THE HOME OF TASTE

RAFFAELE FERRAIOLI

THE MEANING OF AN INITIATIVE

SALVATORE GRIMALDI

A NEW ROUTE FOR DEVELOPMENT

NINO D’ANTONIO

TASTE AND ENVIRONMENT

EZIO FALCONE

SEA AND MOUNTAIN CUISINE

GIUSEPPE LUCANI

PROJECT OPTIONS

THE MEANING OF AN INITIATIVEProtect the countryside, manage the land, save the agriculture, upgrade the environmental and cultural resources,promote the typical products and produce - all these are phrases repeated daily, some resulting in further complicating,

while others still try to untie the thousand knots of the current debate regarding local development.It is not easy, however to foresee what the future holds for the rural world, as worldwide trends are

conflicting - transgenic as opposed to biological, typical against globalised. These are complex and delicatequestions requiring a wide-ranging and often dispassionate vision able to conjugate past, present and

future, the three key values of our existence, in other words tradition, evolution, and innovation. Andthese are equally noble objectives, but are they always compatible?

A thin veneer of nostalgia often induces us to treat the past as if it were a “still life” painting,yet a vision more in keeping with the computer society relates our daily-life experience to the

fabric of history. Hence there follows that “material culture”, certainly protected if not exalted,which is after all the very matrix of our present-day living.

To re-interpret the past, re-propose life-styles and models of existence, to transmit valuableknowledge and well-tried practices to the new generations - these are our real aims and

objectives.The Amalfi Coast preserves intact its invaluable asset of being unique. Authenticityis still the distinguishing hallmark of the hill and hinterland area of this exceptional“cultural heritage” that belongs to Humanity, as it has been declared by Unesco, butit cannot afford to rest on its laurels. The pledge to forestall the metamorphosis which it is currently undergoing is vitallyimportant, as this risks bringing about the disappearance of the testimonies of thatextraordinary symbiotic relationship which over the centuries Man has learnt to knitbetween Nature and his environment.

RAFFAELE FERRAIOLIPRESIDENT OF THE AMALFI PENINSULAMOUNTAIN COMMUNITY

One can and must have at all costs the courage both to bet on and invest in the future of these ‘highlands’, that arenow outcast and almost excluded from the social and economic development that tourism has distributed along the Coast. Our utopia lies in being able to save the ‘other face’ of the Coast, meaning that territorial ‘backland’ which still proves

to be an almost inexhaustible showcase of valuable resources, by reinserting it within the economiccircuits, but with a more advanced development.

The tourist market, which already is and still remains our referencemarket, is now offering new and interesting opportunities, whichit would be foolish not to seize. A place within this strategic perspective is occupied by the activityof our Mountain Community, which has always played the roleof an institutional intermediary “pivot” between local subjectsand the higher-level regional and national institutions. Thisactivity takes the form of intervention aimed at safeguardingagriculture, which is viewed not so much through culturalre-conversion as entrepreneurial innovation.

Here agriculture is everything, and there is widespread consensualawareness of this. We are convinced that this area’s future islinked to overcoming its present crisis. The diagnosis is unanimouslyagreed upon, but the method of treatment less so. Yet we haveno doubt that it is first and foremost necessary to remove certainfalse dogmas and allow ourselves to be guided more by reasonthan by sentiment. Intervention must be made on the operatorfor a change of attitude, and for a new approach.What is expected from the farmer is that his occupation isbeing progressively transformed into a profession of syntheses,at the cross-roads between production, nature protection andland management As this continues, the farmer’s role will

open up to flexibility, giving full rein to what today is called multi-activity and which tomorrow will become the newrural entrepreneurship.The value of agriculture no longer resides, as in the past, in its primary raw produce and products, but in the numerousadditional qualities granted by technological progress or by marketing activities. The relevance of its non-material contents(trade-mark, label, packaging, typicality, traceability )is increasing. It is evident, therefore, that value for the consumerlies more especially in services, quality, and in organization.The farmer must no longer simply set himself the problem of how to produce, but of what types of produce to directhis production towards, who to produce for, when to sell, how to sell, and who to sell to.Agricultural policies are now being modified within the constraints of this new perspective, and range from sectionalinterventions to complex territorial ones, so that having once established its own strategic objectives,our Mountain Community has in fact acted accordingly.And it is herein where the logic of the numerous activitieslies that have been brought into being for the re-launchingof the economy, amongst which the integrated project ofThe Wine Route (La Strada del Vino) and The Homeof Taste (La Casa del Gusto) deserve special mention. The first of these, namely The Wine Route, is seen as aninnovatory alternative tourist-cultural itinerary, supplementaryto, but by no means in competition with the classic “drive”along the coast, but seen rather as a restyling and enhancementof the all-inclusive Amalfi Coast tourist packet. The second one in contrast, namely The Home of Taste, figuresas an inducement and energy multiplier, as an organizationsystem of the locality, devised and articulated in such a way asto compete more effectively on the global market.The Home of Taste, located at Tramonti along the course of theWine Route and in the heart of the agricultural and wine-producing

