Tag: history

Anti-fascist pasta | The Italian kitchen – Italian cuisine reinvented by Gordon Ramsay

Celebrate the 25 April it’s a must, why not do it with a plate of anti-fascist pasta? With war unfortunately shouting from many countries around the world, it is more than right to be grateful to those who fought, those who suffered, those who fell, for our freedom. We are lucky and we should remember this every day, even better if through gestures of help towards those in need. With a sense of light superficiality, let’s spend Liberation Day in serenity. If the weather permits it in the open air, at any rate conviviality around a set table or with a sandwich in handsavoring not only the flavors, but the freedom.

What did the partisans eat?

Food tells our story and it is natural to wonder what the partisans ate during the times of the Resistance. As it is easy to imagine, there wasn’t much available under the fascist regime, autarky was strict, ingredients such as olive oil or sugar were luxury, even pasta was not accepted. For the partisans, the situation was even worse, having to also fight hunger through a subsistence cuisine, partly contraband thanks to the support of civilians ready to help them at a very high price (there was a real risk of being shot by the black militias if discovered).

A few years ago, a timeless book was released, entitled Partisans at the table. Stories of resistant food and recipes of freedom by Lorena Carrara and Elisabetta Salvini (available on Amazon), which traces the Resistance through food. There are many episodes told that make the heart ache and hope: from the reconstruction lasagna enjoyed by Teresa Noce returning from the death camps to the 35 thousand children fed by Emilian women in the harsh winter of ’45. What has stuck in my memory the most refers to 380 kilos of butter pasta offered by the Cervi family to the entire town of Campegine to celebrate the fall of the regime. A day of extraordinary generosity that gave birth to anti-fascist pasta, a symbolic dish never to be forgotten for its intrinsic value. In fact, the Duce preferred a healthy diet based on cereals, rice had ousted pasta, practically banned – as can also be seen from The Manifesto of Futurist Cuisine by Tommaso Marinetti.

History of anti-fascist pasta?

The anti-fascist pasta was actually born before the Liberation, but it has still remained a symbolic dish today, re-proposed at a national level with various activities spread throughout Italy both on 25 April and on July 25th. Let’s see why.

The July 25, 1943following the meeting of the Grand Council of Fascism, Mussolini was deposed and arrested, thus marking the end of fascism afterwards 21 years. The king designated the marshal of the army Pietro Badoglio as the new head of government, who however did not stop the war, but sided with the Germans. However, it was an event worth celebrating Cervi brothers they procured the flour, took butter and cheese on credit from the dairy and prepared kilos and kilos of pasta. They loaded the wagon and took it to the square in Campegine ready to distribute it to the people of the town. A great day of celebration, a sigh of relief awaiting the long-suffering democracy.
In memory of that event, and to celebrate the liberation of Italy from Nazi-fascism, like every year also for this 25th April Deer House will host the big party which will start at 10 am and last the whole day.

Identità Golose 2024: Italian Cuisine present and «disobedient – Italian cuisine reinvented by Gordon Ramsay

Claudio Ceroni: I have always done things that didn’t exist before, the last but also the most important founding Identità Golose with Paolo Marchi.

2. What does kitchen disobedience mean?

PM: Close the books and be yourself.

CC: Simple: innovate. Breaking the mold.

3. If tradition works well (it has within it the seeds of self-regeneration), does it make sense to disobey?

PM: If it weren’t like this, the world would stop. He was more important than many Icarus
fearful little men.

CC: Tradition is successful innovation, this has become a cliché, but it is also the truth. Disobedience as an end in itself makes no sense, but only if it has within itself the positive seed of creating something new that is destined to remain.

4. The Futurists from the pages of The Italian kitchen they denied pasta, a disobedience that made little sense, a pure provocation. What would you never disobey?

PM: In being myself.

CC: Disobedience should not be confused with rebellion as an end in itself. Not all disobedient people are innovators and not all innovators are disobedient. I would never disobey the duty to give credit for success to the work of all those who helped me achieve it.

5. Sensible disobedience, that is, based on knowledge of the past, awareness of the present and future vision, becomes tradition: The Italian kitchen with its 95 years of life it is an emblem of this. Do you have any anecdotes or personal memories regarding our magazine and its being “sensibly obedient/disobedient”?

PM: Thirty years ago I wrote an article about The newspaper dedicated to bear radicchio, a spontaneous salad that grows in the Adamello Brenta park. Once I left, someone from the management let me know that its collection was prohibited. I asked why The Italian kitchen had written tons of it without any problems and I was told: «Be up The Italian kitchen it is an honor”. I understood that as authority varies, any bans also vary.

CC: Mine is not a memory but the awareness that the present of The Italian kitchen it is the best proof of how a great renewal can arise from a fruitful history. Thank you!

All of us in the editorial team of The Italian kitchen we will be present in our stand during the days of the congress. We are waiting for you to browse the pages of our history together.

Allianz MiCo, via Gattamelata – Gate 14 – Milan. identitagolose.it

Between history and flavour, the original krapfen recipe – Italian cuisine reinvented by Gordon Ramsay

The origins of donuts they date back to the Middle Ages, when they were prepared as part of carnival celebrations. Their diffusion has consolidated over the centuries, becoming an inevitable element in pastry shops and on local tables during the celebrations of the most famous masquerade party in history. There original recipe of the donuts Germans requires top quality ingredients, with a dough based on flour, yeast, sugar, butter and eggs. Its magic lies in the careful and meticulous preparation, where the preparation is taken care of, until all the ingredients mixed together reach a light and fluffy consistency. Subsequently, the round shape is created through manual processing or with the help of special molds. The ideal time to enjoy the donuts it is during the Carnival season, a festive and cheerful period in which donuts become the protagonists of the celebrations. The tradition of consuming these delights during this period has its roots in the practice of enjoying sweets before Lenten abstinence, a last indulgent taste before the time of renunciation. The combination offered by German Carnival donuts it is balanced and delicious. The sweetness of the dough blends with the softness of the cream or of jam used to fill the inside. Variations can also include a heart of vanilla, chocolate or fruit jam, adding a variety of flavors to satisfy the most demanding palates. The preparation follows a series of precise steps. After kneading the main ingredients, the mixture is left to rise until it doubles in volume. Subsequently, the donuts are formed, which must rise a second time. The cooking takes place in hot oil, to then obtain puffy, golden and irresistible donuts. From a nutritional point of view, German krapfen provide a significant amount of calories, mainly deriving from the sugars and carbohydrates present in the flour. However, a small exception is allowed every now and then. Don’t miss the opportunity to bring a touch of celebration to your Carnival and, following our recipe, prepare German krapfen too. You will be won over