Does the dress do or does not make the monk? Whatever your opinion, few are willing to deny that good food, when presented well, is even more throat. To use another popular saying: "The eye wants its part". Even the ear, however, we know that when the name of a dish is seductive, it is even more the dish, perhaps parca and healthy. Visually then, it is a question of beauty but also of size: in fact when the dish is large, eat more.

If at the level of taste, as far as amateur cooks sailed, we have discovered why our dishes do not seem to be those of the restaurant, now we discover how to make them similar, at least at the level of look. We rely on the advice to Luigi Taglienti – recently among other things in the World Pasta Championship jury – that the Chef has developed for the Birra Moretti Foundation.

Some of these rules are a classic, others are the result of contemporary trends that, wrongly or rightly, they want smaller portions, simplicity in the dish, reduced ingredients. In summary, the motto could be: "Less is better".

Here are the 10 rules for serving by Luigi Taglienti:

1) Occupy the central position of the dish with the main ingredient

2) Add garnish only if edible

3) Use a white plate with decorations able to enhance the color of the ingredients

4) Each recipe has its own dish, for example the risotto should be served in the flat plate, the spaghetti in the bottom plate, the dishes in broth – like the creams or soups – in the consommé cup

5) Place in the plate ingredients in balance and symmetry

6) Heat the dish before serving hot dishes

7) Add the sauces at a later time to give value to preparation and service

8) Use elements from different textures (Soft / crunchy)

9) Beat the plate with the risotto on a flat surface, or with the palm of the hand, to distribute it evenly

10) Roll the spaghetti in a ladle and serve them in a nest.

Recalling that aesthetics, of course, commands in this field, but it is, especially in certain cases, of rules also functional: to improve the performance of the dish and the taste experience. For example, by rolling up the spaghetti nest, the pasta stays warm. To return to the initial proverbs: two birds with one stone, no?!?

Stella Rita
October 2018

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