aCademiC Catalog 2013-2014 - Lorenzo de Medici

School of Creative Arts FLORENCE
Culinary and Nutritional Arts
The Food of Italy
NUH 160 F
Cr: 3; Contact hrs: 45
Although characterized by unique and distinctive features,
Italian cuisine is still perceived as the result of many different
regional culinary traditions that, although merged and diluted
over the centuries, still maintain their particular flavors and
distinct ingredients. The course focuses on the different
aspects of regional food in Italy, from ingredients to recipe
preparation and cooking techniques, with particular attention
to the following factors: historical origins and developments;
climate and environmental conditions; social issues; food
production; nutrition; and safety and health. Emphasis will be
placed on how food relates to the local lifestyle and culture.
Regional economy and local resources will be analyzed and
compared. Students will be introduced to the various local
products through lectures and class demonstrations.
Wine and Culture I: Wines of Italy
NUH 170 F
Cr: 3; Contact hrs: 45
This course investigates Italian wine in the context of the
extraordinary history, philosophy, culture and lifestyle of Italy.
In this context wine is not only a much-loved drink but forms
an essential part of rich cultural traditions extending back to
the Etruscans and ancient Romans. From the study of wine
we learn about the practices of earlier cultures, about their
values and our own, and we gain a unique perspective on
Italy today. The course focuses on the distinct traditions and
economic, geographic and climatic aspects of each area of
Italian wine production. Students explore grape varieties and
different techniques used to make wine, and the national and
regional classifications. They also subject representative wines
to organoleptic analysis (visual, olfactory and gustative). Each
wine is studied in terms of its characteristics, history and
traditions, and in relationship to the particular foods meant to
accompany it.
Wine and Culture II: Wines of Tuscany
NUH 190 F
Cr: 3; Contact hrs: 45
This course deals with the different wine areas of Tuscany,
focusing on their distinct historical, traditional, economic
and geographic aspects. Students will be introduced to wine
appreciation by studying the most representative Tuscan wines
and comparing them with famous Italian wines. The major
grape varieties and wine-making techniques will be presented
and each wine will be tasted with a complete organoleptic
analysis: visual, olfactory and gustative. Students will also
learn how to pair wines with food. Specific information on the
marketing of the wine (classification, sale, market) will be also
provided. During classes students will visit some of the most
famous enoteche in Florence.
Food and Culture
NUH 198 F; Dual listed: ANT 198 F / CLT 198 F
Cr: 3; Contact hrs: 45
If “you are what you eat”, just why do you eat the way you do?
This course considers the relationships between the multiple
meanings of food and the acts of preparing and eating food,
and further explores food and personal and social identity.
Students will examine why different people make different food
choices in their daily lives, why individuals from certain social
classes will avoid or esteem particular foods, and in general how
food serves as a factor in self-definition. Because a person’s
attitude toward food can reveal not just personal identity traits
but a whole food ideology, this course will also analyze the role
of food in the construction of ethnic identity, in the display of
religious beliefs, and in the negotiation of gender roles. Students
learn how cultures and values are transmitted and preserved
through food. Through personal essays and the interdisciplinary
secondary literature, students will be guided to analyze the
complex and fascinating relationships between people and
food, helping them to understand how cultures (including their
own) ultimately determine all human food choices.
Celebrating Italian Style: Food and Culture in
Contemporary Italy
NUH 200 F
Cr: 3; Contact hrs: 45
This course deals with the relationships between Italian
traditions, folklore and contemporary Italian society, for example
the links between festivals, food and wines, tourism and today’s
Italian economy. Nowadays the image of Italy in the world is
tightly connected with the global diffusion and promotion of
its leading “Made in Italy” products, among which food and
wines are the most important. The land of poor emigrants has
become the land of class and style, Italian chefs are as popular
as Italian fashion designers, Italian wines feature among the
best wines of the world, and Italian recipes have found their way
to the world’s most renowned restaurants menus. This course
will give students the opportunity to discover the reasons for
this miracle through a wide range of hands-on cooking lessons,
wine and food tasting, field trips and guest lectures.
Herbs and Spices in Mediterranean Cuisine
NUH 215 F
Cr: 3; Contact hrs: 45
Herbs and spices have played an essential part in the history of
the Mediterranean countries. From their early use in tribal magic
and to cure ailments, they came to be studied systematically
and dispensed by apothecaries and physicians during the
medieval period. Spices arrived from the East brought by the
sea merchants, while the Mediterranean’s natural environment
offered an abundance and variety of herbs. These combined
with the spices were used to preserve and enhance the flavor
of foods. Herbs provide us with many different flavors: from the
delicate sweetness of angelica to the sour spiciness of sorrel.
Utilizing them can be simple as chopping up mint for a sauce
and a long drink, or complicated as making one of the herbal
liqueurs composing of dozens different herbs . However you
employ them, herb and spices can impart a tangy flavor to
many meals. Today even the most metropolitan Italians keep
fresh herbs within easy reach by growing them at home in
gardens or in pots on terraces and in window boxes. Students
will not only learn how to use herbs and spices to zest up the
simplest of dishes, but also as a salt substitute for a healthier
diet. Students will also learn to create and take care of their
own home aromatic herb garden. During each lesson, besides
the main topic, specific herbs and spices used in Italian and
Mediterranean cooking will be studied and dishes will be
prepared with them for everyone to taste. Students will be also
given information on a) nutritional profiles, b) how different
herbs and spices affect the body (benefits, adverse effects
etc.), and c) how they can be used as cosmetics, natural
remedies, etc.
Current Trends in Italian Cuisine
NUH 220 F
Cr: 3; Contact hrs: 45
This course explores major trends in contemporary Italian
cuisine that have been emerging in recent decades. These
trends, revealed in both everyday and haute cuisine, involve
fresh reinterpretations of regional traditions, revaluation of local
products, interest in lighter and healthier diet, and an emphasis
on creativity. Driving these trends are such diverse factors as
interest in other cuisines, innovations by leading chefs, and
especially changes in Italian society and lifestyles. Students
learn basic cooking skills as well as some specialized cooking
methods and techniques. They discover how to select quality
ingredients, and they compare their eating habits with those
common in Italy today. Particular focus is given to the following
aspects: historical origins and developments of food production,
regional dishes, seasonal and environmental conditions, social
issues, nutrition, safety and health. In each lesson students
learn how to prepare representative recipes, with attention to
ingredients, nutritional values, and presentation.
Current Trends in Italian Cuisine (Vegetarian)
NUH 222 F
Cr: 3; Contact hrs: 45
This course explores major trends in contemporary Italian
cuisine that have been emerging in recent decades. These
trends, revealed in both everyday and haute cuisine, involve
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LdM Academic Catalog 2013-2014