Distinguished people of Forlimpopoli

Pellegrino Artusi, author of ‘La scienza in cucina e l’arte di mangiar bene‘ (‘Science in the Kitchen and the Art of Eating Well’), was born in Forlimpopoli on 4 August 1820. A turning point in the life of Pellegrino and his family was the famous raid by the Passatore and his gang in 1851. The Artusi family, in fact, was robbed that night by the band of outlaws and the following year they moved to Florence where Pellegrino Artusi lived, dedicating himself successfully to commerce.

He died (in 1911 at the age of 91) in Tuscany, but always kept his ties with his hometown.

Artusi published ‘La scienza in cucina e l’arte di mangiar bene’ in 1891, 14 editions were printed in twenty years. By 1931 the editions were 32 and Artusi’s work was one of the most widely read books by Italians along with ‘Promessi Sposi’ and ‘Pinocchio’. The book contains 790 recipes accompanied by the author’s reflections and anecdotes written in a witty style. His work constituted a true break-through in the gastronomic culture of the time. In fact, Artusi is credited with having given dignity to the mosaic of regional traditions and for the first time valorised it for the purposes of a national gastronomic tradition.