Leonardo da Vinci was a Renaissance artist and engineer, known for paintings like 'The Last Supper' and 'Mona Lisa' and for ingenious inventions and designs, such as his flying machine.
But, few people know he was also deeply interested in food and cooking, inventing a few of the kitchen gadgets we still use today, and writing proto-diet guides of the era.
The blender
The very first prototype of blender, according to da Vinci, was supposed to be powered by a hand-cranked handle.
Among Leonardo's notes one can find a drawing of a blender, but the project was never fully realised due to some inaccuracies in his calculations, much like his helicopter prototype sketches.
The project has dimensions so big that it was mistaken by some researchers as war machinery at first.
A similar, though never realised, invention design from da Vinci was a machine that could cut eggs with air. Who knows if it is destined to be built one day.
Blender and Spit Source: Codex Atlanticus, Leonardo Da Vinci Wikimedia
The pot lid
You would think that pot lids have existed for as long as cooking pots themselves, but that is not the case.
As art historian and Lavinia Palmas tells SBS Italian, "before the lid was invented, people used to cover the pot with a piece of fabric, usually linen, but these sometimes changed the flavours of the foods."
That's why Leonardo Da Vinci invented the pot lid, made of sturdy, impermeable metal, so that the flavours would remain unchanged.
Pot Source: Pixabay
The corkscrew
Few realise that Leonardo da Vinci owned a Milan vineyard, given to him by one of his patrons, Ludovico il Moro, in 1499.
As a lover of wine and a great connoisseur of viticulture, da Vinci also designed the corkscrew prototype.
Leonardo was left-handed, so it's possible to see in his sketch a handle that would have been more easy to use also with the left hand than the right.
Leonardo's sketches Source: Twitter
The pepper grinder
As an expert in botany among so many topics, da Vinci used herbs and spices in the kitchen that were not widespread in the era, such as turmeric, aloe, saffron, poppy flowers, linseed oil and, of course, salt and pepper.
According to some, Leonardo's pepper grinder design was inspired by the architecture of the La Spezia lighthouse.
As a dining devotee, da Vinci also closely observed the links between health, cooking and food, writing some documents on the topic of what we would call 'wellness' nowadays.
Leonardo's sketches Source: Codex Atlanticus, Leonardo Da Vinci Wikimedia
Here is one such passage from one of his notebooks, seeking to guide the reader on their health and diet:
If you want to be healthy observe this regime.
Do not eat when you have no appetite and dine lightly,
Chew well, and whatever you take into you
Should be well-cooked and of simple ingredients.
He who takes medicine is ill-advised
Beware anger and avoid stuffy air.
Stay standing a while when you get up from a meal.
Make sure you do not sleep at midday.
Let your wine be mixed with water, take little at a time
Not between meals, nor on an empty stomach.
Neither delay nor prolong your visit to the toilet.
If you take exercise, let it not be too strenuous.
Do not lie with your stomach upward and your head
Downward. Be well covered at night,
And rest your head and keep your mind cheerful.
Avoid wantonness and keep to this diet.
Do not eat when you have no appetite and dine lightly,
Chew well, and whatever you take into you
Should be well-cooked and of simple ingredients.
He who takes medicine is ill-advised
Beware anger and avoid stuffy air.
Stay standing a while when you get up from a meal.
Make sure you do not sleep at midday.
Let your wine be mixed with water, take little at a time
Not between meals, nor on an empty stomach.
Neither delay nor prolong your visit to the toilet.
If you take exercise, let it not be too strenuous.
Do not lie with your stomach upward and your head
Downward. Be well covered at night,
And rest your head and keep your mind cheerful.
Avoid wantonness and keep to this diet.
