Foundation
Casa Artusi is the centre of gastronomic culture dedicated to Italian home cookery.
In 2007, it opened its doors to enthusiasts and the inquisitive, those passionate about cooking, professionals and experts, scholars and researchers, in short all those wishing to learn more about the Artusi culture and enjoy the practical experience of home cooking.
Casa Artusi, created by renovating the stunning monumental complex of Chiesa dei Servi in Forlimpopoli, winds along a path formed of two souls: knowledge and know-how, library and kitchen and the pens and pots that characterised Pellegrino Artusi’s work.
Founded on the wish of the City of Forlimpopoli and the Foundation of the bank, Cassa dei Risparmi di Forli, Casa Artusi is committed to developing tourism and promoting the culture of this area, doing so by spreading gastronomic culture both in Italy and abroad.
"I love the beautiful and the good, wherever I find them." Pellegrino Artusi
Mission
Operation Casa Artusi was established in the name of home cookery, inspired by the spirit and model of the book, Science in the Kitchen and the Art of Eating Well. Casa Artusi promotes Pellegrino Artusi and his work through both the research carried out by the Scientific Committee and the training sessions held in the cookery school. The Foundation is a tool for promoting and marketing this area, and the aim of its not-for-profit activities is to develop cultural, food and wine tourism by spreading the gastronomic culture of Pellegrino Artusi both nationally and internationally.
“Decalogue of home cookery”
- 1. Respect natural ingredients Love the beautiful and the good wherever they are found, and do not tolerate the squandering of God’s bounty. [Preface]
- 2. Use quality ingredients Always choose the finest ingredients as your raw materials, for these will make you shine. [Preface]
- 3. Use seasonal ingredients [Vegetables] prepare them at the height of their harvest, when they are cheap; only choose those which are ripe and of good quality [423]. Use fruit which is both healthy and ripe, according to the season [Foods for weak stomachs]
- 4. Be simple My cooking tends to be simple and light. I try as much as possible to avoid dishes that are too elaborate and contain a heterogeneous mixture of ingredients and that, as a result, upset the stomach. [30]
- 5. Be passionate, take care and be precise in your method If you do not aspire to become a premier cook... in order to achieve... passion, care and precision of method will suffice. [Preface]
- 6. Practice with patience Have the patience to test a dish a few times (that is what I do, again and again!) [435]. If at first you do not succeed, do not despair; with good will and persistence, you shall manage. [Preface]
- 7. Vary by all means, but do so in respect of the territory and the season [Minestrone,] this is how I would have made it to my taste: feel free to modify it to suit the tastes of your part of the world, and the vegetables locally available. [47]
- 8. If you make a variation, do so with simplicity and good taste ...all dishes can be modified in various ways depending upon the fancy of a particular cook. But in modifying dishes one should never lose sight of the need for simplicity, delicacy, and a pleasing flavour; thus everything depends on the good taste of the cook. [540]
- 9. Value the cuisine of the poor This "modest" soup—whence the epithet "peasant"—will, I am certain, be enjoyed by all. [58]
- 10. Beware of cookbooks (even mine) Beware of books that deal with this art: most of them are inaccurate or incomprehensible... the very most you will glean are a few notions, useful only if you already “know the art”. [Preface]
"It is in the home where one best learns to live and to eat. It is a house not only of memories and fame, but also of appetite. Casa Artusi is the living museum of home cookery." Alberto Capatti
Institutional partners
