Italian Renaissance Cooking

During the Renaissance, the Italian diet consisted primarily of wine and bread, with a small portion of meat (preferably a type of foul, because birds lived closer to the heavens when they took flight). The original "Renaissance Man," Leonardo da Vinci, was not only a painter and engineer but he also staged large productions, banquets, and events for the Pope. Interestingly, da Vinci was a vegetarian who ate sparsely and encouraged moderation.

Dave DeWitt was inspired to write DaVinci's Kitchen: A Secret History of Italian Cuisine when he discovered that mainstream biographies of da Vinci were missing any mention of his diet or the eating habits of Renaissance Italy. DeWitt studied da Vinci's notebooks for information on the subject, from the culinary influences of Italian cuisine to da Vinci's favorite food.

Prescription for Life (reprinted from Da Vinci’s Kitchen) :

Minestrone Toscano

(reprinted from Da Vinci’s Kitchen)

Music Break -- Ronnie's Bonnie -- Reuben Wilson