area of the Amalfi Coast is called upon to act as permanent research laboratory tocarry out training, communication, sensitization and education programmes all withregard to food.A function therefore totally dedicated to identifying, emphasising and promoting the pleasureand culture of high-quality food and wine. A structure earmarked for providing information,giving pleasure, entertaining and educating with regard to food, and which at the sametime acts as a meeting place for producers and consumers alike. The idea is to createa platform where direct information about the most excellent wine and food productsof the area may be exchanged at a supply and demand level in a mutually beneficialcontext.A ‘Home’ that is to say, that has a clearly-defined cultural and didactic ‘mission’, soto speak, and with an equally positive function of providing an economic drive forquality-catering and for commercialising and trading its typical products. And all this inthe full awareness of belonging to a land, the land of Amalfi, with its distinct vocationfor agriculture and food, together with its typical products of excellence. In this ‘sanctuary’as it were, there will be room for everything and everyone concerned with food, includingsmall-scale quality productions, protection syndicates, producer and consumer associations,business concerns, food specialists and connoisseurs, food and wine enthusiasts, as wellas ordinary citizens and tourists.An outside area is also provided fitted out with thematic display systems, linked toteaching routes, including for example “Vigneto della Volpe Pescatrice” (i.e.Vineyard of the Angler Fish), consisting of a field-catalogue of the highly preciousnative grown vines of the Amalfi Coast, as well as the “Frutteto della Memoria”(Orchard of Not-to-be-Forgotten Fruit), that is to say an arboretum with fruit plantstypical of our territory, now risking extinction.The “Home” will be articulated into three main areas, comprising the museum area,which is interactive and equipped with the most advanced and updated technological

backup, in addition to a permanent exhibition of high-quality kitchen and catering utensilsand gadgets; the teaching area, supplied with a periodicals room, a multi-media library,and a specialized food and wine library; a tasting and sampling area, distinguished forthe types of goods it offers, with an annexed wine display and confectionery. In the teaching area training-courses may also be organized, as well as refresher coursesregarding food and taste education designed for residents and tourists, and also prearrangedcourses for developing biological agriculture and implementing teaching farms and experimentation fields. From here the development of short-stay study courses follows witha commensurate extension of the tourist season.A visit to the centre may also take place virtually in the form of on-line distance learningby surfing the Internet. By adopting the same system it will be possible from the Tramonti“site” to visit places and business firms on the territory in order to gain in-depth knowledge in preview, as it were, and verify their contents. It will be necessary to stipulatean agreement between our Mountain Community, which owns the centre together with theCommunes of the Amalfi Coast, and the private actors operating on the territory. Thiswill be an agreement that defines both the political aims of the initiative, and identifiesthe economic spin-off for local development.An articulated communication campaign,(and this publication is concrete evidence

thereof) is already underway, whereby all those who are interested in learning more aboutthis project may become further informed.As the works begin, it becomes imperative at this point to initiate a course of confrontationand consensus of the enterprise. A prearranged orchestration chart is required to set upas wide a participation as possible and, as we proceed, to gather contributions, suggestionsand proposals that will be useful for the overall success of this important initiative.But this is just a beginning.

A NEW ROUTE FOR DEVELOPMENT

SALVATORE GRIMALDIPRESIDENT OF “THE AMALFI COASTWINE ROUTE”

The Wine Routes, according to the definition that the constitutive law assigns them are “routes marked out andpublicized with apposite road-signs, along which natural, invaluable cultural and environmental assets are to befound, including vineyards and cooperative winegrowers associations that are open to the public”.In order to function they require a disciplinary measure that defines the quality standards for those who form partof it, a management committee, a system of indications and instructions, guides and explanatory advertising andpublicity material. These, in short, are the main instruments through which the winegrowing territories and qualityproductions may be promoted, publicised, commercialised and enjoyed in the form of a commodity serviceoffered to tourists.Following the specific rules and regulations issued by the Campania Region, “TheAmalfi Coast Wine Route” has now come into being which has DOC(Denominazione di Origine Controllata i.e. Protected Designation of Origin)as its main element, with three sub-zones, namely Tramonti, Ravelloand Furore with their Red, White and Rosé wines, respectively.

The primary objective our initiative setsfor itself is to upgrade the hinterlandzones of the territory, which are in sharpcontrast with the impressive tourist areaextending along the coast-road fromVietri to Positano. An ever-weakeningagriculture exists in these hinterlandzones which still performs an essentialfunction of environmental and landscapeprotection of the territory. For various reasons however, the hillarea proves to be almost totally excludedfrom development, although able tooffer resources of exceptional value on

account of the creation of a homogeneous‘territory’ product that is characterised by its strong identity. Thus

our objective is directed towards a redistribution of tourist flows not to be seen asbeing in competition with the coastal ones, but rather as integrating with the same, aiming more specifically at a particularsegment of society, namely that of the ‘wine traveller’, which in turn may lead towards a socio-economic re-appraisalof the entire district. Based on the reasoning of these premises “The Amalfi Coast Wine Route” has created a route which starting outfrom the Chiunzi Pass progresses along two leading roadways, the first of which descends towards the sea through theentire territory of the town of Tramonti until it reaches Maiori. From here along the route of the Amalfi State Road,on one side it goes towards Vietri, and on the other, it crosses Minori and reaches Castiglione di Ravello.The second main route also leaves Chiunzi, crosses all the upper part of the township of Tramonti, continues towardsRavello, goes as far as Scala, and then drops towards the sea again, crossing the first main route. The route continues inthis way passing through Atrani, then Amalfi and eventually, on climbing the mountain once more, arrives at Furore.

