Banquet for the Albertine Statute

In 1848, Italy was abuzz with the issuing of the Albertine Statute, and the Savoy family became the reference point for the hoped-for national unification. To celebrate this fundamental step and change, an extraordinary parade involving the whole population was held in Turin, marking the apotheosis of the Savoy dynasty. In the weeks that followed, a banquet was held dedicated to those who had led that memorable day.

A moment of celebration, where food became a means and fulfillment of this spirit of sharing. The menu was overseen and served by Bernardo Trombetta, a well-known Turin restaurateur, who created and offered sumptuous, refined courses well suited to the solemnity of the occasion: an elegant, refined turtle soup to start the meal, followed by a rich variety of dishes: Certosa di Selvaggina, a terrine full of vegetables and game; Roman punch to create a digestive interlude, that is, a sorbet of green tea, lemon and orange peel and juice, white sugar and water; Plum Pudding with rum, a sort of raisin pudding cooked in a bain-marie; foie gras pâté with jelly, the richness of an opulent recipe.

The menu, printed in only 50 copies and extremely rare, thus became the story of the dishes, exceptionally presented in Italian at a time when French was still the official language of cooking in all of Europe, but also of the current era and events as they unfolded and took shape. Not just a list of courses, but an artistic narrative, where the gourmet part is completed by an elaborate illustrated frame depicting the main events that involved the city of Turin and Italy as a whole. An iconographic apparatus that manages to enclose the royal lunch in both its historical context and the events the banquet wanted to celebrate.