Antonio Latini
Encyclopedia
Antonio Latini was a steward
of Cardinal Antonio Barberini
, cardinal-nephew
of Pope Urban VIII
in Rome and subsequently to Don Stefano Carillo Salcedo, first minister to the Spanish viceroy of Naples. Born in Collamato, now a frazione
of the town of Fabriano
], in the province of Ancona
, his cookbook, Lo scalco alla moderna "the Modern Steward", (Naples, vol. I 1692, vol. II 1694),contains in its first volume the (surprisingly late) earliest surviving recipes for tomato sauce
, though he did not suggest serving it over pasta
. One of his tomato recipes is for sauce alla spagnuola, "in the Spanish style". In his second volume Latini gives early recipes for sorbetti.
Latini had gone to Rome
at the age of sixteen, and worked his way up in the familia or household of Cardinal Barberini. By turns assistant cook, waiter and wardrobe attendant, he learned the theatrical carving skills expected of a maître d'hôtel and swordsmanship as well. Mastering the arts of successively important stewardship positions, he was made a Roman conte, a "Knight of the Golden Spur" for his service. After working in Rome and at courts in Macerata
, Mirandola
and Faenza
, Latini went to serve as scalco, or household steward, to Carillo Salcedo in 1682.
In Naples Latini cast his net widely for the best products of the Kingdom of Naples
for Don Stefano's table. In Lo scalco moderna a brief description of the Regno listed fruits and local specialties in melons and game, oil and olives, vegetables and salads of "rare quality", drawn from Latini's professional experience from 25 locales, none of them as far afield as Sicily
, in fact mostly within a days journey of Naples: Poggio Reale, Chiaja, colline di Posillipo
, Pozzuoli
, Procida
, Ischia
, Capri
, Sorrento
, Vico, Castell'a mare di Stabbia, Torre del Greco
, Granatiello, Monte di Somma
, Orta, Nola
, Aversa
, Cardito
, Arienzo
, Acerra
, Giugliano
, Capua
, Gaeta
, Venafro
, Sora, Isola di Sora.
Latini's manuscript autobiography, not included in Lo scalco moderna, brings his personal career to light by sharing details of a kitchen career that had hitherto been unheard-of when they were first described in print by French gastronomist Marie-Antoine Carême
. A transcription that was made in 1690 was discovered in the city library of Fabriano
and published by Furio Liccichenti.
Steward (office)
A steward is an official who is appointed by the legal ruling monarch to represent him or her in a country, and may have a mandate to govern it in his or her name; in the latter case, it roughly corresponds with the position of governor or deputy...
of Cardinal Antonio Barberini
Antonio Barberini
Antonio Barberini was an Italian Catholic cardinal, Archbishop of Reims, military leader, patron of the arts and a prominent member of the House of Barberini. As one of the cardinal-nephews of Pope Urban VIII and a supporter of France, he played a significant role at a number of the papal...
, cardinal-nephew
Cardinal-nephew
A cardinal-nephew is a cardinal elevated by a Pope who is that cardinal's uncle, or, more generally, his relative. The practice of creating cardinal-nephews originated in the Middle Ages, and reached its apex during the 16th and 17th centuries. The word nepotism originally referred specifically to...
of Pope Urban VIII
Pope Urban VIII
Pope Urban VIII , born Maffeo Barberini, was pope from 1623 to 1644. He was the last pope to expand the papal territory by force of arms, and was a prominent patron of the arts and reformer of Church missions...
in Rome and subsequently to Don Stefano Carillo Salcedo, first minister to the Spanish viceroy of Naples. Born in Collamato, now a frazione
Frazione
A frazione , in Italy, is the name given in administrative law to a type of territorial subdivision of a comune; for other administrative divisions, see municipio, circoscrizione, quartiere...
of the town of Fabriano
Fabriano
Fabriano is a town and comune of Ancona province in the Italian region of the Marche, at 325 m above sea-level. It lies in the Esino valley 44 km upstream and SW of Jesi; and 15 km ENE of Fossato di Vico and 36 km east of Gubbio...