Along this route it will be possible to come across and visit the vineyards where the vinesare grown which produce DOC grapes, as well as the Amalfi Coast wine cooperativesand the winegrowing producers associations, which in the last few years have won everwider acclaim both at home and abroad. An opportunity will thus be provided to appreciate the hospitality of the agritourisms(farm holiday centres) which have enthusiastically taken part in this project, as well asbecome an occasion for tasting the local products of the territory, from the IGP Amalfilemons (Indicazione Geografica Protetta) i.e. P.G.I. Protected Geographical Indication,to Scala and Tramonti chestnuts, and to the ‘Piennolo’ (small pendulous tomatoes) fromFurore. The wine tourist will be able to taste the DOC wines, to receive information about themand about all the cooperatives taking part in the ‘Wine Route’ enterprise, as well as tolearn about the production of Limoncello and the numerous rosolio wines produced inthis area, besides having the opportunity to taste the typical dishes in the restaurantsassociated with the “Route”, as well as to discover the characteristics of the cheeses ofvarious makes made from the untreated milk of flocks grazing freely over the mountainsthat crown the territory.Along this route, and quite rightly so, is included “La Casa del Gusto”, that is to say“The Home of Taste” called “territorial museolization” by experts, which through itsthematic sections and the field-catalogue of the vines, will offer the wine-tourist the possibilityof going back in time and revisiting the history of the territory and all its typical features.The next few years to come will be devoted to gourmet (wine and food) tourism, markedby a desire to understand, and by a determination to cover kilometres for the pleasureof discovering a particular wine and its territory.Thus The House of Taste will not be a ‘museum’, a place for memories, but rather thesite for relating what a land produces and its history.

There is an age-old controversy regarding taste, namely whether we eat for want of precise taste

categories to refer to, or whether we eat for the close dependence that taste has on the territory, of

which taste is certainly an expression. In this latter case, even before becoming a

geographical entity, territory is equivalent to customs, to living habits and relationships,

to deeply-rooted practices and convictions: in a word to tradition, to which taste is

never a stranger.

Among the factors which contribute towards determining taste, a first and foremost reference is provided

by the location of the place and its physical features, which determine whether it belongs to the

mountain or to the coast, to the plain or to the hill accordingly. Yet these distinctions, seemingly very

sharp ones, do not always tally. At any rate in our South they don't, where the borders between sea

and mountains - with what the two realities have with regard to climate, produce, activities, settlements -

are often indistinct and exposed to frequent incursions from both sides.

If we think of the Alps, the argument clearly does not hold. But if the mountains are those of the

Apennines - a much more extensive, tormented and varied system - running narrowly along the entire

peninsula between two seas - then contamination ( i.e. mixing of ingredients of different provenance) is

not only possible, but does in fact have widespread roots dating back to ancient times.

This phenomenon, ever so varied in the southern lands of Italy, assumes a special significance along the

Amalfi coast and hinterland, where the territory loses its distinctive features of a definite geographical

layout, to lay itself open to anarchical forms of unpredictable mixings.

The reasons for this are to be sought in the presence of a widespread volcanism, whose manifestations

have throughout the centuries ended by upsetting the original shape of the landscape. The outcome is

that of a difficult and disorderly territory, where the want of homogeneous elements is replaced by an intrigue

of valleys, ridges, gorges, precipices, mountains, canals, cliffs and waterfalls, which succeed each other in

NINO D’ANTONIOJOURNALIST

TASTE AND SURROUNDINGS

a highly disconcerting layout. A restless landscape that drops headlong down to the sea with hazardous

precipices, or extends across the skilful arrangement of its terracing, but is always protagonist of amazing

scenery.

The various forms of impact produced by the volcanic activity have created a variety of physical features

according to the thickness to the earth’s crust, so that where this has proved more resistant there has been

the cone-shaped accumulation of the Lattari Mountains, and where weaker, the lowering of the Nocerino-

Sarnese Plain. But on closer examination also the Lattari Mountains do not present themselves as a unified

chain, but rather as blocks of sheer roughly-shaped isolated rocks extending from the Cava dei Tirreni Gap

to Punta Campanella. This the territory of the glorious Republic of Amalfi which along the range of these

heights - from St. Maria del Castello to Monte Cappullo to Mount Conocchia and Mount Faito to be exact - has

long been linked to its hinterland’s destiny.

To render the territory even more incoherent and undulating are to be added the clayey nature of the terrains

and their subsequent erosion. Two elements which have induced the waterfalls to dig out deep chasms,

especially where the absence of woodland has excluded every form of water drainage. Hence the occasional

landslides and earth-slides, which now also form part of the landscape.

