Francesco Procopio dei Coltelli
Francesco Procopio dei Coltelli, known in France as Le Procope (born in Palermo or Aci Trezza, February 9, 1651 – died in Paris, February 10, 1727), was a Sicilian cook and entrepreneur, recognized as the father of ice cream. He also founded in 1686 what became the oldest café in Paris, the Café Procope, a famous literary venue that attracted many personalities from the world of literature, arts, and politics.[1][2]
Biography
Some sources claim that he was born in Aci Trezza, Catania, near Mount Etna.[3][4][5] Other sources suggest he may have been born in Palermo, Sicily, a theory reinforced by a baptism certificate in the parish archives of the Church of Saint Hippolytus. This document shows that his first name was Francesco and his surname was Cutò, not Couteaux, which means knives in French. Cutò is a typical Sicilian surname.[6] A third possibility is that he was born near Palermo and lived in Aci Trezza for some time.[6]
The surname "dei Coltelli" came from the French, who misunderstood his Sicilian surname Cutò, which is homophonic with the French word couteaux (knives). Coltelli means knives in Italian. Thus, translated into Italian, he became known as Francesco Procopio dei Coltelli (Francesco Procopio "of the knives"), the name by which he is known today.[5] "Francesco Procopio" is used as two first names; Procopio is not a surname. Francesco was the name of his grandfather.
He married Marguerite Crouin in 1675 at the Church of Saint-Sulpice. They had eight children before Procopio became a widower.[6]
Early Years
Procopio played in the snow during his childhood. Snow was mixed with fruit juices and honey to make a type of sorbet. This precursor to ice cream was eaten by both aristocrats and peasants.[5] This is where Procopio's idea to develop ice cream originated. The history of ice cream often presents Procopio as the person most invested in promoting this product.[7]
He began working as a fisherman, like his father Onofrio. His grandfather Francesco, also a fisherman from Aci Trezza, built ice-cooling machines for making ice cream in his spare time. Francesco left this invention to Procopio as an inheritance, and he made several improvements to it. When he felt the machine was ready for large-scale ice cream production and decided to promote the product, he left Sicily for France.
Adult Life
Procopio likely acquired his culinary skills in Florence or Palermo before traveling to France.[8] He arrived in Paris in 1670 or 1674. He joined the distillateurs-limonadiers guild and apprenticed under an Armenian immigrant, Pascal, who ran a shop on rue de Tournon selling refreshments, including lemonade and coffee. Pascal's business attempt was unsuccessful, and he emigrated to London in 1675, leaving the shop to Procopio, who later moved it to rue des Fossés Saint Germain.[9]
Before Procopio arrived in France, there were other coffeehouses, but they were not called cafés at the time. In 1686, he opened the Le Procope café, the French version of his name.[5] It was referred to as a "den" (cave) because its interior was very dark, even on bright sunny days.[8]
Procopio purchased a sauna and its accessories (crystal chandeliers, wall mirrors, marble tables, etc.), which were removed and installed in his café. These elements are now standard in modern European cafés.[9]
By 1680, Procopio had learned how to make a frozen lemon drink using salt to lower its temperature and keep it cold longer. He obtained a special royal license from King Louis XIV to sell a variety of refreshments, including spiced drinks, iced beverages made from barley, anise, orange, cinnamon, and his improved Italian-style ice cream based on lemon and orange. He later added coffee to his menu, turning his shop into a coffeehouse.[8]
He introduced Italian-style ice cream to his café and was among the first to sell this product directly to the public, serving it in small porcelain bowls resembling egg cups. Procopio is sometimes referred to as "The Father of Italian Ice Cream." The Café Procope is considered the first modern coffeehouse and is the oldest café in Paris.[5]
Later Years
He obtained French citizenship in 1685.[8] He remarried in 1696 and had five more children with Anne Françoise Garnier. At age 66, in 1717, he married for a third time to Julie Parmentier and had another child.
References
- ↑ Restaurant Le Procope founded in 1686
- ↑ Paris - Café Procope
- ↑ THE CAFE PROCOPE by Addison May Rothrock; Lippincott's Monthly Magazine (1886-1915); Jun 1906; 77, 462; American Periodicals Series Online, p. 702
- ↑ Mister Gel
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 .
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Marcello Messina, "The café Le Procope" in Scirocco, Year 3, Nov./Dec. 2003, pp. 19-21
- ↑ History of Gelato
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 Ukers, William H., All About Coffee - The Project Gutenberg EBook, p. 94
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 .