], in the province of Ancona
Province of Ancona
The Province of Ancona is a province in the Marche region of central Italy. Its capital is the city of Ancona. The province has an area of 1940 km² and a 2006 population of 465,906 in 49 comuni , see Comunes of the Province of Ancona....
, his cookbook, Lo scalco alla moderna "the Modern Steward", (Naples, vol. I 1692, vol. II 1694),contains in its first volume the (surprisingly late) earliest surviving recipes for tomato sauce
Tomato sauce
A tomato sauce is any of a very large number of sauces made primarily from tomatoes, usually to be served as part of a dish...
, though he did not suggest serving it over pasta
Pasta
Pasta is a staple food of traditional Italian cuisine, now of worldwide renown. It takes the form of unleavened dough, made in Italy, mostly of durum wheat , water and sometimes eggs. Pasta comes in a variety of different shapes that serve for both decoration and to act as a carrier for the...
. One of his tomato recipes is for sauce alla spagnuola, "in the Spanish style". In his second volume Latini gives early recipes for sorbetti.
Latini had gone to Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
at the age of sixteen, and worked his way up in the familia or household of Cardinal Barberini. By turns assistant cook, waiter and wardrobe attendant, he learned the theatrical carving skills expected of a maître d'hôtel and swordsmanship as well. Mastering the arts of successively important stewardship positions, he was made a Roman conte, a "Knight of the Golden Spur" for his service. After working in Rome and at courts in Macerata
Macerata
Macerata is a city and comune in central Italy, the capital of the province of Macerata in the Marche region.The historical city center is located on a hill between the Chienti and Potenza rivers. It consisted of the Picenes city named Ricina, then, after the romanization, Recina and Helvia Recina...
, Mirandola
Mirandola
Mirandola is a city and comune of Emilia-Romagna, Italy, in the Province of Modena, 31 km northeast of the provincial capital by railway.- History :Mirandola originated as a Renaissance city-fortress...
and Faenza
Faenza
Faenza is an Italian city and comune, in the province of Ravenna, Emilia-Romagna, situated 50 km southeast of Bologna.Faenza is noted for its manufacture of majolica ware glazed earthenware pottery, known from the name of the town as "faience"....
, Latini went to serve as scalco, or household steward, to Carillo Salcedo in 1682.
In Naples Latini cast his net widely for the best products of the Kingdom of Naples
Kingdom of Naples
The Kingdom of Naples, comprising the southern part of the Italian peninsula, was the remainder of the old Kingdom of Sicily after secession of the island of Sicily as a result of the Sicilian Vespers rebellion of 1282. Known to contemporaries as the Kingdom of Sicily, it is dubbed Kingdom of...
for Don Stefano's table. In Lo scalco moderna a brief description of the Regno listed fruits and local specialties in melons and game, oil and olives, vegetables and salads of "rare quality", drawn from Latini's professional experience from 25 locales, none of them as far afield as Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
, in fact mostly within a days journey of Naples: Poggio Reale, Chiaja, colline di Posillipo
Posillipo
Posillipo is a residential quarter of Naples, southern Italy, located along the northern coast of the Gulf of Naples; it is called Pusilleco in the Neapolitan language.-Geography:...
, Pozzuoli
Pozzuoli
Pozzuoli is a city and comune of the province of Naples, in the Italian region of Campania. It is the main city of the Phlegrean peninsula.-History:Pozzuoli began as the Greek colony of Dicaearchia...
, Procida
Procida
Procida is one of the Flegrean Islands off the coast of Naples in southern Italy. The island is between Cape Miseno and the island of Ischia. With its tiny satellite island of Vivara, it is a comune of the province of Naples, in the region of Campania. The population is about ten...
, Ischia
Ischia
Ischia is a volcanic island in the Tyrrhenian Sea. It lies at the northern end of the Gulf of Naples, about 30 km from the city of Naples. It is the largest of the Phlegrean Islands. Roughly trapezoidal in shape, it measures around 10 km east to west and 7 km north to south and has...
