La Lucerna de Corteggiani, published in 1634 by Giovan Battista Crisci, is a landmark in Italian culinary history and one of the earliest recorded texts focusing on Southern Italian gastronomy. This extensive and detailed work captures the essence of Italy’s regional culinary traditions in the 17th century, offering an organized and seasonal account of ingredients, recipes, and regional dishes that define Southern Italian cuisine.

Crisci’s text goes beyond merely listing ingredients; it embodies a comprehensive approach to understanding the link between food, seasonality, and culture. Here we will go through a technical and detailed analysis of La Lucerna de Corteggiani, examining the context, structure, and culinary techniques that make it a significant piece of Italian culinary heritage.

Historical context: 17th-century Italian cuisine

In the 17th century, Italy’s cuisine was heavily regionalized, with each area boasting its own unique dishes and ingredients, shaped by its geographical landscape and local resources. This period saw Italy influenced by Renaissance ideals and new ingredients from the Americas yet rooted in deeply local traditions. Southern Italy, particularly the Kingdom of Naples, was recognized for its agricultural abundance, which included grains, olive oil, fruits, and cheeses. Crisci’s work reflects the Southern Italian lifestyle, emphasizing the role of fresh produce and locally available resources in daily cooking.

This period also saw the development of culinary texts as a medium for documenting cooking methods that had traditionally been passed down orally. Crisci’s approach—focusing on specific southern regions and their foods—contrasts with the more generalized cookbooks of the time, marking a shift towards a more organized and region-specific approach to Italian gastronomy. ​

Structure of La Lucerna de Corteggiani

Seasonal organization

Crisci’s text is unique for its organization according to the seasons, reflecting the agrarian calendar of Southern Italy. This seasonal format enables readers to follow a year-round guide, using ingredients when they are at their peak. Each season contains relevant recipes, beginning with spring’s fresh greens and herbs, moving to summer’s abundant fruits and preserves, autumn’s harvest ingredients, and finally winter’s preserved meats and aged cheeses. This meticulous structure emphasizes the importance of freshness and seasonality in Italian cooking.

  • Spring: focuses on young greens, tender herbs, and fresh cheeses such as mozzarella. Crisci describes methods to prepare early spring vegetables like asparagus and artichokes, often incorporating simple techniques to preserve their natural flavors.

  • Summer: highlights fruits and vegetables at their peak, including Aversa’s renowned melons and Amalfi’s citrus fruits. Techniques such as preserving tomatoes and pickling cucumbers appear in this section, showing an early understanding of food preservation.

  • Autumn: Crisci emphasizes harvest-time foods such as grains and olives, with recipes featuring Gaeta olives and nuts used in savory and sweet dishes. Sausages and dry-cured meats, prepared in autumn, are also prominent.

  • Winter: the book shifts towards preserved foods, with recipes featuring salsicciotti (small sausages) and soppressata, a type of salami from Nola. Aged cheeses and hearty dishes dominate this section, as fresh produce is scarcer during the colder months​.

Regional Specialties

Crisci’s cataloging of regional foods provides valuable insight into the specific ingredients and culinary practices of Southern Italy.

  • Cheeses: Crisci documents mozzarella from Aversa, a cheese that today is emblematic of Italian cuisine. Mozzarella was valued for its soft texture and fresh taste, made possible by Southern Italy’s rich pastures for dairy farming. He also describes caciocavallo and ricotta, both of which remain staples in Italian cooking.

  • Sausages and cured meats: the book provides one of the earliest accounts of soppressata, a cured sausage that is still popular today. Crisci’s detailed descriptions of the curing process indicate the sophistication of Southern Italy’s meat preservation techniques at the time. Salsicciotti from Nola are another notable entry, showing the early specialization in pork products in this region.

  • Olives and olive oil: Gaeta olives, known for their rich flavor, are frequently mentioned, underscoring the importance of olives and olive oil in Southern Italian cooking. Crisci includes methods for curing and flavoring olives, emphasizing their versatility in both cooking and preservation​.

Technical aspects of Crisci’s recipes

Emphasis on fresh ingredients

A core theme in La Lucerna de Corteggiani is Crisci’s emphasis on fresh ingredients, a reflection of Southern Italy’s agricultural wealth. His recipes often call for minimal processing to preserve the natural flavors of ingredients. For example, spring vegetables are frequently served with simple dressings of olive oil, lemon juice, and fresh herbs. The technique of using fresh, high-quality ingredients continues to be a defining characteristic of Italian cuisine today​.

