Food is better when music is played.
In my opinion, a silent kitchen isn’t one worth cooking in. And I’m obviously not the only one, as John Lennon poetically sang. Our homes and our cooking classrooms always have tunes playing. My son and I like to fill the communal spaces in our tiny apartment in Rome with music that both inspires recipes and that makes our bodies move. He puts on Post Malone, I respond with Bob Dylan. He introduces me to Italian trap, I teach him about Lucio Dalla and Paolo Conte. I stir a pot, he sets the table, both bobbing our heads and humming along.
A good song will get me in a better mood. Nine out of ten, dishes will turn out better thanks to the music playing in that moment. For example, grating cheese––something I do a lot of––is best performed in the company of Eric Clapton. Fried foods turn out crispier and fragrant when Seventies funk plays in the background. Emulsifying carbonara comes easier if Italian folk music plays. Not to mention the effect Verdi opera music has on my lasagna.
In this time of social distancing the kitchen has become once again the hearth of our homes, gathering, nurturing, relieving tension. When Italy first went into lockdown a month ago, the first reaction of Italians was to sing and play music from their balconies.
Needless to say, a lot of great music is now accompanying our cooking and our meals sheltered in place. In the spirit of that warm feeling music gives, for a sense of much-needed connection, we have decided to share some of our favorite Italian music to cook good food to. We have compiled a playlist of Italian songs that are perfect for that special stove-side self care. The playlist will also be playing softly during some of our live streaming cooking lessons, so do let us know if you’d like us to add a favorite Italian song to cook to.
Grab your Casa Mia Cooking Tunes playlist and turn up the volume!
La musica fa respirare.
––Alda Merini
