Francesco Procopio dei Coltelli
| Francesco Procopio dei Coltelli | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
February 9, 1651 Palermo or Aci Trezza, Italy |
| Died | February 10, 1727 (aged 76) Paris, France |
| Nationality | Sicilian, French |
| Other names | Procopio Cutò |
| Occupation | French entrepreneur |
| Known for | Pioneer in the Italian gelato business Opened the first literary coffeehouse, Café Procope |
Procopio Cutò, or Francesco Procopio Cutò or Francesco Procopio dei Coltelli (9 February 1651 - 10 February 1727) was an Italian chef from Sicily. Billing himself as a modern Procopius, he founded in 1686 what has become the oldest extant cafe in Paris, Café Procope. It became the first literary coffeehouse in Paris. For over 200 years the cafe-restaurant attracted notables in the world of arts, politics, and literature.
Some sources say Procopio was born near Mount Etna in Sicily around the town of Aci Trezza. Other sources say he was born at or near Palermo, Sicily. A certificate of baptism of 10 February 1651 has been found in the archives of the parish church of Sant'Ippolito in Palermo, one day after the birth of Procopio. The document shows his first name as Francesco and his surname as Cutò, a typical Sicilian surname. A third possibility is that he was born near Palermo and lived in Aci Trezza for a period of time.
Procopio received his name of dei Coltelli from the French, who misunderstood his Sicilian family name of Cutò, which is a homophone of couteaux, "knives" in French. Coltelli means "knives" in Italian. Hence, translating back into Italian gives Francesco Procopio dei Coltelli (Francesco Procopio of knives), the other name he is known by. "Francesco Procopio" are his forenames; Francesco was his grandfather's name.
Procopio married Marguerite Crouin in 1675 in the church of Saint Sulpice. The marriage record shows the witnesses as his father Onofrio Cutò and his mother Domenica Semarqua. Procopio and Marguerite had eight children during their long marriage before Procopio became a widower.
Procopio played in the snow when he was a boy. 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 and by peasants. This is where Procopio got the idea of developing gelato. The history of gelato shows Procopio as a most influential person in promoting this new food.
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Wikipedia