Last week, in the heart of Parma, that lovely region of Italy known for its ham and cheese amongst other things, I got a chance to live out my Masterchef, er, Apprentice dream! Yes, those have been my two favourite shows on television. And no, I am not mixing them up. But fact is that as I stood trying to dice up pumpkin into very small and absolutely uniform cubes, to debone quail and make lollipops out of legs, I crossed over from an observer to observed, from a taster to creator, from a food critic to not-quite-chef, but certainly a legit apprentice taking lessons from three masterchefs; Indian and Italian! But, first, the context.
The Academia Barilla in Parma, established a couple of years ago, is rather an amazing resource centre for not only those who seek deeper knowledge of local regional produce but for anyone with the remotest interest in gastronomy and food as a centerpiece of a larger culture. Housed within the academy set up by the food MNC (Barilla, after all, equals pasta in many markets where it is dominant, if not quite as yet in India) is a rare collection of books on food going back almost two centuries. The oldest manuscript here (from Milan) dates back to 1815, there are tomes on garlic and formaggio, on chocolate, fungi and aphrodisiacs, and such curious collectibles as a seating plan from the 19th century for 13 guests around the dinner table.
For anyone researching the history of communal eating in Europe, there is also a large section on some of the earliest menus on the continent that came into being, as recorded, only in 1810. It was only then that the traditional, centuries-old ?French service?, where food was put on the table all at the same time, ironically, contrary to how we use the term today, gave way to a newer Russian service with the meal being presented in courses. Menu cards thus came into play to explain the sequence of events and often these would be embellished with art and even a celebrity autograph or two.
In the centre of the library that houses the books and the collectibles is a cheerful dining table. All you need to do is take your place and tuck into the quiet sense of history and culture that permeates the air, as well as into the luscious Fontina cheese-fondue that can be wiped off with cabbage involtini (grilled roll-ups that invoke the spring roll for many of us bred on Indian-Chinese) with just a hint of juniper and rather more of the Parmigiano-Reggiano. This, after all, is the big cheese?s home country. The menu crafted for us by chef Mario Grazia, presiding at the academy, also has an easy pumpkin risotto and stuffed quail wrapped with prosciutto di Parma, famed cured meat from this region, which may well qualify as the star of the meal?if not entirely because your columnist helped cook them!
Cooking vacations are now a part of many ?offbeat? itineraries for luxury travellers around the world. And indeed nothing can give you the sense of a place, its history and its people than the simple (or complex) rituals of using local produce and local cooking methods to produce something for your palate.
Bangkok has its immensely popular The Blue Elephant School for Thai cooking, known to even those of us in India who can?t get over the malls, the banks of the Seine its La Cuisine Paris and others of the ilk, the ?serious? Culinary Institute of America, not to mention the huge network of Le Cordon Blue schools are seeing their ranks swell. This is thanks to weekend foodies and gourmet travellers, who would much rather attend local markets and cook lunch with their buys than ?sight-see? or shop-hop. The academy in Parma, too, could well be a destination for the foodie tourist.
Afternoon cooking classes can be as basic or involved as you like and are priced at upwards of 300 euros per person, per class. And it would be possible to spend a couple of days visiting the nearby cheese and pasta factories, not to mention salumi centres even as you do courses in dolci, primi, mains and more.
There we have two of India?s most assured chefs specialising in contemporary European cuisine. Caperberry?s Abhijeet Saha and Olive?s Manu Chandra may bring different sensibilities and personalities to the table, but, here, at Barilla, they work in tandem, deftly, finishing off each other?s dishes, anticipating, waiting, even cleaning, not to mention helping us, the unskilled, prep the food?sometimes sternly, sometimes with a lazy wave of the hand, rarely with class-teacherly approval. As the last of the dishes get plated up and the wine uncorked, we head to the library. It?s been a meal worth cooking. And eating.
The writer is a food critic