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Procopio introduced the Italian "ice cream" gelato at his cafe and is one of the first to sell this new European product directly to the public.<ref> [http://www.thenewstoday.info/2009/03/04/angelati.italia.gelato.in.al.dente.html Angelati Italia Gelato in Al Dente] </ref><ref> ''Galeto found commercial success in France in 1686, where it was created by Sicilian Francesco Procopio dei Cotelli at Cafe Procope in Paris.'' [http://books.google.com/books?id=a3BVQUIFc2UC&pg=PT12&lpg=PT12&dq=gelato+Francesco+Procopio+dei+Coltelli&source=bl&ots=HZD-FCx8vZ&sig=I9nXCoA7qBO4RmDBYfs-69z1txU&hl=en&ei=u9YRStTQO5O6M7u70P4M&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=6#PPT12,M1 Gelato! By Pamela Sheldon Johns] </ref> It was served in small [[porcelain]] bowls that resembled egg cups.<ref name ="gelatohistory1">[http://www.whygelato.com/gelato101/history.asp Gelato - History]</ref> He is sometimes referred to as "The Father of Italian gelato".<ref> Moramarco, p. 208 ''The father of Italian gelato is Francesco Procopio dei Coltelli, a Sicilian aristocrat who established a chain of coffee houses throughout Europe in the late seventeenth century.''</ref> He offered a melange of refreshments including "iced water", Italian Ice, iced fruits, iced creams and strawberry sorbet.<ref name ="gelatocream"> [http://www.gelatodream.com/printable.htm Gelato Cream]</ref>
Procopio introduced the Italian "ice cream" gelato at his cafe and is one of the first to sell this new European product directly to the public.<ref> [http://www.thenewstoday.info/2009/03/04/angelati.italia.gelato.in.al.dente.html Angelati Italia Gelato in Al Dente] </ref><ref> ''Galeto found commercial success in France in 1686, where it was created by Sicilian Francesco Procopio dei Cotelli at Cafe Procope in Paris.'' [http://books.google.com/books?id=a3BVQUIFc2UC&pg=PT12&lpg=PT12&dq=gelato+Francesco+Procopio+dei+Coltelli&source=bl&ots=HZD-FCx8vZ&sig=I9nXCoA7qBO4RmDBYfs-69z1txU&hl=en&ei=u9YRStTQO5O6M7u70P4M&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=6#PPT12,M1 Gelato! By Pamela Sheldon Johns] </ref> It was served in small [[porcelain]] bowls that resembled egg cups.<ref name ="gelatohistory1">[http://www.whygelato.com/gelato101/history.asp Gelato - History]</ref> He is sometimes referred to as "The Father of Italian gelato".<ref> Moramarco, p. 208 ''The father of Italian gelato is Francesco Procopio dei Coltelli, a Sicilian aristocrat who established a chain of coffee houses throughout Europe in the late seventeenth century.''</ref> He offered a melange of refreshments including "iced water", Italian Ice, iced fruits, iced creams and strawberry sorbet.<ref name ="gelatocream"> [http://www.gelatodream.com/printable.htm Gelato Cream]</ref>