, Capri
Capri
Capri is an Italian island in the Tyrrhenian Sea off the Sorrentine Peninsula, on the south side of the Gulf of Naples, in the Campania region of Southern Italy...
, Sorrento
Sorrento
Sorrento is the name of many cities and towns:*Sorrento, Italy*Sorrento, Florida, United States*Sorrento, Louisiana, United States*Sorrento, Maine, United States*Sorrento, Victoria, a township on the Mornington Peninsula, Victoria, Australia...
, Vico, Castell'a mare di Stabbia, Torre del Greco
Torre del Greco
-Main sights:*Roman archaeological remains, including the so-called "Villa Sora" , probably a property of the Flavians.*Monastery of the Zoccolanti, with a cloister housing 28 frescoed panels depicting the life of St...
, Granatiello, Monte di Somma
Massa di Somma
Massa di Somma is a comune in the Province of Naples in the Italian region Campania, located about 10 km east of Naples. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 5,929 and an area of 3.5 km²....
, Orta, Nola
Nola
Nola is a city and comune of Campania, southern Italy, in the province of Naples, situated in the plain between Mount Vesuvius and the Apennines...
, Aversa
Aversa
Aversa is a town and comune in the Province of Caserta in Campania southern Italy, about 15 kilometres north of Naples. It is the centre of an agricultural district, the agro aversano, producing wine and cheese...
, Cardito
Cardito
Cardito is a comune in the Province of Naples in the Italian region Campania, located about 14 km northeast of Naples. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 20,752 and an area of 3.2 km²....
, Arienzo
Arienzo
Arienzo is a town and comune in the Province of Caserta, Campania, southern Italy. It is located across the Appian Way.It is connected to Naples, Benevento and Caserta by regular bus services....
, Acerra
Acerra
Acerra is a town and comune of Campania, southern Italy, in the Province of Naples, about 20 km northeast of the provincial capital in Naples. It is part of the Agro Acerrano plain.-History:...
, Giugliano
Giugliano in Campania
Giugliano in Campania is a city and comune in the province of Napoli, Campania, Italy. As of 2008, it had some 113,000 inhabitants and it is the most populated Italian city not provincial seat. It is part of Naples' metropolitan area.-History:In 5th-4th century BCE the territory of Giugliano was...
, Capua
Capua
Capua is a city and comune in the province of Caserta, Campania, southern Italy, situated 25 km north of Naples, on the northeastern edge of the Campanian plain. Ancient Capua was situated where Santa Maria Capua Vetere is now...
, Gaeta
Gaeta
Gaeta is a city and comune in the province of Latina, in Lazio, central Italy. Set on a promontory stretching towards the Gulf of Gaeta, it is 120 km from Rome and 80 km from Naples....
, Venafro
Venafro
Venafro is a comune in the province of Isernia, region of Molise, Italy. It has a population of around 12,000, having expanded quickly in the post-war period.-Geography:...
, Sora, Isola di Sora.
Latini's manuscript autobiography, not included in Lo scalco moderna, brings his personal career to light by sharing details of a kitchen career that had hitherto been unheard-of when they were first described in print by French gastronomist Marie-Antoine Carême
Marie-Antoine Carême
Marie Antoine Carême , known as the "King of Chefs, and the Chef of Kings" was an early practitioner and exponent of the elaborate style of cooking known as haute cuisine, the "high art" of French cooking: a grandiose style of cookery favored by both international royalty and by the newly rich of...
. A transcription that was made in 1690 was discovered in the city library of Fabriano
Fabriano
Fabriano is a town and comune of Ancona province in the Italian region of the Marche, at 325 m above sea-level. It lies in the Esino valley 44 km upstream and SW of Jesi; and 15 km ENE of Fossato di Vico and 36 km east of Gubbio...
and published by Furio Liccichenti.