SC - Thanks re Florence

[Elaine Koogler]

You can also find references to and information about Maestro Martino in Barbara
Santich's Original Mediterranean Cuisine.  That's where I first ran across
information about him.  Santich also indicates that most of Platina did was drawn
directly from either Martino or Chiquart.  Unfortunately, she made no mention of
Epulario.  I find it interesting that Wilson does.  I had extrapolated that the two
(Platina and Epulario) at the very least had a common antecedent, so this, if true,
verifies my thoughts!

Kiri

Lorix wrote:

> Ann & Les Shelton wrote:
> >
> > Thanks for the responses regarding my question about the availability of
> > Platina in Florence by 1495.  I have the Milham version and I don't know
> > why I didn't think to look at the publication history.  Sometimes, I
> > guess things are just too obvious!  A friend just recently gave me
> > Santich; I'll have to go through it to see what I can try.
> >
> > John le Burguillun
>
> I don't know if this is any use to you, but . . .
>
> I was having a flick thru a book by Anne Wilson called "Great Cooks and their
> Recipes, From Taillevent to Escoffier".  In it, she discusses a cook called
> Maestro Martino, former cook to the Monsignor (Chamberlain & Patriarch of
> Aquileia).  I had not previously heard of this gentleman but basically, it is
> him that is supposed to be the source of Platina's recipes . . . Now for those
> with far greater resources than me (and heaps more scholarship, this may not be
> a surprise ;-)
>
> Aquileia is located in  Northerner Italy, in the southern part of the Friulian
> plain, close to the wide Lagoon of Grado.  In 1420 it was  under the rule of the
> Republic of Venice (just to give an idea where it was in relation to Florence
> :-)
>
> Ms Wilson advises that the 'Monsignor' Martino worked for was apparently
> Ludovico Trevisan, a wealthy cardnial (read a cooks dream since he spent an
> extravagant 20 ducats a day on his food;-) who became patriarch of Aquileia in
> 1439 and papal chamberlain a year later (holding both posts until he died in
> 1465).  Now Martino was supposed to have flourished between 1450-1475.  There is
> a 15th century recipe manuscript written by him (now in the Library of Congress)
> which is apparently written in the Italian of Tuscany, not in the latin used by
> Platina, but the 250 recipes are identical to those in 'De honesta volupate'.
>
> Whether this particular manuscript was written before De honesta voluptare is
> uncertain, but Wilson is emphatic that Platina depended on Martino for the
> recipes based on this acknowledgement in Platina's book (in a recipe for bianco
> mangare Platina says):  "Oh ye immortal Gods, which cook could compete with my
> friend Martino of Como, with whom originates to a large extent that which I am
> writing here".
>
> Wilson also indicates that Martino's recipes were also printed in another
> italian cookbook called "Epulario" (Of Feasting), which is almost identical to
> the 15th Century manuscript.  Aparently this book ran to 30 editions in a
> hundered years (being translated into German, French & Italian & English) and
> was still being printed in the mid 1600s.  Wilson indicates that it spent much
> of the time being incorrectly attributed to a Giovanne de Roselli.
>
> Basically, then, if her information is correct, given the apparent popularity of
> the latter manuscript (and given that it is supposed to be the source of
> Platina's info), it may be that Epulario can certainly be found in the required
> period in Florence.
>
> my 2 cents
>
> Lorix
> ============================================================================
>
> To be removed from the SCA-Cooks mailing list, please send a message to
> Majordomo at Ansteorra.ORG with the message body of "unsubscribe SCA-Cooks".
>
> ============================================================================