Procopio opened his cafe about the same time that the [[Comédie Française]] opened their doors.<ref name = "rothrock"/> Conveniently their theater business is located across the street from his cafe.<ref name = "rothrock"/> Procopio's cafe is considered the first true modern coffee house and is the oldest Parisian restaurant.<ref> ''Cafe Le Procope (still trading) is acknowledged as the first true coffee house and the oldest restaurant in Paris. [http://knol.google.com/k/peter-baskerville/the-historic-coffee-house/14j3i4hyjvi88/9 The Historic Coffee House] </ref> Procopio's cafe and "ice cream" establishment was one of the first in France to serve coffee which attracted many actors, writers, musicians, poets, philosophers, revolutionaries, statesmen, scientists, dramatists, stage artists, playwrites, literary critics and Americans to frequent his establishment.<ref name = "rothrock"/> It is considered the most famous and successful cafe in Paris.<ref name ="gelatohistory1"/><ref name ="gelatocream"/><ref> ''And over the last three centuries, Le Procope has been the meeting place for anyone who was anyone in the arts or the letters or the politics of Paris.'' [http://www.noworriesmate.com/Books/TWP_W01.htm First Walkabout] </ref> To fans of French history Procopio's business is considered ''the holy grail of Parisian cafes.''<ref> [http://carolyncholland.wordpress.com/2008/08/06/procope-cafe-paris-part-2/ PROCOPE CAFÉ, PARIS Part 2] </ref>
Procopio opened his cafe about the same time that the [[Comédie Française]] opened their doors.<ref name = "rothrock"/> Conveniently their theater business is located across the street from his cafe.<ref name = "rothrock"/> Procopio's cafe is considered the first true modern coffee house. <ref name ="restaurant"> ''Cafe Le Procope (still trading) is acknowledged as the first true coffee house and the oldest restaurant in Paris. [http://knol.google.com/k/peter-baskerville/the-historic-coffee-house/14j3i4hyjvi88/9 The Historic Coffee House] </ref> The cafe that Procopio started with serving drinks and food is the oldest Parisian restaurant.<ref name ="restaurant"/><ref> [http://www.paris-restaurants.net/procope-restaurant-paris.htm Guide to Paris restaurants] </ref><ref> [http://www.francetourisme.fr/uk/restaurant-le-procope.html LE PROCOPE RESTAURANT + PARIS BY NIGHT TOUR] </ref><ref> [http://www.paris-insider.com/attractions/le-procope-oldest-cafe-paris LE PROCOPE : THE OLDEST CAFE IN PARIS] </ref><ref> ''Restaurant Name: "Le Procope." Established in 1686, this is the oldest restaurant in Paris and the first coffee house of the world.'' [http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/2ce34/18308/2/ Le Procope: The oldest restaurant in Paris] </ref>
Procopio's cafe and "ice cream" establishment was one of the first in France to serve coffee which attracted many actors, writers, musicians, poets, philosophers, revolutionaries, statesmen, scientists, dramatists, stage artists, playwrites, literary critics and Americans to frequent his establishment.<ref name = "rothrock"/> It is considered the most famous and successful cafe in Paris.<ref name ="gelatohistory1"/><ref name ="gelatocream"/><ref> ''And over the last three centuries, Le Procope has been the meeting place for anyone who was anyone in the arts or the letters or the politics of Paris.'' [http://www.noworriesmate.com/Books/TWP_W01.htm First Walkabout] </ref> To fans of French history Procopio's business is considered ''the holy grail of Parisian cafes.''<ref> [http://carolyncholland.wordpress.com/2008/08/06/procope-cafe-paris-part-2/ PROCOPE CAFÉ, PARIS Part 2] </ref>


Procopio's café became a very popular cultural and political gathering place.<ref name ="mistergel"/> Certain notable people that frequented the cafe throughout history have been [[Voltaire]], [[Maximilien Robespierre]], [[Victor Hugo]], [[Paul Verlaine]], [[Honoré de Balzac]] [[Pierre Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais]], [[François-Marie Arouet]], [[Jean-Jacques Rousseau]], [[Alain-René Lesage]], [[Georges Danton]], [[Jean-Paul Marat]], [[Honoré de Balzac]] and [[Denis Diderot ]].<ref name ="portinari"/> Even [[Benjamin Franklin]], [[Thomas Jefferson]], [[John Paul Jones]] and [[Napoleon Bonaparte]] visited Procopio's cafe not only for coffee and intellectual conversations, but for gelato.<ref name ="gelatohistory"/><ref name ="coffee94/> There are words above the door at Procopio's establishment that read: ''Cafe a la Voltaire''.<ref name = "rothrock"/>
Procopio's café became a very popular cultural and political gathering place.<ref name ="mistergel"/> Certain notable people that frequented the cafe throughout history have been [[Voltaire]], [[Maximilien Robespierre]], [[Victor Hugo]], [[Paul Verlaine]], [[Honoré de Balzac]] [[Pierre Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais]], [[François-Marie Arouet]], [[Jean-Jacques Rousseau]], [[Alain-René Lesage]], [[Georges Danton]], [[Jean-Paul Marat]], [[Honoré de Balzac]] and [[Denis Diderot ]].<ref name ="portinari"/> Even [[Benjamin Franklin]], [[Thomas Jefferson]], [[John Paul Jones]] and [[Napoleon Bonaparte]] visited Procopio's cafe not only for coffee and intellectual conversations, but for gelato.<ref name ="gelatohistory"/><ref name ="coffee94/> There are words above the door at Procopio's establishment that read: ''Cafe a la Voltaire''.<ref name = "rothrock"/>

Revision as of 17:45, 21 May 2009

Francesco Procopio dei Coltelli
BornFebruary 9th, 1651
Palermo or Aci Trezza, France
DiedFebruary 10, 1727
Paris, France
NationalityFrench
OccupationFrench entrepreneur

