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MASSIMO MONTANARI, FOOD IS CULTURE, Columbia UniversityPress, Ne !or", #$$%

C&a'terFire ( Coo"in) ( *it+&en ( Cuisine ( Civiliation-&at .istin)uis&es t&e /oo. o/ men /rom t&at o/ t&e ot&er animals0Coo"in) is t&e &uman a+tivity 'ar e1+ellen+e2 it is t&e a+t o/ trans/ormin)a 'ro.u+t 3/rom nature4 into somet&in) 'ro/oun.ly .i5erent6Man, as e &ave s&on in t&e 're+e.in) 'a)es, in a..ition to +onsumin)alrea.y available resour+es in nature, learne. to 'ro.u+e resour+es&imsel/ by .evelo'in) t&e 'ra+ti+e o/ )roin) 'lants an.raisin) livesto+"6 Pro.u+tion, &oever, a''lies only to t&e 'reliminary'&ase o/ retrievin) /oo., not to t&e ays o/ +onsumin) it6 Moreover,man, bein) omnivorous, +&ooses /oo. out o/ in.ivi.ual an.+olle+tive 're/eren+es tie. to 'er'etually +&an)in) values, tastes, an.meanin)s6 7ut t&is sub8e+t 9&i+& e s&all treat more e1tensivelylater: .oes not su; +e to i.enti/y t&e ays in &i+& t&e &uman ra+e

eats, nor &y ot&er animal s'e+ies, albeit in more 'rimitive /as&ion,.evelo' s'e+ial &abits an. .i5erentiate. tastes6Per&a's t&e 'rin+i'al element o/ .iversity lies in t&e /a+t t&at man,an. only man, is +a'able o/ li)&tin) an. utiliin) < re6 T&is te+&nolo)y,alon) it& ot&er 'ro+e.ures, allos &im to +oo", an. to +reate a"it+&en an. a +uisine6 Cooking is the human activity par excellence: it isthe act that transforms a product from nature into something profoundlydierent6 T&e +&emi+al mo.i< +ations in.u+e. by +oo"in), an. t&e+ombination o/ in)re.ients, or" to)et&er to brin) to t&e mout& a/oo., t&at, i/ not +om'letely 3arti< +ial,4 is surely 3+reate.64 T&at is&y in an+ient myt&s an. in t&e basi+ Ur=/ol" tales an. le)en.s, t&e>$+on?uest o/ < re re'resents 9symboli+ally but also materially an. te+&ni+ally:

t&e +onstitutive an. /oun.ational moment o/ &uman +iviliation6T&e +oo"e. an. t&e ra, to &i+& Clau.e L@vi=Strauss .evote.a 8ustly /amous essay, re'resent t&e o''osite 'oles o/ t&e .iale+ti+9&oever +om'le1 an. by no means sim'le, as e &ave seen: beteennature an. +ulture6In ree" myt&olo)y < re belon)e. only to t&e )o.s, until t&e .ay&en t&e Titan Promet&eus reveale. its se+ret to men6 It as an a+to/ +om'assion toar. t&ese na"e. an. &el'less bein)s t&at &isbrot&er E'imet&eus, +&ar)e. it& .istributin) .i5erent talentsamon) livin) bein)s, &a. overloo"e. in a moment o/ .istra+tion6 To+om'ensate /or t&is /or)et/ulness Promet&eus stole t&e < re in t&eor"s&o' o/ t&e )o. Be'&aestus an. )ave it as a )i/t to men6 In t&is

ay &e be+ame t&e true arti< +er or +reator o/ &uman +iviliation,&i+&, it& t&is ne tool, su++ee.e. in risin) above t&e animal levelan. learnin) t&e te+&ni?ues o/ masterin) nature6 Controllin) < rema.e man a .ivinity o/ sorts no lon)er a slave, but no t&e mastero/ natural 'ro+esses &i+& &e &a. learne. to +ontrol an. to mo.i/y6For t&is .ee. Promet&eus in+urre. t&e rat& o/ t&e )o.s an. as'unis&e. in an e1em'lary /as&ion6

T&e +learest symboli+ +&an)e o/ t&is ma8or &a''enin), ma.e /amousan. re'resente. by t&e myt&, is re e+te. in t&e ima)ery o/ t&e

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"it+&en, &i+&, lin"e. to t&e use o/ < re, be+ame a /un.amental +onstituento/ &uman i.entity6 From t&at moment onar.s it as nolon)er 'ossible to +all onesel/ 3man4 it&out +oo"in) ones on/oo.6 T&e re8e+tion o/ +oo"in) too" on 9as e s&all see: t&e meanin)o/ a veritable +&allen)e to +iviliation, e?uivalent to t&e re8e+tion o/.omesti+ate. /armin) in t&e 'ra+ti+es o/ /oo. 'ro.u+tion6

T&e i.ea o/ an arti< +e t&at trans/orms nature )overne. t&e a+tivitieso/ t&e +oo" /or +enturies6 Forms, +olors, te1tures ere mo.i< e.,s&a'e., an. 3+reate.4 it& te+&ni?ues e1'ressive o/ a .eliberate .is=