Yet not only has volcanism “constructed” so to speak, the Amalfi Coast landscape, but it has also made its

terrains extraordinarily fertile, thanks to the varied nature and chemical composition of the materials emerging

from the eruption, which have covered the entire territory to a thickness of several hundred metres. A deep

and unassailable layer that has conferred enormous potentialities on the countryside at the farm-produce

level, in addition to providing a defence against every danger of infestation. This may be valid for all cases

of the vine disease, which although devastating the entire peninsula did not affect the coastline, and thus

spared its celebrated vineyards which are still thriving today.

All things considered, if the effects that proved to be devastating for Pompeii and Herculaneum are excluded,

the eruption of 79 A.D. could in many ways be shown to have been a blessing. Without volcanism and its

frequent disturbances, not only the Amalfi Coast, but also the charm of the Phlegreian Fields and Ischia

would enter the canons of a regular geography, but if they did so they would lack the fascination and myth

which accompany their exceptional identity.

To give a definition to the landscape there remains at this point only the intervention of man, who, with his

patience and wisdom, and with a strength and faith bordering on heroism, has made these lands hemmed

in between rocks and sea, yet laden with a wild inhospitable beauty, one of the most fertile settlements

throughout the Mediterranean area.

Thus towns and villages which one may justifiably claim to have been created by clearing space from rocks

and digging into their inner parts wherever a rift provided an opening, and, furthermore, by marking out the

territory with a network of tiring stairways which by means of thousands of steps would link the mountain to

the sea; but above all by distributing the terrain carried laboriously on men’s

shoulders into the neat checkerboard of their terra-

cing carved out between cliff ledges and rock recesses. A work of extraordinary engi-

neering, imposed by the necessity of creating spaces for their very survival in

which they could grow the produce of vegetable gardens, vines and lemons,

and to set out the huts for the cultivation of those small tomatoes which an

incomparable sun has destined to become the small red ones called ‘pien-

noli’(pendulous tomatoes).

Once again the want of available land comes up with the solution

of planting vines on natural living supports in the shape of

almond-trees, walnut-trees and medlar-trees - on which the grapes

ripen together with other fruits in a sort of fruit orchard-vineyard

garden. And the practice of this pergola cultivation is to be

traced back yet again to lack of space, and comprises a

framework of chestnut stakes around which the fruit finds

space to grow some two metres above the soil. The solution

has several practical advantages. Not only does the pergola

system enable the underlying terrain to be used for growing

other crops, but is also ideal for protecting plant roots

variously exposed to heat risks from drought.

Is the Amalfi Coastline a long one? This in fact is that landscape

that tourists have immortalised in thousands of photographs and

which the cinema at large has always celebrated. But only in

part is it a reality that is actually in anyway different, since all the

coastal resorts between Positano and Vietri descend from the

mountains to the sea, even if the excellent reputation of the seafront

resorts with their bathing activities has encouraged the development of

reception and recreational facilities along the state road, often causing the

hinterland to disappear.

In contrast Montepertuso and Nocelle form an integral part of Positano and retain

their most authentic features, after the explosion of the nineteen-sixties gave the fishing

village the image of a spectacular and colourful show-case. And this also goes

for the entire coastline starting from Amalfi, which in addition to its strikingly-

attractive seafront and its built-up area that climbs up from Porta Marina

through the Valle dei Mulini, is also to be experienced and explored in

the rural society of its countryside that overlooks it in a scenic backcloth

of green and tranquillity.

This explains why, in spite of its sacrosanct tourist locations, the

Amalfi Coast continues to live a dual life, the rural one and the

marine one, faithful to its ancient image which has it that its

inhabitants keep one foot in the vineyard and the other at

sea. A duality that is also perfectly mirrored in its cuisine

where, on account of an ancient tradition, fish is hardly ever

prepared as an autonomous dish, but is almost always

combined with produce from the land (we may think of the

classic tattler fish and potatoes), and is open to a range of

solutions between sea and countryside.

A contaminated cuisine and tastes, therefore, distinguished

only by the changing rhythm of the seasons, just as it is in the

history of the entire Mediterranean. A tradition certainly linked

to a poor economy which did away with food bills by insisting on

making the best possible use of the resources from the vegetable

garden and the less reliable ones of the sea.

The basis of this cuisine - which was to learn how to exalt flavours

and aromas by conserving the properties and characteristics of the

various ingredients integrally - today rests on two elements, and rightly so,

between myth and legend. The fantasy of women (and the acknowledgement

is doubtlessly restrictive), capable of renewing the

daily dish of home-made pasta by combining it with potatoes, cauliflower, cabbage, artichokes,

pumpkin, not to mention a whole range of legumes; and the small-scale barter that preven-

ted them from having to pay for the corn-grinding or olive-pressing operations, the only acti-

vities carried on outside the tiny patrimony of a farming family.

A privileged exchange commodity, especially among the coastal centres, was wine,

which from Tramonti to Ravello and Furore was consumed over the whole territory and

in many Naples wine shops. An anonymous wine from the cask, almost always made

up of carefully dosed measures selected from among various grapes, in accordance with

the outcome of the grape harvest. The final result was linked to the vine-dresser’s skill

and in keeping with sound tradition. But the years destined for the discovery of the

native vines of the Coast of Amalfi, up to Doc recognition of its wines were yet to

come.

