Splendore e miseria del mágeiros. Il cuoco in Grecia tra techne ed empiria

Abstract

This study focuses on the epistemological status of the culinary art embodied by the mágeiros, the ancient Greek cook, a craftsman with a wide range of knowledge. Based on various sources (epic poetry, Platonic dialogues, fragments of the Greek Comedy, the encyclopaedic work Sophists at the Banquet by Athenaeus of Naucratis), the analysis, which aims to be comparative in nature, highlights the anthropological, cultural, historical-religious as well as ethical-political and relational centrality of the Greek cook. The reflection presented here on the reasons for the rise and fall of the mágeiros in social and epistemological terms does question not only the organisation of knowledge in the Greek world, but also the role of the master chef in today's society of taste communication. Several points of contact can be noted between the notion of cooking as an art in the ancient world and in the contemporary arts scene, but also notable differences, particularly in terms of the low social status attributed to the category of cooks in Antiquity and up until the 18th century. This study aims to contribute to the groundwork for a more complete history of cooks and their art, from Antiquity to the present day.