Few families have been treated as badly by historians as the Borgias, commonly portrayed as murderers who eliminated their enemies by poison. It is true that the Borgias were vindictive people, and Cesar Borgia did not hesitate to have his or his sister's enemies excommunicated or imprisoned. However, not a single mention is to be found of their having ever poisoned anybody.

This myth started only in the nineteenth century. Oxford scholar Gregory Hardy wrote that "it was not unusual for the Borgias to eliminate as many as one or two people every week… with a white powder, cantarela, which was sugary and had a pleasing taste when added to a dish, but quite deadly." Alexandre Dumas, in his Crimes Célèbres, suggests that the Borgias forced a bear to swallow a strong dose of arsenic and, as the poison took effect, suspended the beast by his hind legs so that a stream of foam poured from its mouth. According to Dumas, this foam was then collected on a silver plate and bottled in the Vatican.

Among the wealthiest families in fifteenth and sixteenth century Italy, the Borgias entertained lavishly. A cardinal and a soldier in the service of the Vatican, Cesar Borgia hosted grand dinners in his palatial homes in Rome, Florence and Ferrara, often inviting as many as five hundred guests for eight or ten course dinners. After dining with him in 1497, the Duke of Tuscany wrote to his wife that in addition to serving "food that was inedible, the man himself is terrible. He passes air, sneezes and wheezes, scratches himself and blows his nose at table." Worst of all, it was said that Cesar was an impossible chatterer, never giving his guests a chance to say a word.

Despite his lack of etiquette, Cesar had the ear not only of the pope but of a collection of kings, and had many followers, as did his far more refined sister, the beautiful Lucrezia, Duchess of Ferrara. Whether in her castle in Ferrara or her home in Rome, it was her habit to host intimate dinners at least three times every week. Her parties were considered great successes, partly due to her chef, Gregorio Platini, one of the most talented chefs of the time.

Cesar and Lucrezia were both terrified of being poisoned and therefore employed food tasters. Since not all poisons act quickly, the tasters had to eat their samples half an hour before the Borgias dined, and while none of the tasters ever died of poisoning, this practice assured that every dish the Borgias consumed was quite cold by the time they finally got to it.

According to popular folklore, the following dish was invented by Cristoforo di Zeffirano, a Bolognese chef, who dedicated it to Lucrezia on the occasion of her wedding to the Duke of Ferrara, Alfonso d'Este, in 1501.

Torta di Porro alla Borgia
Leek Tart alla Borgia

1/4 lb (115 gr) leeks, white parts only
1/2 cup butter, softened
3 cups flour
1 1/4 cups milk, warm
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated 2 egg yolks
salt and pepper to taste

Wash the leeks well, cook them in lightly salted boiling water for 10 minutes, and drain. In a heavy skillet melt 2 Tbsp of the butter and in this sauté the leeks over a low flame for 4-5 minutes.

In a saucepan melt 2 Tbsp of the remaining butter and into this stir 1/4 cup of the flour, mixing thoroughly. To this mixture, slowly add the milk, stirring constantly until the sauce is smooth and without lumps. Remove from the flame and season to taste with pepper. Whisk in the Parmesan cheese and egg yolks and set the sauce aside.

Place the remaining flour in a mixing bowl and make a well in the center. Add the remaining butter, a pinch or two of salt and 1 Tbsp of cold water. Work this mixture into smooth soft dough, adding a bit of water if necessary. Roll the dough into a circle large enough to line a lightly buttered 9" (23 cm) pie tin with sides about 2" (5 cm) high. Bake blind by filling the tart with uncooked rice and baking in a medium oven for 20 minutes. Remove the rice (which may be cooked in the usual way any time in the future).

Arrange the leeks in a neat row on the pastry and over the leeks pour the sauce. Return to the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes longer. Let the pie stand for 2-3 minutes before sliding it out onto a serving platter and serving. ( Serves 6 as a first course).

Mont Blanc aux Marons
Chestnut Mount Blanc

Although this famous dessert, based on a sweetened puree of chestnuts piled high with whipped cream, is considered an integral part of classic French cuisine, it probably originated in Italy. The dish is first mentioned in Platina's De honesta voluptate which was printed in Venice in 1475, sponsored by the Borgias, and the first actual recipe, nearly identical to the one used today, appears in Bartolomeo Scappi's Opera, published in 1570.

In 1620, a baker in Chamonix, France, credited the dessert to himself, and once it had been established as a French recipe, the burghers of Paris, Lyon and Grenoble adopted it as their own. Today, it is known even in Italy by its French name.

3 1/4 lb (1 1/2 kilos) chestnuts
1 cup + 2 Tbsp sugar
3 cups milk
1 vanilla bean, about 2" (5 cm) long
2 Tbsp butter
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups sweet cream, well chilled
2-3 drops vanilla extract

To prepare the chestnuts, cut a cross in the top of each and set them in a saucepan of cold water. Bring to the boil, boil for 1 minute and remove from the flame. Drain the chestnuts, pour over cold water to cover and, before the chestnuts become completely cool, peel off and discard the outer and inner skins.

In the top of a double boiler scald the milk together with 1/4 cup of the sugar and the vanilla bean. Add the peeled chestnuts and cook over boiling water until the chestnuts are very tender (about 30 minutes). Drain the chestnuts and puree them in a food mill or with a sieve. (Do not discard the milk as it may be used later to make puddings or sweet rice desserts).

To make sugar syrup, mix 3/4 cup of the remaining sugar with 6 Tbsp of water and boil, stirring regularly, until a temperature of 230 degrees Fahrenheit (110 degrees Celsius) is obtained. Add the sugar syrup, butter and salt to the chestnut puree and then force through a ricer or a wire sieve, letting the vermicelli-like puree fall into a 9" (23 cm) ring mold. Turn the mold over on a chilled serving plate and place in the refrigerator. Let chill thoroughly before serving. Pour the sweet cream into a completely dry chilled bowl and beat it by hand or with an electric beater until the cream is stiff enough to form soft peaks when the beater is lifted out. If the cream is not to be used immediately it may be stored in the refrigerator for up to two hours. Just before serving, fold in the sugar and vanilla extract and then fill the center of the chestnut ring with the cream, shaping the cream into a dome. (Serves 8-10)