Bartolomeo Scappi | The art of Pasta making during the Renaissance
Bartolomeo Scappi (1500- 1577) was a Renaissance Italian author and a master cook for three cardinals and two popes.
He acquired fame in 1570 when his monumental cookbook "Opera dell'arte del cucinare" was published in Venice.
This "Opera" is considered the most extensive cookbook of the Renaissance.
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| Bartolomeo Scappi "Opera dell'arte del cucinare" (1570) |
It's a legend that Marco Polo (1254 - 1324) - the famous Venetian merchant and adventurer, who traveled from Europe to Asia - has imported from China the art of pasta making.
In fact fresh pasta was already known. The pasta making dated from Roman Times.
Today I want to write a post about Bartolomeo Scappi and the art of fresh pasta making.
He wrote how to make fresh egg pasta dough and how to use the special rolling pin (in old Italian "bastone") to roll the pasta, and how to cut the pasta "tagliatelle" with a long knife.
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| Bartolomeo Scappi - How to make fresh egg pasta dough Tagliatelle |
English Translation:
To prepare Fresh Egg Pasta and "Tagliatelle".
Work two pounds of wheat flour, three eggs and warm water into a pasta dough, kneading it very well on a table for a quarter of an hour.
Roll it out thin with a rolling-pin ("bastone") and let the pasta sheet ("sfloglio") of dough dry a little, with a pasta cutter ("sperone") away the irregular parts, the fringes.
When pasta sheet has dried, though not too much because it would break up, sprinkle it with wheat flour through the flour-sifter so it will not stick.
Then take the pasta rolling pin ("bastone della pasta") and, beginning at one end, wrap the whole pasta sheet loosely onto the rolling pin, draw the rolling pin out and cut the rolled-up pasta dough crosswise with a broad, thin knife.
When they ("tagliatelli") are cut, broaden them.
Let them dry out a little and, when they are dry, filter off the excess wheat flour through a sieve.
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| Bartolomeo Scappi - How to roll fresh egg pasta |