Ada Boni
Ada Boni | |
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| Born | Ada Giaquinto 11 October 1881 |
| Died | 2 May 1973 (aged 91) Rome, Italy |
| Nationality | Italian |
| Occupation(s) | Professional chef; cookbook author and magazine editor |
Ada Boni (née Giaquinto; 1881 – May 1973) was an Italian chef, magazine editor, food writer and book author. Her most famous book, Il talismano della felicità (The Talisman of Happiness in English), published in 1928, is considered one of the classic Italian cookbooks[1][2] and is still very popular.[3] She also wrote the notable book, La cucina romana (Roman Cuisine in English), with the stated aim of saving traditional cuisine that was being lost.
Life
[edit]Ada Boni was born as Ada Giaquinto in 1881 in Rome.[1] She was either the granddaughter[1] or the niece[4] of Adolfo Giaquinto (1846–1937). Adolfo was a famous chef in Italy, and founded a fortnightly gastronomical periodical called Il Messaggero della Cucina.[4][1] Boni co-founded with her husband Enrico the women's magazine Preziosa, and was then its editor.[1][4] From 1915 started to publish her own recipes in its pages.[1] A collection of her recipes was published by Preziosa in 1925, and in 1929 another larger collection was published.[1]
In 1928 Boni published Il talismano della felicità (The Talisman of Happiness in English), which was an encyclopaedic collection of more than 850 recipes from across Italy. The book has been called the Italian Joy of Cooking, and became a popular present for newly-wed couples. It contained helpful advice to cooks as well as recipes, and was presented in a user-friendly way.[1][5] In 1950 the book was published in New York in English as The Talisman Italian Cookbook: Italy's Bestselling Cookbook Adapted for American Kitchens, with alterations to suit American tastes.[5][1]
Boni also wrote the notable book, La cucina romana (Roman Cuisine in English), with the stated aim of saving traditional cuisine that was being lost.[6]
Boni also ran a cooking school in Rome, and had a radio show.[5] She died at home in Rome in May 1973 of pneumonia, aged 92.[5]
Bibliography
[edit]- Boni, Ada (1929). Il talismano della felicità. I Ed.
- Boni, Ada (1930). La cucina romana. Rome: Edizioni di Preziosa.
- Boni, Ada Elogio della cucina italiana (Praise of Italian Cuisine), translated into English and Spanish
- Boni, Ada (1949). Prime esperienze di una piccola cuoca (Early Experiences of a Small Cook)
- Boni, Ada (1969). Cucina regionale italiana. New York: Bonanza Books. Published as Italian Regional Cooking in English in 1979
- Riolo, Claudio (2004). "Ada Boni" in Le Italiane. vol. II.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g h i Andrews, Colman (9 November 2011). Country Cooking of Italy. Chronicle Books. p. 291. ISBN 978-0-8118-6671-2.
- ^ Hosking, Richard (2006). Authenticity in the Kitchen: Proceedings of the Oxford Symposium on Food and Cookery 2005. Oxford Symposium. pp. 212–213. ISBN 978-1-903018-47-7.
- ^ Daley, Bill (15 May 2013). "Culinary Giant: Ada Boni - Wrote the must-have cookbook for generations of Italian women". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 15 March 2014.
- ^ a b c "Il messaggero della cucina | Storia e Memoria di Bologna". www.storiaememoriadibologna.it. Retrieved 23 April 2025.
- ^ a b c d Pirro, Deirdre (29 June 2024). "Ada Boni". The Florentine. Retrieved 23 April 2025.
- ^ "Scheda - Museo Della Cucina" (in Italian). 7 April 2020. Retrieved 23 April 2025.
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