presentations of a research project related to course contents in connection to field- studies (40%)
Final written exam (40%)
content:
Week 1:
Introduction: How the Mediterranean area connected people and foods / Different products from Northern and Southern Italy and how they blended in Tuscany.
ROOT, The food of Italy, pp. 25-70
Week 2:
The basic foods (greens, beans, eggs, cheese) and their presence today: ribollita, zuppa di fagioli, acqua cotta, pecorino
CAPATTI, Italian cuisine, pp. 35-63; pp. 74-83
LOCATELLI, Made in Italy, pp. 34-51; pp. 598-601
PROTO PISANI, Invito alla mensa, pp. 5-12
PACELLI, Gli italiani a tavola, pp. 99-102
Week 3:
The medieval and Renaissance eras: The importance of meat (chianina), pork (salsiccie, prosciutto), wild boar, game, small animals like rabbit and chicken
LOCATELLI, Made in Italy, pp. 401-407; pp. 443-454
MONTANARI, Food is culture, pp. 47-57
FREEDMAN, Food. The history of taste, pp. 163-195
Week 3:
Conserving, cooking, using foods: The social role of salt, bread, and fresh seasonal foods
CAPATTI, Italian cuisine, pp. 100-106
TANNAHILL, Food in history, pp. 92-102; pp. 155-192
Week 4:
The ‘strange’ foods coming from other countries / the knowledge and use of tomato (pappa al pomodoro), the many variations of pasta (pici, tagliatelle); ice cream
LOCATELLI, Made in Italy, pp. 275-295
TANNAHILL, Food in history, pp. 202-223
FREEDMAN, Food. The history of taste, pp. 197-230
Week 5:
The healing power of food: spices and sweets, the triumph of panforte, ricciarelli, panpepato and other seasonal of festive sweets, like the pan co’ santi and the schiacciata di Pasqua
LOCATELLI, Made in Italy, pp. 505-520
CAPATTI, Italian cuisine, pp. 69-77; pp.84-100
MONTANARI, Food is culture, pp. 129-131
Week 6:
What remains today of these ten centuries of history? Socio-cultural perspectives of the historical legacy in contemporary Sienese cuisine: Comparing Tuscan and Italian contexts.
CAPATTI, Italian cuisine, pp. 273-301
ROOT, The food of Italy, pp. 71-110
Week 7:
Review of course contents and final exams
Required readings:
All the required readings will be in the course-packet. Texts will be excerpted from the following books:
Capabbio, Carlo. The Food Lover’s Companion in Tuscany. London: Pallas Athene.
Capatti, Alberto and Massimo Montanari. Italian Cuisine. A Cultural History. New York: Columbia University Press, 2003.
Casale, Anne. Italian Family Cooking. New York: Fawcett Books, 1984.
Castagno, Dario. Too Much Tuscan Wine.
De Mori, Lowe and Jason Lori. The Real Flavour of Tuscany. Logos.
Elon, Beth. A Culinary Traveller in Tuscany. Exploring and Eating Off the Beaten Track. New York: The Little Bookroom, 2009.
Enoteca italiana. The List of Doc and Docg Wines. Siena:Ticci, 2004.
Freedman, Paul ed. Food. The History of Taste. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press, 2007.
Locatelli, Giorgio. Made in Italy Food and Stories. London: Fourth Estate, 2000.
Montanari, Massimo. Food is Culture. New York: Columbia University Press, 2006.
Orling, Mary. Art, Cuisine and Nature in Tuscany. Firenze: La Zincografica, 2000.
Pacelli, Amalita. Gli Italiani a tavola. Roma: Logart, 2000.
Petroni, Paolo. Ricette toscane. I sapori di ieri, i gusti di oggi. Il centauro: 2005.
Proto Pisani, Rosanna Caterina. Invito alla mensa del mercante del Trecento. Firenze: Polistampa, 2009.
Pyes, Craig. Picnics of Tuscany. New York: Simon and Shuster, 2000.
Root, Waverley. The Food in Italy. New York: Vintage Books 1992
Tannahill, Reay. Food in History. New York: Three Rivers Press, 1988.
Waldin, Monty. Tuscan. How to Find Great Wines Off the Beaten Track. New York: Patrick Matthews, 2000.
Brief Biography of Instructor:
Dr. Elena Brizio earned a Ph.D. in Medieval History from the University of Florence. She pursued postdoctoral studies and earned a Master’s in Gender Studies at the University of Siena. She has also held several scholarly fellowships in the United States. She has published on the sociological, political, institutional and legal history of the Trecento, and her current research focuses on the cultural, economic and social power of women in the Renaissance. Her current interest revolves around cultural and sociological aspects of objects such as food and of culinary traditions and rituals in history.