Now let us turn to taste understood both as an attribute of the senses and more

simply as a test-bed for the quality definition of a foodstuff or substance. Having

once established the relationships that taste has with the territory and tradition

which still represent a safe and secure haven, no matter how dependent they

may prove to be - but regarding all the rest everything becomes uncertain

and controversial. And not only for the absence of paradigms to refer to,

as much as for the presence of other factors, which are also variable

and debatable, and which contribute towards defining taste. If taste

involves all the five senses (yes, also hearing! Think of the noise produced

by eating an apple or a carrot, for example!), yet taste is able to transmit

only certain stimuli, such as being salty, morbid, spicy and so on.

This makes the organoleptic analysis of a foodstuff, compared with

that carried out for a wine or oil less complete and so less indicative.

Without considering the fact that there are no acceptable experiments

regarding gustatory investigations, and that our sensory sphere has become

remarkably impoverished compared with that of past generations.

Touch, taste and smell have undergone a marked regression, caused both by the

reluctance each one of us shows towards discovering certain special pleasures, as

well as by the excessively fast rhythms imprinted on our lives. Two factors

which expose the younger generations to the risk of losing sight of the real signi-

ficance of the act of feeding, together with its links with the land and the seasons,

and thus its health and cultural value.

Hence, while the average level of food culture has improved with a more

widespread service of information (albeit often on an advertising basis and thus a

consumer basis), which has nevertheless promoted a greater education in food,

correspondingly wiser and healthier diets have not been recorded.

Our work commitment, distances to be travelled, the tyranny of time, all of which

often force us to consume foods which, apart from the shortcomings at a nutritional

level, openly violate our sense of taste. And at this point it must be remembered that

food goes beyond the simple act of eating. The colours, aromas, the taste, contrasts

and harmony of a dish deserve not only to be acknowledged, but also to be

enjoyed and appreciated. This means tasting, which makes the difference from

the simple act of feeding.

Yet he who loves a good table does not only trust his own palate. It’s enough just

to think that being blindfolded and with their noses taped only very few people

are able to identify a foodstuff. Thus the full involvement of all our senses comes

back onto the scene beginning with sight, even if the aesthetic value of a dish

(and here the so-called ‘creative cuisine makes its mark) does not always represent

a sure indication. Often the fanciful and showy presentation of a dish is deceptive,

and so the response passes to the other senses, which, although involving several

different organs all intervene at one and the same time, or at most with a slight

anticipation of the sense of smell.

But is the judgement which we finally give about that dish acceptable? And most

of all, to what point does it go beyond the limits of our personal

taste to set itself as an objective fact? Do you remember the age-old maxim ‘De gustibus non est disputan-

dum’ - ‘there’s no accounting for taste’? We often repeat it, and its being attributed to Cicero sounds outra-

geous. Rather it is a question of medieval Latin, very close to macaronic Latin, but serves to confirm that

with regard to taste each one of us has his own preference, and it does well not to question this. Wisdom

that goes back to the Greeks even before ever reaching Rome. The Sophist Prothagoras had no doubts

about the fact that the knowledge from the senses is subjective. Indeed he adds that not only does it chan-

ge from one individual to another, but also from one moment to the next in the same person. An extre-

mely true conclusion, if one thinks that we make a different judgement about the same food if there is

any change in our health situation, or - as Brillat Savarin teaches us - if there is absence of of conviviality

comprising places, people or circumstances that had a positive influence when we first tasted a particu-

lar dish.

So it would seem we are at a stalemate, at least regarding the question of the subjectivity of taste. Yet even

this assumption is questioned. Taste is not only the evaluation made by the senses about what is good or

bad, of what pleases or displeases, but it is also knowledge, sagacity and its impulses come from the brain.

For which it cannot be considered a subjective and incommunicable fact, but is rather objective and

communicated.

Thus taste is presented as a cultural experience that is transmitted right

from birth together with the other variables which concur to defi-

ne the ‘values’ of a society. And here there comes into play

latently, but no less assuredly, the close relationship

among taste, territory and tradition - among the ele-

ments, in a word, that make up our anthropological

culture, including uses, customs, beliefs, super-

stitions, modes of behaviour, relationships

and language.

The hard core of a taste understood in this

way is the popular cuisine, which still preser-

ves its ancient deep soul, albeit

under a series of incrustations, ranging

from folklore to myth. It is the cuisine of

childhood and memory, of the humble yet per-

fect flavours, matured through the wisdom of

generations, whose culture - also when it has

left the popular setting to receive acclaim

among bourgeois circles- has never lost its ties

with nature and the seasons.

A cuisine that has travelled afar, born around the firesi-

de (as it has been since the times of Homer), when the cul-

ture of the table understood as a place for food consumption was

yet to be discovered, but which nevertheless already knew the pleasure of

convivial conversation. Then time has permitted the most popular dishes of this cuisine to reach delicate and

intelligent proportions whereof tradition has become jealous guardian.

The countries which are concerned about and carry out research into gastronomic sagacity - Antelini writes -

are in an intellectually evolutionary phase. It will be expedient however, to be clear regarding the expression

‘gastronomy’, which despite very recent excessive boosting, refers back to its certain origins in an ancient

past. As early as Greek times a distinction had already been made between cuisine and gastronomy. The

former had familiar roots and was managed by the women, whereas the latter had a sacred character and was

entrusted to the men-folk. This was the case of banquets, which were closely linked to sacrificial ceremonies.

