If you are an Italian Futurist, you certainly don’t eat pasta! This group of early 20th century Italian artists celebrated speed, industry, violence, sound, and, above all, Italy. Their manifestos cover not only art, but music, architecture, film, and gastronomy.

Their food theory abolishes the knife and fork, but delights all senses – some dishes are meant only to be seen, others only to be smelled. They include interesting tactile elements.  One recipe calls for sandpaper, silk, and velvet to be stroked on the side, while the mouth explores more edible textures.

Although bizarre, these Fascist artists have a point when it comes to pasta. Pasta, they believe, is not a food for fighters. It weighs one down and causes pessimism. Filippo Tommaso Marinetti states, “You musn’t introduce these white worms into the body unless you want to make it as closed dark and immobile as a museum.” But even the most dedicated sometimes show weakness, as Marinetti does here, in a photo from 1930.

Learn more about Futurist cooking in Marinetti’s cookbook, La Cucina Futurista.

12 Feb This entry was published on February 12, 2012 at 2:34 am. It’s filed under Art, Art History and tagged cooking, Fascism, Futurism, Italy, Marinetti. Bookmark the permalink. Follow any comments here with the RSS feed for this post.