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24 January1960
Let's eat lasagna
Author
Corrado Calanchi
Format
8mm
Duration
02'42''
Credits
Music by Guglielmo Pagnozzi

Layered fresh egg pasta, meat sauce and béchamel sauce. The tradition of lasagne is ancient and cannot be missed in the family film, here in the Calanchi household, on 24 January 1960. It seems that the first lasagne recipe dates back to the 14th century, taken up by Francesco Zambrini who published it in 1863. There are many variants of this recipe, strangely ignored by the famous gastronome Pellegrino Artusi, author of La scienza in cucina e l'arte di mangiar bene (1891). The success and paternity of lasagna alla Bolognese with green pastry was sanctioned by Paolo Monelli in 1935. But the definitive recipe, which reaffirms and certifies the centrality of béchamel, is reported by Alessandro Cervellati in 1960, the very year of Corrado Calanchi's home movie. The lasagna pan brings together three generations of the family at the table: Sunday lunch is a topical moment that deserves to be part of the Bolognese filmmaker's ritualistic cinema.

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