The distinction between the two practices was also to be observed in Roman times (consider for example

’Petronius’ ‘Satyricon’) and conversely what is believed also in the ambiguous Middle Ages, until the

radiant outbreak of the Renaissance season, which from the Borgias to the Medicis was to mark the

triumph of the good table.

So if cuisine thrives on the knowledge and respect of the rules which represent the technique of each and

every honest operator, then gastronomy is invention, fantasy, and art. A mix which is often translated into

a break with tradition, if not into a rejection of it, but which does not exclude the tie with the territory with

regard to ingredients, even if they are mixed with others of a different provenance.

This is because by being absent one of the main ingredients of a master cuisine would be missing, so to

be original does not imply the refusal to be defined as typical, that is to say connected to the land in which

it is born. Rather it is a question of labels which mean very little, unless accompanied primarily by quality,

and quality which is not only created by the careful choice of raw materials (which in the best cases means

real and proper research), but by the skill and expertise with which they are approached and utilized.

Food, on a par with or perhaps more than the spoken or written word, if it contains and expresses a stratum of

traditions, is also an important mediator among different cultures, in that it opens cuisine to portmanteau

expressions, exchanges, and contaminations. And the Italian cuisine is in fact the happy outcome of an

“exchange cuisine”, an interchange among the various regional realities which have taken shape in the course

of those centuries, and which have witnessed the pumpkin followed by spelt, then rice, potato, and by the

tomato. An accumulation of ingredients, but also of history and experience, which being ably governed has

created the identity of our cuisine.

It is now time that a generic and misunderstood food education were replaced by an education in taste,

which passes through the ensemble of interdisciplinary proposals I have referred to. And this not so much

in order to obtain a veneer of intellectuality - which would not be much good to anyone and which gastronomy

certainly has no need of - as much as for the numerous tributaries which convey their waters to the riverbed of

taste.

An institution that bears the concise name ‘Home of Taste’ cannot be but the ideal headquarters for this

excursion, and which also enjoys the privilege of developing along the Amalfi Coast territory, which has

witnessed its own history - as William of Apulia testifies - opening up to traffic and exchanges with the entire

Mediterranean basin since as far back as 1000 A.D.

A busy mercantile activity to which cuisine was no stranger and which had long known how to amalgamate

sea and land cultures into one.

EZIO FALCONEPRESIDENT OF THE AMALFIHISTORY AND CULTURE CENTRE

SEA AND MOUNTAIN CUISINE

The Amalfi Coast is a land of infinite resources. An exceptional stratum of art and culture,

overflowing with innovative environmental and naturalistic opportunities, extending

from folklore to customs reflected in the great tradition of its cuisine. Recent studies

have shown that the ‘garum’ obtained from the fermentation of certain fish through salting,

dates back to the Neolithic peoples who inhabited the western region of France, and

was subsequently adopted by the Romans. They, like the Greeks before them,

chose the coasts of Campania as their leisure and pleasure centres, bringing with

them the recipe for preparing 'garum' or, in classical Latin, ‘liquamen’. This product

has been handed down until our day with the name of ‘Anchovy Dripping’

(Colatura di Alici), which became the symbol of Cetara, where the art of salting

fish and thus of filtering the dripping is passed on from father to son. Large

quantities of anchovies are pickled in a wooden container almost always made

of oak, called ‘terzigno’ (the third part of a barrel). On completing the anchovy

seasoning process which takes about 5-6 months) generally by the beginning of December,

a hole is bored into the terzigno, from which an amber-coloured liquid “drips out”, which is

filtered into apposite ‘cappucci’ or hooded caps. This is the “colatura” the “dripping”, the

noblest of garum derivatives. The vintage liquid is established as a condiment - first of salads

and then of spaghetti or linguine (i.e. tongue-shaped ribbons of pasta) - as abstinence

dish on Christmas Eve.

Now we proceed to the other typical dishes sacred to the Amalfi Coast, starting from

the Amalfi Sfusato, which is a lemon unique in Italy and famous

throughout the world, and perhaps the sunniest among all citrus

fruits. The continuous trading that the Amalfi people practised with

the Orient and the Mediterranean in general, favoured the introduction

of lemons, the cultivation of which would have been imported

through Sicily from the East. The Amalfi Sfusato belongs to the history

and more especially to the countryside of the entire Coastline. Grown

on pergolas, it takes its name from its tapering shape, just like those

represented in the mosaics and paintings found in the Herculaneum

and Pompeii excavations. It is distinguished for its porosity and the

thickness of its peel, as well as for its succulent scented pulp, qualities

that make it almost invaluable for preparing drinks, liqueurs, ice

creams and for flavouring cakes, creams and biscuits.

The lemon pergolas alternate along the Amalfi Coasts terracing with

those destined for the grapevine.

Before becoming wine, the grapes are used as food for consumption in

the Amalfi hinterland. Since the 10th century the production of uva-pane

(sun-dried grapes of currant bread or raisins) and Moscadellone had

been considerably widespread, which even today - wrapped in lemon

leaves - is bathed in rosolio wine with the addition of a piece of orange

peel and passed into the oven to bring to life the exquisite Follovielli.

