Ancient books and kitchenware tell the history of cooking and eating habits from the 1400s to the present day at 鈥楪arum - Biblioteca e Museo della Cucina,鈥 the latest museum to open in Rome.
Called 鈥楪arum鈥 in homage to the sauce made from fermented fish innards that the ancient Romans loved, the museum features what is described as one of the most important and diverse private collections of gastronomic history in 天美传媒.
The culinary tools and cookbooks on display, including some of the oldest and rarest in existence, have been collected over the course of 40 years by Rossano Boscolo, an internationally renowned pastry chef, collector of ancient and precious recipe books, and founder of the Campus 脡toile Academy, a cooking school that over the years has produced more than one multi-starred chefs.
The location of the museum is no less prestigious: the palace that hosts it stands on what was believed to be the Lupercal, the cave on the Palatine Hill where the she-wolf found Romulus and Remus, and suckled them until they were rescued by a shepherd. The Palatine Hill is the centermost of Rome鈥檚 seven hills, where Romulus is thought to have founded Rome. In the valley just below stands the Circus Maximus, an ancient Roman chariot-racing stadium that could accommodate 150,00 spectators.
On the lower floor, the museum displays varied instruments that have been used over the centuries in haute cuisine, pastry, chocolate- and gelato-making, bakery and home kitchens. Pieces include early 17th-century Baroque ice cream molds, gas cookers from the 1950s, 19-century Tuscan mezzine, or copper jugs, contemporary pasta machines and designer鈥檚 pots from the late 20th century.
The library occupies the entire upper floor of the building and offers a guided tour through five centuries of gastronomy, with such important texts as a rare first edition of 鈥淪cience in the Kitchen and the Art of Eating Well鈥 by Pellegrino Artusi, considered the inventor of Italian cuisine, and 鈥淭he Opera of Bartolomeo Scappi鈥 by the author of the same name, chef to the pope in the 1500s.
Visitors can also take part in the museum鈥檚 guided tour that includes a 鈥渉istorical aperitif and dinner鈥 for a chance to taste ancient recipes.
The is located on Via dei Cerchi 87. It is currently closed for works and scheduled to reopen on April 11.
All photos courtesy of Museo della Cucina.
