Books, films and peck…“aminosi” (little sins)

Recipes and cooking are the essential ingredients in many treasured books and films. Inserting food into the narrative is nothing odd, since eating is a fundamental and integral part of life; it is more interesting though to note, starting from the 90s, the amount of success books and films have had whose exclusive focus is the kitchen and its main actors. 
A short library of culinary fiction, which will guarantee many pleasant and inspiring hours, cannot exclude a dozen essential titles. Babette’s Feast by Karen Blixen (Einaudi 1997) is the elegant account of a great cook who, fleeing a revolution in France, manages to become part of an austere community of Lutherans, reawakening hidden passions with her art. From food to extreme eroticism is the theme of Aphrodite by Isabel Allende, while the magic of chocolate pervades the enthralling Chocolat by Joanne Harris. For an autobiographical account by one of the great writers of gastronomy, read Tender at the Bone by Ruth Reichl, then move on to Comfort Me with Apples by the same author.
Food is particularly important to mystery writers; noteworthy are the delicacies adored by Rex Stout’s Nero Wolf, Agatha Christie’s poisoned cakes and fortified tea, the tasty Italian cuisine of Patricia Cornwell’s creation, the pathologist Kay Scarpetta. The gourmet detective par excellence is Pepe Carvalho; Manuel Vasquez Montalban still tops off his gastronomic masterpiece not so much with Immoral Recipes, as with the lesser known Robinson’s Reflections on a Hundred and Twenty Salt Cod. For pure fun, and to complete the collection, we recommend also reading a novel belonging to the science fiction genre, Memories of a Spaceship Cook, by Massimo Mongai, and the romantic Bread Alone by Judi Hendricks.
Light dinners and mouthwatering in front of the video?
For you Peck lovers and its world of gastronomy, we recommend you get hold of the movie Felicita Colombo by Mario Mattioli, filmed in our historic kitchens in 1937. Carry on with getting to know the classics: Vatel by Roland Joffé is the story of the great cook, inventor of whipped cream – played by the grand Depardieu -  in service to the Prince of Condé. Moving you to tears, but flavourful, is Mostly Martha, a film made in 2002 with Sergio Castellitto and Martina Gedeck: an introverted cook, completely dedicated to her work, finds herself opening up to and cooking with her heart for her orphaned niece. The script was lifted by Hollywood for No Reservations, a glamorous film with a sexy Catherine Zeta Jones, appreciable mostly for the funny and absolutely realistic tantrums thrown by the chefs. Finally, one of the best gastronomic films of all times is a cartoon: Ratatouille! Don’t miss any of the rat Remy’s cooking lessons and remember not just that “anyone can cook,” but most of all, everyone can dream of good cooking through words and pictures.