For wine production, the range of grapes is extremely rich, beginning

with the historic grapevines including Mangiaguerra, Cannajuola,

Mannavacca, Pere’e Palummo, Sciascinoso, Ginestra, Tronto,

Falanghina, Fenile, Ripolo, and Tintore. On being harvested the grapes

are “appizzolata” - meaning that the bad grapes are removed from

the bunches - then washed and pressed. The work is completed by

means of the “palmentum”, a sort of wooden press connected

directly to the “lavellum”, a bathtub where the must is collected.

A quality of wine named “Latin” was generally sold in the shops and in the taverns, among which the

variety named “Greek Wine” excelled being defined as “bono claro et traficato” “i.e. good, clear and travelled”.

This Greek-Amalfitan wine was tasted and appreciated in 1550 by the English traveller Thomas Hobs during

his forced stay at Minori, where he had been stranded on account of a storm.

The wines of the Amalfitan lands that have obtained the D.O.C. label, include the White with its adorable

taste and a very delicate bouquet, and the Red which has a dry and full-bodied taste.

On the hill side terracing the pomodorini (small tomatoes) “grow on the ground and it is easy to mistake

for poppy fields…..it is sufficient that its plant is set surrounded by a warm ray of sunshine for the magic

fruit to sprout”. The piennoli (small pendulous tomatoes) are gathered into clusters, which are the typical

decoration of terraces and balconies before finishing up in the saucepan to flavour sauces or to be eaten

raw, with a drop of oil and a leaf of basil.

As is common knowledge it is not easy to identify the earliest shapes of pasta, but the Amalfi ones were

very likely as follows : 'Ndunderi, Ricci, Lagane, and Piscitielli or Cazzilli and Criature. ‘Ndunderi recall the

“polenta caseata” i.e. thick maize/spelt porridge, a dough of flour and curdled milk, then made

into balls and boiled in water. Ricci are in contrast, a pastry which the Coast housewives

skilfully manage to wrap in a small string round a thin iron. They are consumed with fish,

meat and vegetable sauces. Piscetielli or Cazzilli and Creature, are so called because they

resemble the shapes of an infantile virility, and are produced

by rubbing a 4/5cm piece of foil on the breast. The housewives

and the restaurateurs of Vietri sul Mare offer them in fish sauces,

extracting their main seasoning from them, which was meat

broth. Then, in the Seventies, the Amalfi chef Enrico Casentino,

fascinated by the aroma and taste produced by the mixing of

several qualities of seafood in boiling oil, aromatized with

pomodorini del piennolo (small pendulous tomatoes),

parsley and garlic, “composed” for them a special type of

pasta, which he called Scialatielli, a speciality that has the

merit of having exported the aroma and the flavour of

Amalfi cuisine beyond the national fron-

tiers.

The colours and tastes of winter arrive on the table together with the chestnuts. Our present times know

this fruit as the symbol of well-being, especially associated with Marrons Glacès. But Chestnut Soup, daughter

of the poor tradition, continues to conjure up a picture of blackened fireplaces and cold winter evenings.

The Scala and Tramonti chestnuts are widely acclaimed in the Coast’s confectionary tradition, with tarts, chestnut

cakes, cannòli (cream-filled horns), zeppole (sweet-baked doughnuts) and calzon-

celli (savoury turnovers).

At this point, the production of milk and its derivatives is not to be overlooked as

it has always held an important place from ancient times. It is no mere coincidence

that the mountains embracing the Coast are called “Lattari”, precisely in fact for

the great number of cows and sheep that have always grazed there, producing

cheese made from cow’s, sheep’s and goat’s milk, including fiordilatte (mozzarella

cheese made from cow’s milk), provolone (a roundish firm cow’s milk cheese),

smoked provola (fresh cheese made in a round shape from buffalo’s milk), caci

caprini (goat’s milk cheeses), and the famous caciocavallo (cheese produced

from whole cow milk), a produce existing as early as the Middle Ages, made with

soft and hard dough, that may be used to substitute the more common diffuse

parmesan cheese. Then, talented skilful hands have invented trecce (twisted or

plaited mozzarella) and bocconcini (mozzarella nibbles ) with whipped cream,

olives, rucola (ruchetta) and soppressata (brawn), making these products reign

supreme among the most appreciated in Italy.

For the Coast’s confectionary tradition it will be necessary to refer to the fantasy

and creativity of local housewives as well as those of nuns and friar who baked

in order to celebrate the important religious

occasions including patron-saint feast days

with cakes of various types, such as

Pasticciotti and Bocchinotti. The Santarosa

Cake was created by the pious hands of the

nuns of the monastery of Santa Rosa of Conca dei Marini, who gave them the shape of the monastic hood

cowl, filled with bran cream and dried fruit refreshed by rosolio. This form of dessert has in time undergo-

ne slight modifications in its shape, until it has become the modern “Sfogliatella”, which still con-

tinues to be called Santarosa so as not to forget its origins. Authentic works of the confectione-

r’s art are therefore the lemon cakes and creams, leaders amongst which are the famous

‘Delizie’- ‘Delights’, sweet-tasting and flavoured by the unmistakable aroma of the Amalfi

Sfusato lemon.

