Rome's airport celebrates Da Vinci's passion for cooking

Leonardo Da Vinci is renowned worldwide for his paintings, inventions and codes, but few people know about his passion for cooking.

In the 500th anniversary of Da Vinci's death, Rome's Fiumicino Leonardo Da Vinci airport, named after the genius, celebrated Thursday this "lighter" side of Leonardo with an exclusive cooking show performed by two Italian Michelin-star chefs.

The event, held in the airport's so-called "Italian Food Street", the Boarding Area E for international flights, was organized by Aeroporti di Roma (ADR), the company that runs the airport, and attended by ADR CEO Ugo de Carolis and the Mayor of Fiumicino, Esterino Montino.

Between myth and reality, according to some historical reconstructions, Da Vinci dedicated himself to the art of cuisine, and in some of his works, he had been inspired by tools now present in every modern kitchen, like corkscrews and pepper grinders.

Da Vinci is also traditionally considered the inventor of the "Aquarosa", or rose water, a flavored water made by steeping rose petals in the water, now used in food, cosmetic and medical preparations.

The two Michelin-star chefs realized dishes conceived as tributes to Da Vinci: an "Aquarosa" reinvented as a pasta sauce, mixing the rose water with lemon, sugar and alcohol, and a dish called "the Sea", inspired by Da Vinci's inventions and made with shellfish, herbs and fermented Kombu.

According to Gianfranco Pascucci, one of the two chefs, the show celebrated the spirit of a genius who, with his passion for cooking, demonstrated that cuisine is equal to art and science.

The chef explained that, according to some historical sources, in times when banquets were all about showing opulence and wealth, Da Vinci disappointed his prince by serving very small rations of anchovies on lettuce.

"Although disappointing the prince, Leonardo's minimalism and the use of a protein food on a veg shows that he had been a pioneer also in the art of cuisine," said the chef.

The event, broadcast by Italian media, was part of the broader series of celebrations for the fifth centenary of the genius' death held across Italy and Europe, and followed the launch of a year-long exhibition about Da Vinci's works about flight showcased in some areas of the airport.