Florentine-Style by Skip Lombardi

One of the foodstuffs she introduced to the French Court, was spinach. At this point, though, historians become vague. It seems that the French liked it well enough, but they weren't bowled over. Of course, this was also a period in culinary history when the Royal Court was-literally-grappling with the notion of using silverware at dinnertime, so they probably can't be faulted for being less than enthusiastic.

Also, as historian Brandon Case, of King's College in Pennsylvania, writes, "other than [King] Francis I, Caterina had not a friend." And elsewhere he writes that the Royal Court and French people at-large, referred to her as "the Italian woman."

So when spinach began to appear on the menus at the Royal Chateau Fontainebleau, the diners began to refer to it, with some contempt, as being "like that Florentine." Yet over time, "alla Fiorentina" seemed to change from the depreciative to the complimentary "Florentine-style." History remains weak about whether Florentines in general ever had a strong appetite for spinach.

Today, when we go to a restaurant and order something "alla Fiorentina," we expect that it will be served on a bed of spinach, or stuffed with spinach. And we're content to think that we're paying homage to the good people of Florence. But I submit that, in fact, we're paying homage the woman who also introduced high-heeled shoes for ladies.

The next time I go to brunch, I think instead of ordering Eggs Florentine, I'm going to order "Eggs alla Caterina de' Medici," and see what happens. Nah, it's probably too late in the game for that.

Go to Page 1

BIO:

Skip Lombardi is the author of two Italian cookbooks.

He has been a Broadway musician, high-school math teacher, software engineer. But he has never let any of those pursuits get in the way of his passion for cooking and eating. Visit his Web site to learn more about his cookbooks. http://www.skiplombardi.com For comments or questions, e-mail at info@skiplombardi.com

Some Aditional Articles you may enjoy

What's For Dinner? Would you believe low fat red meat. by Kim Paolino

SHROVE TUESDAY - A SHORT HISTORY AND RECIPES by Sharon Jacobsen

The Solution to Healthy Weight Loss by Marilyn Pokorney

IS STRESS MAKING YOU FAT? FOUR MOUNTAINS, INC. REVEALS HOW STRESS COULD RUIN MORE THAN YOUR SUMMER BEACH LOOK! by Stacey Kumagai

12 Vitality Secrets Right Outside Your Door by Keith Varnum

Click a Number to go to an article index page
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39