In the Maiori territory the ancient tradition of the aubergine gateau made with chocolate still

survives, a dessert sweet which has no equal elsewhere and still enjoys a great reputation.

Among the most widespread Rosolio wines on the territory there has always been the one

obtained through the alcohol infusion of laurel leaves and orange peel from cetrangolo

(i.e. Seville or sour oranges) with the addition of a rosewater and honey syrup, which was

made to facilitate digestion.

Today the Amalfi Coast houses a myriad of small laboratories, almost always family

businesses, which carry on the tradition of the rosoli. A series of strong sweet

wine infusions whose basic elements are made up of fruits of berries, typical of the

territory and alcohol, including nocillo

or nocino (walnut liqueur). A

place of honour goes to

‘Concert’ which releases fra-

grance and flavour of our

native herbs and

o r i e n t a l

spices. Then

there is bilberry,

laurel, and nanassino

(fig liqueur), the fra-

golini (wild straw-

GIUSEPPE LUCANIARCHITECT

WITH M.CARMELA FRACASSI AND ANDREA CAMMISA

PROJECT OPTIONSThe enterprise includes rebuilding the edifice currently earmarked

for the GAL headquarters, as well as organizing the adjoining

area which at the moment houses a sports field.

The project has essentially been aimed at preserving the current

plan layout with the possibility of connecting the area below

that is destined for a teaching garden to the area set aside for

The Home of Taste.

Seen from this viewpoint the project provides for the implementation

of the large glass cylinder which, in reflecting the surrounding

countryside acts as pivot between the built-up part and the

garden.

It will be possible to reach the first floor of the premises destined for ‘The Home of Taste’ by the outer stairs

encircling the glass cylinder or by the balcony. If we imagine the route taken by a hypothetical user, the

visit cannot begin elsewhere but from the information desk located in the large glass cylinder.

From the information desk the user arrives at the large wine shop, where he can sample the typical local

wines from the large barrels located in its immediate surroundings, and visit the kitchens and sampling

room that will offer typical dishes of the local cuisine. The main point of the initiative will be the preparation

of a menu that takes into account the seasonal availability of local produce and proposes dishes in keeping

with tradition.

From the stairway he will enter the areas set aside for temporary exhibitions, where certain key themes on

the territory will be rebuilt with multi-medial panels and sound sources, including themes on nature, life,

and on country life. The architecture of these rooms is to be interpreted in a unified way so as to involve

the visitor in the theme currently being dealt with. This objective is achieved by using materials, lights,

colours and sounds which help one to get an insight into, and become involved in, the various viewpoints

and sensations. The visitor will be able to live the

experiences thanks to audio-video equipment

which will enable him to see and discover

and induce him to relive on the territory

the sensations experienced during his

visit.

For greater emotional impact part of the

audio-material will be activated automatically

on the visitor’s entrance into the rooms.

From the temporary exhibition areas he will arrive at

the laboratories. The function of these spaces will be to

enable the user to follow a kind of course to learn about the

history, habits and the farmers’ workings of the earth’s produce.

The biggest area will be earmarked for use as a conference-hall cum

lecture-room, courses and projections. The flexibility of the layout will

also permit its use as a teaching-cum- demonstrationroom in which to hold

cookery courses, food preparation and conservation classes.

The area outside facing the building, with its background scenery of surrounding

mountains will house the teaching garden with it lemon groves and vineyards.

Taken as a whole, “The Home of Taste” will be provided with a multiplicity of functions which range from

informing visitors to promoting local resources and products, and from displaying special contents by

means of thematic settings; from back-up teaching material for schools to a meeting place and documentation

centre of the local situation, and to a research centre.

The visitor will be encouraged to activate his own five senses within this logic by touching, exploring and

generally stimulating and by being stimulated by the structure along a route that is partially real and partially

virtual.

For its implementation an innovative form of explanatory language will be sought with equipment devised

as reactive structures, in which display cabinets, explanatory panels, images, projections, and audiovisual

stimuli will exist side by side. Since the Home of Taste will be visited by adults and children alike it will be

necessary to make introduce expository languages expressed in various degrees of simplicity and complexity.

The progression of the visit, in the several types of apparatus, will be devised in accordance of a logic that

is equally ostentatious as it is didactic, and interactive, characterized by the maximum involvement of the

visitor, who from simple observer is to be transformed into an active participant able to interact with the

themes dealt with.

Likewise it is envisaged that the locality will be used as a point of reference for cultural and research activities

that are fundamental in maintaining good cultural autonomy and in activating local community traditions.

The people who make use of the structure must not only be visitors to the territory interested in discovering

the traditions and local products, but also academics and experts in the various fields involved who will

be encouraged to come along in order to carry out on- the-spot research or to exchange their expertise

and experience. Neighbourhood schools and groups from further afield will be invited to make visits, as

well as teachers interested in refresher courses and training in matters promoting local traditions regarding

taste and flavours. The involvement of local citizens (with special reference to the elderly and artisans)

becomes particularly relevant for transmitting traditional knowledge and traditional “flavours” among future

generations.