‘Beard Splasher’ Soup
A Murderous Tale of Cranberry Beans and Pasta
I always say that I don’t believe I’m a chef. I try to be a storyteller.
— José Andrés, chef, restaurateur, and founder of World Central Kitchen
I have always been attracted to whimsical recipe names and the stories that lay camouflaged within their ingredients. I’m talking about dishes like pets de nonne (literally nun’s farts), priest chokers (Strozzapreti), and the imam fainted (Imam bayildi). A dish is the intersection of provenance, history, and food.
To me, recipes are edible stories that capture the junctures of cultural development. They chronicle the moments of prosperity, poverty, invasion, conquer, exploration, and trade. A good story should not only educate and entertain but also connect us to our past. For diners, it can elevate a meal; possibly transforming it into a transcendental experience. For cooks, it can add reverence to an ingredient or a particular dish. For a server, it acts as a storytelling bridge to help engage customers and take them on a voyage of discovery.
Sguazabarbuz
Sguazabarbuz, or beard splasher, is an Italian pasta and bean soup from Ferrara created to commemorate Lucrezia Borgia, or at least her hair. I first read about it in Colman Andrews’ cookbook The Country Cooking of Italy (2011).
The story starts on May 29, 1503, when Lucrezia Borgia, daughter of Pope Alexander VI, came to Ferrara to marry Alfonso d’Este, Duke of Ferrara. A steward of the palace, taking inspiration from her golden locks, created this special pasta and bean soup in her honor. The pasta was shaped to resemble her hair.
Lucrezia, Femme Fatale
The actual story is far more complicated and longer than I have presented here. It is loaded with more plot twists than your average Alfred Hitchcock thriller. Lucrezia was a femme fatale of the highest degree. Her father, Cardinal Rodrigo Borgia, had arranged several marriages into influential families to help advance her power-hungry family. A family that was far too willing to spill blood advance the family name.
Her first marriage to Giovanni Sforza enabled her father to ascend from a mere cardinal to Pope. When…
