A Story of Exchanges, Acquisition and Circulation!

Discover the Past, Present and Future of Italian Cuisine!

It is one of the world’s most beloved culinary heritages, and yet, only a few know how it has come to be: Welcome to the Storia Della Cucina Italiana! The Italian Cuisine, as we know it today, is the result of exchanges, acquisitions and the circulation of people, products and knowledge that has unfolded over centuries. Thanks to old recipes, it is possible for us to retrace the steps of Italy’s culinary evolution through time, starting with the cultural fusion of the Roman Empire and the invaders of Europe. To dive deep into this pocket of history, forget what you have learnt so far and come to our metaphorical table with a hunger for knowledge and a curious mind. Let’s look beyond stereotypes and clichès and, instead, start a journey through space and time, retracing the steps of the history of Italian Cuisine.

Overview

  • Online and at your own pace

  • ~4.5 hours of activities

  • ~3.3 hours of video

  • 6 written lessons

  • 6 quizzes

  • Italian with English subtitles

  • Lifetime access

  • Final quiz

  • Certification option available for purchase

Curriculum

    1. UNISG+ by the University of Gastronomic Sciences

    2. Construction of the Italian Gastronomic Identity / La costruzione dell’identità gastronomica italiana

    3. The Mosaic of Italian Cuisine by Massimo Montanari / La cucina italiana: un mosaico, a cura di Massimo Montanari

    4. Preserved Characteristics / Caratteristiche durature

    5. Travels of Men and Products / Viaggi di uomini e di prodotti

    6. Circulation of Ideas / Circolazione di idee

    7. A Journey and a Myth: Marco Polo discovers the Pasta / Un viaggio e un mito: Marco Polo alla scoperta della pasta

    8. Module 1 Quiz / Quiz Modulo 01

    1. UNISG+ by the University of Gastronomic Sciences

    2. First Steps: Middle Ages and Renaissance / I primi passi: Medioevo e Rinascimento

    3. The “Synthetic” Cuisine / La cucina “sintetica”

    4. Writing of the Synthetic Cuisine / La scrittura della cucina sintetica

    5. The Renaissance Cook by Sebastiano Civolani / Il cuoco rinascimentale, a cura di Sebastiano Civolani

    6. Italy in Europe / L’Italia in Europa

    7. Caterina de’ Medici and her Cooks / Caterina de’ Medici e i suoi cuochi

    8. Module 2 Quiz / Quiz Modulo 02

    1. UNISG+ by the University of Gastronomic Sciences

    2. Evolution to the Modern Era / L’evoluzione di Età moderna

    3. The “Analytical” Cuisine (France Docet) / La cucina “analitica” (Francia docet)

    4. Centrality of the Product / La centralità del prodotto

    5. America on the Table / L’America in tavola

    6. Not Just Court Cuisine / Non solo cucina di corte

    7. Module 3 Quiz / Quiz Modulo 03

    1. UNISG+ by the University of Gastronomic Sciences

    2. Unity, Finally / L’Unità, finalmente

    3. The Eighteenth Century of Municipal Cookbooks / L’Ottocento dei ricettari municipali

    4. A “Bignami” for Bourgeois Use, by Edoardo Brussolo / Un "bignami" a uso borghese, a cura di Edoardo Brussolo

    5. Political and Gastronomic Unity / Unità politica e unità gastronomica

    6. My Pelligrino by Alberto Capatti / Il mio Pellegrino, a cura di Alberto Capatti

    7. Recipes for Women, Recipes by Women / Ricette da donne e ricette di donne

    8. Module 4 Quiz / Quiz Modulo 04

    1. UNISG+ by the University of Gastronomic Sciences

    2. Italy Outside of Italy: Migrant Cuisine By Simone Cinotto / L’Italia oltre l’Italia: cucine migranti, a cura di Simone Cinotto

    3. On the Ocean, the Family: Nostalgia and Emotions of Migrant Food / Sull’Oceano, la famiglia: nostalgia e emozioni del cibo migrante

    4. Little Italy: The Cuisine of Italian Communities Abroad / Little Italy: la cucina delle comunità italiane all’estero

    5. Food Trade and Italian Migration / Commercio alimentare e migrazioni italiane

    6. Italian Restaurant: From Migrant Trattorias to Starred Chefs and Back / Italian Restaurant: dalle trattorie per migranti agli chef stellati e ritorno

    7. Module 5 Quiz / Quiz Modulo 05

    1. UNISG+ by the University of Gastronomic Sciences

    2. Italian Cuisine: Yesterday and Today / Cucina italiana di ieri e di oggi

    3. In Search of Local Products: Gastronomic Guides / Alla ricerca dei prodotti locali: le guide gastronomiche

    4. Futurism and Autarky / Futurismo e autarchia

    5. From Crisis to Recovery / Dalla crisi alla ripresa

    6. Authors of Yesterday / Autori di ieri

    7. Authors of Today / Autori di oggi

    8. And Tomorrow? By Carlo Petrini / E domani?, a cura di Carlo Petrini

    9. Module 6 Quiz / Quiz Modulo 06

    10. Final Survey

    11. Get a certificate of this course!

About this course

  • Free
  • 49 lessons
  • 3.5 hours of video content

Course Coordinator

Researcher of Medieval History Antonella Campanini

Antonella Campanini is an Associate Professor at the Alma Mater Studiorum University of Bologna, where she teaches Food History and is a former researcher at the University of Gastronomic Sciences. Her main area of research is the social history of food between the Middle Ages and the early modern age. Member of the Conseil Scientifique of the Institut Européen d'Histoire et des Cultures de l'Alimentation, she has published numerous scientific publications and directs two international series of studies on food culture: "Tables des Hommes", PUFR, Tours and "European Food Issues ", PIE Peter Lang, Brussels et al. Two of her most recent monographs: Food Cultures in Medieval Europe (Brussels, 2019) and Food. Birth and history of a cultural heritage (Rome, 2019).

Course Material

  • Speakers

    Learn from important historians like Simone Cinotto, Massimo Montanari and Alberto Capatti and sit down with Slow Food founder Carlo Petrini and UNISG alumni Edoardo Brussolo and Sebastiano Civolani

  • Testimonials

    Claudia Beccato, Piero Bevilacqua, Carlo Cracco, Enrico Crippa, Domenico De Masi, Tonino Guerra, Piercarlo Grimaldi, Maria Giuseppina Muzzarelli, Nuccio Order, Fabio Parasecoli, Gabriele Proglio, Silvano Serventi

  • Bibliography

    Aside from riveting video lessons, you will have access to titles specifically chosen to accompany the lessons’ topics. Dive ever deeper into the world of Italian Cuisine and learn everything there is to know

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Contact Us!

  • email Us!

    [email protected]

  • Phone

    +39 0172 458511

  • Find us

    Piazza Vittorio Emanuele, 9 Pollenzo, 12042, Bra (CN) Italy