Becoming a food critic today involves taking care of two basic aspects: on the one hand, learning theory, with the techniques of writing, reviewing and "criticism" of food, on the other hand the refinement of taste experience, without which it is impossible to "talk" about food.
Italian Food Academy organizes a comprehensive master's degree in Food and Wine Criticism, held by leading lecturers, professionals in the field, such as. Roberta Schira, Luca Gerini and Paolo Vizzari.
The following topics are covered within the course:
- JOURNALISTIC TECHNIQUE AND PRACTICE
- DRAFTING A PRESS RELEASE
- COPYRIGHT LEGISLATION
- FOOD & WINE WEB MARKETING
- HISTORY AND CULTURE OF GASTRONOMY
- PRINCIPLES OF TASTING
- CRITERIA FOR EVALUATING A RESTAURANT
- FOOD AND WINE PUBLISHING
- FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY
Find out the details of the master, by clicking here.
To begin to better prepare and equip yourself with the knowledge needed to To become future professionals in food journalism, here are some must-reads.
Of course the list could be much longer than this, but we believe that to begin with these volumes should not be missing from a critic's "backpack."
1. Italian cuisine. History of a culture. - By Alberto Capatti and Massimo Montanari.
From the Middle Ages to the present day, the book examines with irony and historical approach, the birth, formation and evolution of local culinary cultures. One hundred towns and one hundred bell towers for one hundred recipes, in a journey between philological reconstructions, geopolitical notations, to draw the detailed national identity picture.
2. Taste as experience - by Nicola Perullo.
A fluent and engaging essay that reconstructs perceptual experience. An original philosophical proposal, all hinging on taste, examined through three approaches: pleasure, knowledge, and indifference.
3. The cuisine of the good earth - by Dan Barber.
A volume full of personal anecdotes, in which the chef of Blue Hill in Manhattan's Greenwich Village debunks false beliefs about our food system, taking us on a journey into the world of food and the relationships that are part of it.
4. Eaten well - by Roberta Schira.
A book valuable, a kind of handbook of food criticism, revealing the 7 universal and always valid rules for recognizing and evaluating the goodness of a taste experience, learning to judge it like a true professional.
5. Literary banquets. Foods, dishes and recipes in literature from Dante to Camilleri - by G. M. Anselmi and G. Ruozzi.
From the bread of Dante and Manzoni to the risotto of Gadda, from the sausages of the Decameron to the macaroni timbale of the Gattopardo. A book that is a fascinating journey through the world of food in Italian literature, tracing our literary heritage. A journey made of "tastings," good dishes, diet foods to "hellish" foods, kosher cuisine and futurist cuisine.