History And Culture Of Food In Italy And Tuscany
Focusing on contemporary Italian and Tuscan gastronomy as its starting point, the course examines the history of Italian cuisine and the economics and sociology of food in Tuscany, particularly in the city of Siena. The analysis will begin with the ancient Etruscan and Roman periods, then more through the Medieval and Renaissance times, in order to fully compare them to the early modern and contemporary periods. Special emphasis will be given also to relevant historical events, such as the discovery of America in 1492. All course’s contents will be discussed in connection with socio- cultural and gender connotations.
History and culture are reflected in alimentary traditions, rituals, philosophies and behaviours. The Tuscan ones, and in particular the Sienese ones, find their roots mostly in the Etruscan Age, Middle Ages and the Renaissance times, as wonderfully mirrored also in the visual arts.
The course will further take into consideration the development in history of contemporary Tuscan and
Sienese cuisine and their association with traditional drinks. The course includes field study visits to restaurants, cooking schools, butchers, vineyards, cheese-producing dairies, gelato makers, pasta factories, enoteche, wineries and similar institutions. Several hands-on classes include units on pasta- making, Italian cooking and cheese tastings. Field-studies and field-trips are intended to make the students draw the maximum advantage from the local context, a perfectly preserved Medieval social entity, applying the conceptual cognitive aspects of their academic learning to the intra-personal level, in order to be able to develop skills of inter-personal and inter-cultural competence.
Successful progress of the program depends on the full cooperation of both students and faculty members: regular attendance and active participation in class are essential parts of the learning process. Attendance at and participation in all class meetings and field-studies are required. More than TWO unjustified absences (that are not medically excused with a written certificate of the doctor or caused by sudden serious family and/or personal occurrences, as for example death of a family member) will result in a lowering of your grade.
By the end of the course, students will be able to:
Lectures, seminar discussions, oral presentations, practical cooking classes, and guided visits to restaurants, butchers, vineyards, cheese-producing dairies, gelato laboratories.
Note: During field-studies students are kindly advised not to carry bulky backpacks or troublesome objects. Photography is usually allowed in parks and gardens but is in general forbidden in museums.
Week 1:
Introduction: How the Mediterranean area connected people and foods / Different products from Northern and Southern Italy and how they blended in Tuscany.
ROOT, The food of Italy, pp. 25-70
Week 2:
The basic foods (greens, beans, eggs, cheese) and their presence today: ribollita, zuppa di fagioli, acqua cotta, pecorino
CAPATTI, Italian cuisine, pp. 35-63; pp. 74-83
LOCATELLI, Made in Italy, pp. 34-51; pp. 598-601
PROTO PISANI, Invito alla mensa, pp. 5-12
PACELLI, Gli italiani a tavola, pp. 99-102
Week 3:
The medieval and Renaissance eras: The importance of meat (chianina), pork (salsiccie, prosciutto), wild boar, game, small animals like rabbit and chicken
LOCATELLI, Made in Italy, pp. 401-407; pp. 443-454
MONTANARI, Food is culture, pp. 47-57
FREEDMAN, Food. The history of taste, pp. 163-195
Week 3:
Conserving, cooking, using foods: The social role of salt, bread, and fresh seasonal foods
CAPATTI, Italian cuisine, pp. 100-106
TANNAHILL, Food in history, pp. 92-102; pp. 155-192
Week 4:
The ‘strange’ foods coming from other countries / the knowledge and use of tomato (pappa al pomodoro), the many variations of pasta (pici, tagliatelle); ice cream
LOCATELLI, Made in Italy, pp. 275-295
TANNAHILL, Food in history, pp. 202-223
FREEDMAN, Food. The history of taste, pp. 197-230
Week 5:
The healing power of food: spices and sweets, the triumph of panforte, ricciarelli, panpepato and other seasonal of festive sweets, like the pan co’ santi and the schiacciata di Pasqua
LOCATELLI, Made in Italy, pp. 505-520
CAPATTI, Italian cuisine, pp. 69-77; pp.84-100
MONTANARI, Food is culture, pp. 129-131
Week 6:
What remains today of these ten centuries of history? Socio-cultural perspectives of the historical legacy in contemporary Sienese cuisine: Comparing Tuscan and Italian contexts.
CAPATTI, Italian cuisine, pp. 273-301
ROOT, The food of Italy, pp. 71-110
Week 7:
Review of course contents and final exams
All the required readings will be in the course-packet. Texts will be excerpted from the following books:
Dr. Elena Brizio earned a Ph.D. in Medieval History from the University of Florence. She pursued postdoctoral studies and earned a Master’s in Gender Studies at the University of Siena. She has also held several scholarly fellowships in the United States. She has published on the sociological, political, institutional and legal history of the Trecento, and her current research focuses on the cultural, economic and social power of women in the Renaissance. Her current interest revolves around cultural and sociological aspects of objects such as food and of culinary traditions and rituals in history.