Procopio Cutò, or Francesco Procopio dei Coltelli was the Sicilian chef who had learned the culinary business as his career trade,[1] and, billing himself as a modern Procopius founded in 1686 what has become the oldest extant cafe in Paris, Cafe Procope.[2] It became the first literary coffeehouse. The cafe-restaurant for over 200 years attracted notables in the world of arts, politics and literature.[3]

Biography

Founded Café Procope in Paris 1686

Procopio was born near Mount Etna in Sicily around the town of Aci Trezza.[1][4][5] He received his name of dei Coltelli from the French, who misunderstood his Sicilian family name of Cutò, which is homonymous with couteaux, " knives" in French. Hence, translating back into Italian gives Procopio dei Coltelli the other name he is known by.[1]

Procopio married Marguerite Crouin around 1675 in the church of Saint Sulpice Crouin. The marriage record shows the witnesses as his parents, Onofrio and Semarqua Sunday. Together they had eight children during their long marriage before Procopio became a widower.[6]

Early life

Growing up so close to the mountain he played in the snow when he was a boy, typical of children worldwide that are in the northern or mountainous regions where there is snowfall. At that time period the snow was mixed with fruit juices and honey to make a type of sorbet. This type of "ice cream" was eaten by both rich aristocrats and by peasants.[1] This is where Procopio got the idea to develop out gelato. The history of gelato shows Procopio as a most influential person to promote this new food.[7][8]

Procopio was a pioneer in the Italian gelato business.[9]

Procopio worked first as a fisherman like his father Onofrio. His grandfather Francesco, becoming part of his name, was also a fisherman from Acitrezza. It turned out that his grandfather built sorbet machines part time, when he was not fishing. Francesco eventually left his invention to Procopio as an inheritance. Procopio tinkered with his grandfather's "ice cream" machine making various improvements. Procopio eventually felt that he had developed a machine that would produce gelato on a large scale and decided to promote the new product. He left Sicily and went to France by way of Italy.[10]

Mid life

Procopio took up the skills to become a cook, possibly in Florence or Palermo on his trek to France.[11] He apprenticed under the leadership of Armenian immigrants Pascal and Maliban.[12] Procopio eventually moved to Paris around 1674.[11] There he was a distillateur-limonaider and opened up a kiosk, referred to as la loge de la limonade, on Foire Saint Germain. There were many of these type of booths and stands that existed then in Paris selling confections and drinks.[13]

Prior to Procopio arriving in France there were other "cafes/coffee houses" there, however they were not called "cafes" at the time.[13] Some were referred to as "the site of a lemonade", meaning they sold various cold drinks including lemonade. It seems that the Armenian immigrant Pascal was the first to call his boutique a "cafe" or coffee house where one drinks coffee.[13] His attempt at such a business on St. Germain Fair in Paris was not successful.[13] There was also one in Marseille in 1644 before Pascal and Procope that became defunct.[13] There was an unsuccessful attempt to open a "Levatine" coffee house cafe "well" in Paris in 1643, however it failed (En 1643 déjà un Levantin en avait bien ouvert un a Paris,… mais céla n’avait pas réussi).[13] When Procopio opened his extant cafe in 1686 it was named "Le Procope", his nickname in French.[1] It was referred to as an "antre" (cavern or cave) because it was dark inside and because of the strange poets that frequented the cafe.[11]

Procopio had learned in about 1680 how to make a beverage of ice made of lemonade using salt to lower its temperature and keep cooler longer.[14] Procopio had a special royal license from King Louis XIV to sell spices, ice drinks, barley water and his improved version of the Italian "ice cream" gelato.[15] This gave him exclusive rights to these products from his kiosk booth at Foire Saint Germain.[16] He soon added coffee to his refreshments' list and the kiosk became a coffee house cafe.[11] He then moved to a larger building where it is presently located on rue de L'Ancienne Comedie. It is the oldest cafe in Paris that is still in business today, over 300 years later.[17][18]

Procopio introduced the Italian "ice cream" gelato at his cafe and is one of the first to sell this new European product directly to the public.[19][20] It was served in small porcelain bowls that resembled egg cups.[21] He is sometimes referred to as "The Father of Italian gelato".[22] He offered a melange of refreshments including "iced water", Italian Ice, iced fruits, iced creams and strawberry sorbet.[23]

Procopio opened his cafe about the same time that the Comédie Française opened their doors.[4] Conveniently their theater business is located across the street from his cafe.[4] Procopio's cafe is considered the first true modern coffee house. [24] The cafe that Procopio started with serving drinks and food is the oldest Parisian restaurant.[24][25][26][27][28]

