Opera and Food
“HANSEL and Gretel stuff pastries into their mouths, topping them off with toasted gingerbread witch. Leporello pours out a fine Marzemino wine from northern Italy for Don Giovanni, then nibbles at a piece of pheasant. Schaunard calls for Rhine wine, roast venison and dressed lobster for his fellow Puccinian Bohemians at the Café Momus in Paris.
“Opera, of all the art forms, is singularly associated with food, whether because of the appetites of well-girthed singers or the sensual pleasures celebrated in its rich ragout of music, emotion and stagecraft.” - Daniel J. Wakin, The New York Times
Recognizing the relationship between food and opera, David Anchel and his wife Julia Heyer as young singers would learn operatic roles by inviting colleagues to the house to sing through an opera, and then serve a meal that related to its setting. It always seemed an additional way to truly understand the characters and the story by experiencing the food they ate. So many operas contain actual feasts, banquets, meals and references to food. This site will help you discover what was actually being eaten in these operas, hopefully enhancing your love of the works and perhaps leading to your own dinner parties and events.