Preservation techniques

Crisci’s work also includes early preservation techniques, which were essential in a time before refrigeration. These methods enabled Italians to enjoy foods like tomatoes and cucumbers throughout the year. Some of the preservation methods he documented include:

  • Pickling: Crisci provides recipes for pickling summer vegetables, using vinegar and spices to create preserved foods that can be stored through winter.

  • Drying and salting: for meat preservation, Crisci describes the drying and salting techniques used to make soppressata and other cured meats, a process that involves cleaning, seasoning, and air-drying the meats. His methods reflect an advanced understanding of curing, which is a key aspect of traditional Italian charcuterie.

  • Cheese aging: certain cheeses, such as caciocavallo, are aged for months, if not years. Crisci’s book includes descriptions of this aging process, revealing the patience and craftsmanship involved in producing Southern Italy’s distinctive cheeses​.

Early recipe for lasagna

One of the most intriguing entries in La Lucerna de Corteggiani is Crisci’s recipe for lasagna. While not identical to modern lasagna, it includes layers of pasta and cheese, which is one of the earliest forms of the dish we know today. The inclusion of this recipe highlights the longstanding tradition of pasta in Italian cuisine and illustrates the ways in which dishes evolved over centuries. This layered dish exemplifies how early Italian recipes laid the foundation for today’s Italian culinary landscape​

The legacy of La Lucerna de Corteggiani

Influence on later Italian cookbooks

Crisci’s book influenced a wave of Italian culinary texts in the following centuries. By organizing recipes seasonally and focusing on specific regions, Crisci set a precedent for the structure and style of Italian cookbooks. Antonio Latini’s Lo Scalco alla Moderna (1694), one of the most important cookbooks of the 17th century, adopted similar approaches in documenting regional specialties and ingredients.

The book’s focus on Southern Italy’s cuisine served as a foundation for Italian cookbooks that highlighted regional diversity, which is a hallmark of Italian culinary identity today.

Preservation of cultural heritage

In addition to its culinary significance, La Lucerna de Corteggiani is a cultural artifact that captures the values and lifestyle of 17th-century Southern Italy. Crisci’s documentation of ingredients such as Aversa’s melons, Gaeta’s olives, and Amalfi’s citrus fruits provides insights into the local economy and social customs. His emphasis on seasonality reflects a society deeply connected to the land and the rhythm of the seasons, a value that remains central to Italian cuisine​.

A model for modern Italian cuisine

Today, La Lucerna de Corteggiani is regarded as a foundational text in Italian culinary history, inspiring chefs and food historians alike. Its focus on seasonality and regional identity resonates with modern farm-to-table philosophies, showing the timelessness of Crisci’s approach. Contemporary Italian cooking, celebrated worldwide for its simplicity and respect for ingredients, owes much to the traditions documented by Crisci.

The book’s lasting relevance underscores the importance of preserving local culinary traditions, as they form the backbone of Italian culture and cuisine. In a world increasingly influenced by globalization, La Lucerna de Corteggiani serves as a reminder of the value in honoring regional identity and seasonal ingredients.

Conclusion

La Lucerna de Corteggiani by Giovan Battista Crisci is not merely a cookbook but a cornerstone in Italian culinary history. Its detailed and technical approach to cataloging the flavors of 17th-century Southern Italy provides a rare glimpse into the region’s rich gastronomic heritage. From the seasonal organization and regional specialties to the preservation techniques, Crisci’s work reflects the culinary sophistication of Southern Italy long before Italian cuisine achieved its modern international renown.

References

Montanari, M., Italian Cuisine: A Cultural History. New York: Columbia University Press, 2004.
Capatti, A., Montanari, M., Italian Cuisine: History of a Tradition. London: Polity Press, 2003.
Goldstein, D., The Italian Gastronomy. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1997.
Latini, A., Lo Scalco alla Moderna, 1694. Reprint edition, Naples: Italian Classics Library, 1995.
Dickie, J., Delizia! The Epic History of the Italians and Their Food. London: Hodder & Stoughton, 2007.
Albala, K., Food in Early Modern Europe. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2003.
The University of Bologna Library, “Giovan Battista Crisci and the La Lucerna de Corteggiani,” Archive Catalog, accessed November 2024.
National Italian Food Archives, “Regional Italian Food Practices in the 17th Century,” Research Bulletin, 2022.