Abstract

The gastronomic variety offered at the Quirinal Palace (seat of the Italian Presidency of the Republic) from Einaudi's presidency to Cossiga's (1948-1992) offers an opportunity to trace the development of Italian cuisine over the 20th century. Italian foods and customs, always in competition with French-inspired customs deemed more suitable for formal events, became part of official lunch menus, due to transformations accepted and filtered by the Presidency of the Republic. The result is a new model of gastronomy that strikes a balance between a desire for innovation and the need to preserve official protocol. Its peculiarities help understand persistent features and changes that have shaped contemporary Italian cuisine. On one hand, the official dimension of cuisine reflects the styles of single Presidents, on the other there is an endorsement of simplification which influences cuisine outside of the presidential palace.