Procopio's cafe and "ice cream" establishment was one of the first in France to serve coffee which attracted many actors, writers, musicians, poets, philosophers, revolutionaries, statesmen, scientists, dramatists, stage artists, playwrites, literary critics and Americans to frequent his establishment.[4] It is considered the most famous and successful cafe in Paris.[21][23][29] To fans of French history Procopio's business is considered the holy grail of Parisian cafes.[30]

Procopio's café became a very popular cultural and political gathering place.[5] Certain notable people that frequented the cafe throughout history have been Voltaire, Maximilien Robespierre, Victor Hugo, Paul Verlaine, Honoré de Balzac Pierre Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais, François-Marie Arouet, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Alain-René Lesage, Georges Danton, Jean-Paul Marat, Honoré de Balzac and Denis Diderot .[1] Even Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, John Paul Jones and Napoleon Bonaparte visited Procopio's cafe not only for coffee and intellectual conversations, but for gelato.[10][11] There are words above the door at Procopio's establishment that read: Cafe a la Voltaire.[4]

Later life

Procopio obtained French citizenship in 1685.[11] He married a second time in 1696 as an elderly man and fathered five more children with Anne Françoise Garnier. He was married a third time in 1717 to Julie Parmentier and had another son.[6]

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d e f Portinari
  2. ^ Restaurant Le Procope founded in 1686
  3. ^ Paris - Café Procope
  4. ^ a b c d e THE CAFE PROCOPE by Addison May Rothrock; Lippincott's Monthly Magazine (1886-1915); Jun 1906; 77, 462; American Periodicals Series Online, pg. 702
  5. ^ a b Mister Gel
  6. ^ a b Marcello Messina, "The café Le Procope" in Scirocco, Year 3, Nov. / Dec. 2003, pp. 19-21
  7. ^ Pease Pudding
  8. ^ Histor of gelato
  9. ^ My Guide to Italy (Ice Cream) by Felix Petrelli
  10. ^ a b Gelato history by Gianpaolo Grazioli
  11. ^ a b c d e f Ukers, p. 94
  12. ^ Fitch, p. 43
  13. ^ a b c d e f Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly, August 2002, Economics and the Origin of the Restaurant by Nicholas M. Kiefer
  14. ^ "A history of inventions and discoveries. By John Beckmann, ... Translated from German by William Johnston. ..." Vol.3. London, 1797. Eighteenth Century Collections Online. Gale. Library of Congress. 19 May 2009
  15. ^ Kopfer, p. 12
  16. ^ A Passion for GELATO
  17. ^ Portinari, It was the first café in Paris and is still open and active today.
  18. ^ Albala, p. 84 The first cafe in Paris, Le Procopio, was opened by the Sicilian Francesco Procopio dei Coltelli in 1686.
  19. ^ Angelati Italia Gelato in Al Dente
  20. ^ Galeto found commercial success in France in 1686, where it was created by Sicilian Francesco Procopio dei Cotelli at Cafe Procope in Paris. Gelato! By Pamela Sheldon Johns
  21. ^ a b Gelato - History
  22. ^ Moramarco, p. 208 The father of Italian gelato is Francesco Procopio dei Coltelli, a Sicilian aristocrat who established a chain of coffee houses throughout Europe in the late seventeenth century.
  23. ^ a b Gelato Cream
  24. ^ a b Cafe Le Procope (still trading) is acknowledged as the first true coffee house and the oldest restaurant in Paris. The Historic Coffee House
  25. ^ Guide to Paris restaurants
  26. ^ LE PROCOPE RESTAURANT + PARIS BY NIGHT TOUR
  27. ^ LE PROCOPE : THE OLDEST CAFE IN PARIS
  28. ^ Restaurant Name: "Le Procope." Established in 1686, this is the oldest restaurant in Paris and the first coffee house of the world. Le Procope: The oldest restaurant in Paris
  29. ^ And over the last three centuries, Le Procope has been the meeting place for anyone who was anyone in the arts or the letters or the politics of Paris. First Walkabout
  30. ^ PROCOPE CAFÉ, PARIS Part 2

Sources

  • Albala, Ken, Food in early modern Europe, Greenwood Publishing Group, 2003, ISBN 0-3133196-2-6
  • Fitch, Noël Riley et al, The Grand Literary Cafes of Europe, New Holland Publishers, 2006, ISBN 1-8453711-4-3
  • Moramarco, Stephen, Italian Pride: 101 Reasons to Be Proud You're Italian, Citadel Press, 2000, ISBN 1-5597251-2-5
  • Portinari, Folco, Voglia di gelato, Milano, Idea Libri, 1987, ISBN 8-8708211-3-7.
  • Ukers, William H., All About Coffee - The Project Gutenberg EBook
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