Carpaccio is a delicate and savory dish, typical of italian cuisine, made of thinly sliced raw or semi-raw fish or meat, usually prepared with olive oil and shaved grana. History tells that the original recipe was created in 1950 by Giuseppe Cipriani, founder of Venice’s “Harry’s Bar”.

He invented the dish for a friend, Countess Amalia Nani Mocenigo, whose doctors ordered her not to eat cooked meat. More precisely, the proposed Carpaccio consisted of very thin slices of beef sirloin, ordered on a plate, with a decoration drawing inspiration from Kandinsky based on a sauce called “universal”. A great art lover, Cipriani chose the name for his dish to honor the venetian painter Vittore Carpaccio: the style and strong colors of his paintings made Cipriani think of the intense color of raw meat.

Among the many italian recipes, a version similar to Cipriani’s Carpaccio already existed in Piedmont’s cuisine: Albese’s raw meat. This recipe consists of raw beef, marinated with lemon juice, olive oil and shaved white truffle.

Photo by Marek Thi http://salatwerkstatt.de