IL CIBO FRA NATURA E CULTURA: ALCUNI ASSAGGI DI POESIA GASTRONOMICA GRECA

A little known Greek author, generally ignored by most handbooks of literary history, Archestratos of Gela, is regarded by the most qualified scholars as the “Father of Western Gastronomyâ€. He worked during the second half of the 4th century BC; his poem, Hedypatheia (Life of pleasure), is a peculiar Lehrgedicht, result of a refined art, very well controlled and never excessive, humourous, resulting from an unexpected contrast between the hexametric form and the original grastronomic topic. From this serio-comic and allusive work only 62 fragments survive, amounting around 330 lines. This ancient gastronome travelled all around the world for the sake of philedonia and had much fun translating his taste experiences into verse. He thought that only direct autopsy is a guarantee of success in cooking. This is a sort of “vademecum of the gourmet†(Lesky), that generates the rule of WHERE/HOW/WHEN, which is still an excellent guide.