CULINARY TRADITIONS IN THE MEDITERRANEAN AND WESTERN EUROPE. : EXHIBITION ABOUT THE HISTORY OF FOOD AT GARUM IN ROME

Abstract

The aim of this study is to present the complex collection practice and the special library of Garum, which opened in 2020 in the former monastery building of the monks of the Order of Our Lady of Mount Olivet (O.S.B. Oliv) in the Eternal City.

The exhibition accompanies the visitor through the history of eating habits from the 15^th century to the present in a comprehensive manner, relying on rich material and writing sources. In its historicity, the private collection points out the close connection between diet and social status, the background of the additional meaning of certain food and drinks. The curators interpret gastronomic goods as factors that specifically express and represent the behaviour, way of thinking, and mentality of certain social groups determined by power and sociocultural relations.

The special collection offers an insight into the history of culinary through everyday and prestige consumption items, cookbooks, recipe booklets and rare books. The collection includes kitchen utensils, biscuit, ice cream and cake molds used in households, bakeries, and confectioneries over the centuries.

The inquiry also seeks to answer the question of whether Rome’s new culinary exhibition can fill the cultural vacuum following the closing of the Museo Nazionale delle Paste Alimentari. The subject of the analysis is also how the collection, beyond its role in the history of books, press and consumption, shades the knowledge and images related to the world of lifestyle, everyday culture, customs and traditions. 

The Biblioteca e Museo della Cucina is a striking example of the cultural representation of culinary products. The different types of foodstuff – a good example of this is the consumption of chocolate – it can serve as an additive for a better understanding of the arguments and perceptions behind religious questions and dogmatic debates.