Descrizione
The can opener: seemingly a snubbed, neglected utensil — perhaps even something to be ashamed of — yet it’s been present in every kitchen for decades, now edging into centuries. Still, it has never been properly appreciated. In every drawer lies at least one specimen, buried among the rest of the kitchen hardware used by home cooks or professionals alike (even though, in the arsenals of the most esteemed chefs, it is cautiously and almost primitively hidden away).
Starting from the valuable collection donated to the Parma Food Museums network by Carlo Grandi — consisting of 365 pieces — Beatrice Dallasta places the history of this tool within the broader historical context of food preservation. She explores the scientific research and experimentation that led to the use of tin canning, reflecting on the development and standardization of a device that would facilitate the opening of these containers.
With an anthropological perspective on the technique underlying every work tool and its gradual affirmation and evolution, the text documents and explores — for the first time in Italy and Europe — the various types of can openers, which since their appearance have given rise to over 300 patents. The reader will also find a chapter dedicated to the evolution of the can opener considering the development of integrated opening systems in cans, which have effectively led to its disappearance.
Beatrice Dallasta (Parma, 1998–), graduated in Gastronomic Sciences from the University of Parma, carried out her internship at the Parma Food Museums. This experience gave her the opportunity to engage with — and thoughtfully explore — the most extensive collection of can openers currently held in Italy, approaching it with both passion and insight.
Carlo Grandi (Bologna, 1957–) spent most of his working life in a company producing preserved foods. Turning his profession into a passion, he succeeded — through research in second-hand markets around the world, online searches, and the creation of a network of contacts with collectors in the United States, the UK, and the Netherlands — in assembling a collection of 365 can openers, dating from the mid-19th century to the present day.
