Maestro Martino of Como
Encyclopedia
Martino de Rossi or Martino de Rubeis, called Martino of Como, was the most important cook of the 15th century. His book Libro de Arte Coquinaria (The Art of Cooking) (ca. 1465) is considered a landmark in Italian gastronomic literature and a historical record of the transition from mediaeval to renaissance
cuisine.
His early career probably began in northern Italy, as he is referred to variously as both Martino di Como and Martino di Milano, but it seems likely that he spent some time in Naples as many of his recipes show the influence of Spanish cuisine and with the Catalan manuscript Libre de Sent Soví, Naples having come under lasting Catalan influence after its conquest by Alfonso V of Aragon
in 1442.
In Rome he served as cook to Ludovico Trevisan, Cardinal Patriarch of Aquileia, as well as to Giangiacomo Trivulzio, a Milanese condottiere (adventurer).
Little more is known about Martino but he was described by his friend Bartolomeo Sacchi (known as Platina
) as "Prince of cooks from whom I learned all about cooking" in De honesta voluptate et valetudine (On Honest Pleasure and Good Health) (1474). Platina openly acknowledges in his book that most of the his recipes came from Martino whom he compared to a Greek philosopher in his ability to improvise on a culinary theme.
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
cuisine.
His early career probably began in northern Italy, as he is referred to variously as both Martino di Como and Martino di Milano, but it seems likely that he spent some time in Naples as many of his recipes show the influence of Spanish cuisine and with the Catalan manuscript Libre de Sent Soví, Naples having come under lasting Catalan influence after its conquest by Alfonso V of Aragon
Alfonso V of Aragon
Alfonso the Magnanimous KG was the King of Aragon , Valencia , Majorca, Sardinia and Corsica , and Sicily and Count of Barcelona from 1416 and King of Naples from 1442 until his death...
in 1442.
In Rome he served as cook to Ludovico Trevisan, Cardinal Patriarch of Aquileia, as well as to Giangiacomo Trivulzio, a Milanese condottiere (adventurer).
Little more is known about Martino but he was described by his friend Bartolomeo Sacchi (known as Platina
Platina
Platina is a municipality in the state of São Paulo in Brazil. The population in 2004 is 2,866 and the area is 328.68 km². The elevation is 466 m....
) as "Prince of cooks from whom I learned all about cooking" in De honesta voluptate et valetudine (On Honest Pleasure and Good Health) (1474). Platina openly acknowledges in his book that most of the his recipes came from Martino whom he compared to a Greek philosopher in his ability to improvise on a culinary theme.
English translations
- Luigi Ballerini (editor), Jeremy ParzenJeremy ParzenJeremy Parzen is a wine writer and educator, blogger, food and wine historian, and musician who resides in Austin, Texas. He is author of the wine and lifestyle blog, Do Bianchi, and is a co-editor, together with Italian wine writer Franco Ziliani, of VinoWire, a blog devoted to news from the...
(translator) (2005), The Art of Cooking: The First Modern Cookery Book, University of California Press. - Gillian RileyGillian RileyGillian Riley, born in 1945, is an English food writer. She is a leading authority on the history of Italian cuisine. She wrote the Oxford Companion to Italian Food and edited and translated the work of Giacomo Castelvetro.- Works :...
(translator) (2005), Maestro Martino: Libro de Arte Coquinaria, University of California Oakland, CA ISBN 1-891788-83-3 (on CD-ROM)