IN A 1932 INTERVIEW, MARIETTA Sabatini was asked to describe the life of her late employer, Pellegrino Artusi. It was “a continuous alternation,” she said, “between the study and the kitchen; the pen, and the saucepans.”

The founder of a successful bank and a longtime resident of Florence, Artusi was a wealthy bachelor who devoted his retirement to his interests. These included analyzing poetry, attending university lectures, and collecting recipes to be tested by his household cook and Sabatini, his housekeeper (Artusi was menu-planner and taster, but did little cooking himself).