T&e Invention o/ Cusine>tan+in) /rom 3naturalness64 T&e 3ty'i+al4 +oo" o/ 'remo.ern +ultures,at least until t&e seventeent& +entury, as an 3artist4 in no ayres'e+t/ul o/ t&e ori)inal ?ualities o/ 'ro.u+ts6 T&e i.ea o/ a 3natural4+uisine, &en an. &ere it subse?uently establis&e. itsel/, un.er+utt&is ima)e an. 'ut /ort& a ne i.ea o/ nature 9'ositive rat&er t&anne)ative:6 T&is &a''ene. many times t&rou)&out &istoryGabove all,to.ay6-e nee., &oever, to establis& t&at < re an. +uisine .o not alays+oin+i.e6 On t&e one &an., to .e< ne t&e +ulinary a+t sim'ly as t&etrans/ormation o/ /oo.s by means o/ < re seems re.u+tive6 -e oul.t&ereby e5e+tively see e1+lu.e. /rom t&e realm o/ +uisine all t&e're'arations not re?uirin) +oo"in)G/or e1am'le, t&e re< ne. te+&ni?uesuse. by Ha'anese +oo"s in t&e 're'aration o/ ra < s&6 No oneoul. .are to assert t&at t&is 'ra+ti+e is a'art /rom &aute +uisine,even t&ou)& it .oes not involve t&e use o/ < re6On t&e ot&er &an., t&ere are t&ose &o believe t&at +oo"in) /oo.stu5sis not by itsel/ synonymous it& +uisine6 As Franoise Sabban&as em'&asie., in t&e C&inese tra.ition, 3+oo"in)4 an. 3+reatin)+uisine4 are ?uite .i5erent notions6 T&e < rst sim'ly im'lies t&e abilityto use < re 9&ar.ly su; +ient in our 'ers'e+tive to .e< ne a realm o/

3+iviliation4:, &ereas t&e se+on. su))ests a te+&ni+al ability it&ri+& aest&eti+ an. artisti+ im'li+ations6

T&e C&inese riter Lin !utan) allu.e. to t&is .istin+tion in a J>Kessay6 Be 8u1ta'ose. t&e &ei)&ts o/ C&inese +uisine a)ainst t&e im'overis&mento/ 3-estern +uisine4 9a+tually &e is re/errin) to t&eAn)lo=Sa1on +ulinary tra.ition:, &i+& "ne only one or., cooking,to .esi)nate bot& t&e a+t o/ +oo"in) an. t&e +reation o/ +uisine6 InLins eyes t&is betrays a banal a''roa+& to /oo., one aime. only atma"in) /oo.stu5s e.ible6

T&is .istin+tion brin)s a /urt&er element o/ un+ertainty into our.is+ussion6 T&is is not to .etra+t /rom t&e on)oin) /a+t t&at in t&eFire ( Coo"in) ( *it+&en ( Cuisine ( Civiliation

T&e Invention o/ Cusine

>#symboli+ re'resentation t&at man &as &istori+ally )iven o/ &imsel/,mastery o/ < re an. t&e +oo"in) o/ /oo.stu5s &ave +ontinue. to be'er+eive. as a main element in t&e /ormation o/ &uman i.entity an.o/ mans evolution /rom a il. to a +ivilie. state6 Nonet&eless, Lin

!utan)s .istin+tion ma"es us t&in" about t&e multi'li+ity o/ meanin)so/ t&e Italian or. cucina6 Cucina 9+oo"in), "it+&en, +uisine:, in/a+t, .esi)nates a &ole ran)e o/ 'ossibilities, /rom t&e sim'lest tot&e most +om'le1, /rom t&e .aily 'ra+ti+es o/ &ouseives to t&e virtuoso

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.is'lays o/ )reat s'e+ialty +&e/s6In )eneral, cucina +an be .e< ne. as an ensemble o/ te+&ni?ues /ort&e 're'aration o/ /oo.stu5s6 7ut even in su+& a broa. an. sim'li>Fire ( Coo"in) ( *it+&en ( Cuisine ( Civiliations'e+ialie. labor +arrie. out .aily by omen 9t&e eternal &eroines o/t&e "it+&en an. +usto.ians o/ t&e te+&ni?ues t&at .e< ne +oo"in):, allt&is &an.e. .on by 'ra+ti+e an. imitation2 all t&is, in tra.itional so+ieties,is or)ani+ally in+lu.e. in t&e i.ea o/ +uisine6In in.ustrialie. +ountries, &oever, t&e ensemble o/ te+&ni?uesnee.e. /or t&e 're'aration o/ .aily meals is mu+& more limite. an.

less bur.ensome, )iven t&at a lar)e number o/ t&e 'reliminary tas"s&ave .evolve. onto 'ro/essionals, an. to t&e a)ro=/oo. in.ustry6Moreover, in t&e in.ustrialie. +ountries, +ulinary a+tivity ten.s to/orsa"e t&e .omesti+ .omain to be+ome a 'ro/ession 'ra+ti+e. in t&e'ubli+ arena o/ restaurants6 In t&is ne .imension, +oo"in) ten.s to+&an)e )en.ers, be+omin) no lon)er a /emale .omesti+ a+tivity butto a 'ro/ession e1er+ise. 'rin+i'ally by men6