The Foods of Famous Composers

As a musician that’s also a confirmed foodie, I am amazed by the synergy between the worlds of music and food today. Just as composers do, todays chefs are employing modern techniques and skills to create new dishes by reimagining their traditions, and fusing their flavors from cultures around the world. Some even employ science to elevate classic dishes. A case in point is Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street, appearing on PBS stations. By studying the chemistry of Romano cheese, he developed a new, easy way to make creamy delicious Cacio e Pepe by introducing corn starch to this traditional pasta and cheese dish. https://www.177milkstreet.com

I had just returned from Vienna, and thought how much Beethoven would’ve welcomed this news. He enjoyed eating fish, and each cup of his coffee had to contain exactly 60 beans. However Macaroni met Parmesan-Kase was Beethoven’s favorite meal, made according to his own recipe. It had to be an expensive delicacy for him – pasta easily cost 3 times that of rice, and the cheese had to be imported.

So I began to wonder about other composers, and the foods they fancied. Haydn loved the lavishness of the food of Vienna, but he bitterly complained about the food in Hungary and lost 20 pounds after taking a position there. Mozart had traveled throughout Europe and was accustomed to common meals as well as court dinners. His favorite foods included liver dumplings and sauerkraut, and of course the desserts of the Viennese aristocrats. Stravinsky was enamored with royal jelly honey. He always kept some on hand on his travels, even bringing it with him to restaurants. The eccentricities of Erik Satie included a collection of over 100 umbrellas, and would only eat foods that were white – rice, coconuts, sugar and salt, white fish and cheese.

Handel suffered from a binge eating disorder, and his over indulgence in food and wine led to obesity and lead poisoning. Wagner published an essay advocating for vegetarianism, but his second wife, Cosima, reported that he was a vegetarian in principle only – his health and doctors orders prevented him from it’s practice. But he influenced a young Gustav Mahler into adopting it for himself and he remained a devotee until late in his life, often berated by friends for his refusal to eat meat. His writings on the subject fit in seemlessly with todays views. One of his favorite pastries was Marillenknoedel, an apricot dumpling – and his sister’s recipe appears below.

Chopin never lost his love for Poland, it’s culture and traditions. That included the foods of his homeland, especially Zrazy. One of his favorites, it’s a dish of braised, thin slices of beef that are rolled around eggs, or vegetables or a any of a variety of other ingredients. Liszt suffered from the effects of very bad dentistry, which limited the foods he could enjoy. He liked asparagus cooked so tender he didn’t require the use of his dentures. None other than Winston Churchill’s mother had to help him with his meal at a banquet in his honor.

Of all the composers, Gioacchino Rossini stands out as a true gourmand. After retiring with a fortune at the age of 37, he literally dedicated his life to becoming a gourmet cook. He lived outside Paris and hosted numerous dinner parties, often serving his favorite meal – a whole turkey stuffed with truffles. Ingredients like liver, foie gras, butter, Madeira figured prominently in his other dishes. He became a close friend of Antonin Careme, a famous chef who Rossini claimed was ‘the only man that understood me.” After Careme would send Rossini food, the composer would reciprocate by creating a short song or aria for him. There are a multitude of dishes that have have become associated with, or even named after Rossini, but the most famous of them all was created by the composer himself.  Tournedos all Rossini is a sautéed filet mignon atop buttered toasted croutons, with foie gras, truffles, and a demi-glace with Madeira and butter. Sound delicious? Here’s the recipe: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/12323-tournedos-rossini

Justi Mahler’s Marillenknoedel

Ingredients:

2.2 lbs. potatoes

8.75 oz. flour

One egg

Pinch of salt

3.15 oz. butter

3.5 oz. bread crumbs

13 oz. apricots

Preparation: Place the potatoes, cut and peeled, through a mill once, then work them into the flour, egg and salt on a cutting board while they are still warm to make a smooth paste.

With a rolling pin, or by hand, knead the paste, flatten it and cut into fine slices, carefully enclosing an apricot in each slice. Then let the knoedel cook for five to 10 minutes in a sauce pan of boiling salt water. Drain. During this time, melt the butter in a frying pan and brown the bread crumbs over a low flame. Then roll the knodel in bread crumbs and sprinkle with sugar before serving.