CRUMBLE:
A PHILOSOPHY OF FOOD NEWSLETTER

Title: Gastronomia computazionale: reti, ingredienti e strutture culinarie nei sistemi complessi alimentari (Computational Gastronomy: Networks, Ingredients, and Culinary Structures in Complex Food Systems)

University/organization: University of Parma (Italy)

Deadline: July 23, 2026

Manager’s email: davide.cassi@unipr.it

Link or description: https://corsi.unipr.it/sites/default/files/2026-06/Proposta%20Dottorato_Cassi%20.pdf

RECENTLY AWARDED GRANTS

Title: Animal Farm: An Architectural History of Intensive Animal Farming (1570–1992)

Kind of grant: HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC

PI email: sofia.nannini@polito.it

Link: https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101219242

To join the newsletter: https://animalfarm.beehiiv.com/

SHARING: TO LISTEN TO OR TO WATCH (PODCASTS, MOVIES, TV SHOWS, ...)

Title and format: (Movie) The Dinner

Director: Manuel Gómez Pereira

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4HNBaFF9NNA

Title and format: (Podcast) Gastronomica

Speaker(s): Andrea Borghini

Episode: EP. 53 Mapping Out Food and Philosophy

Link: https://newbooksnetwork.com/episode-53-mapping-out-food-and-philosophy

SHARING: TO READ (BOOKS, PAPERS, FICTIONS, ...)

Title: A Philosophy of Natural Wine: Nature, Artifacts, and the Space in Between

Author: Patrik Engisch

Publisher: Routledge

Title: The Story of Prosecco Superiore (Paperback edition, out 23 July 2026)

Author: Susan H. Gordon

Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic

(via Susan Gordon)

Title: Food Justice Undone. Lessons for Building a Better Movement

Author: Hanna Garth

Publisher: University of California Press

Title: Le regole della qualità alimentare: ridare voce al consumatore

Author: Emma Sofia Lunghi

Publisher: Ledizioni (2026) online and in bookstores: https://www.ledizioni.it/prodotto/le-regole-della-qualita-alimentare/ (also open access)

(via Emma Sofia Lunghi)

Title: To Taste. On Cooking and the Good Life

Author: Scott Samuelson

Publisher: University of Chicago Press

Title: Consuming the American Dream: Essays Celebrating the Intersection of Food, Literature, and Our National Myth

Editors: Robert C. Hauhart and Jeff Birkenstein

Publisher: The University of Tennessee Press, 2026

Link: https://utpress.org/9798895270813/consuming-the-american-dream/

(via Jeff Birkenstein)

Title: Significant Food: Critical Readings to Nourish American Literature

Editors: Jeff Birkenstein and Robert C. Hauhart

Publisher: University of Georgia Press, 2024

Link: https://www.ugapress.org/9780820366715/significant-food/ (via Jeff Birkenstein)

VARIA: FUNDRAISE

One course I co-teach at MIT D-Lab has been working with an NGO in Kenya to enable teen moms to create a collective organized around a sustainable circular economy. We are having trouble finding funding for this project since USAID was shut down. If you have suggestions for funding sources, please let me (Sally Haslanger) know at shaslang@mit.edu. You can find out more about the project here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1lwLuMa1Nn5PR3UULP5OdG3YEciEJFA4Jod5NqsHhMWc/edit?usp=sharing

(Via Sally Haslanger)

FEATURED RECIPES

Every issue of Crumble is accompanied by one or more recipes suggested by a member of our network.

Favata

(Serves 10)

Favata is a traditional humble dish from Sassari, in northern Sardinia. Born from peasant cooking, it was originally prepared with leftover cuts of pork and the humblest vegetables grown in the countryside around the city. Despite its modest origins, it developed into a rich and nourishing communal meal and is still traditionally prepared during Carnival, both in family homes and at public celebrations. Like many traditional recipes, Favata has evolved significantly over time and now exists in countless variations, each shaped by the tastes, customs, and ingredients available to those who prepared it. The version presented here is the result of many years of refinement by Mario Meloni.

Ingredients

For 10 people, you will need 2 kg of dried fava beans, 8 bunches of wild fennel, 8 bunches of fresh spring onions, 4–5 large sun-dried tomatoes, 1–2 large Savoy cabbages, about one head of garlic, parsley, salt, pepper and chili pepper to taste.

For the meat, use 8–10 large sausages, 8–10 pork ribs, 8–10 thick pieces of pork belly, a large piece of fresh pork fat or lardo and one pork trotter.

Method

Soak the dried fava beans in plenty of water for about 16/20 hours.

The next day, drain the beans and place them in a large pot. Arrange the meat on top, then add enough water to just cover it. Pour in a generous amount of olive oil, then add the chopped chili pepper and the sun-dried tomatoes.

Before the pot starts to simmer, finely chop the pork fat or lardo together with the garlic and parsley. Add this mixture to the pot, allowing it to melt into the broth and flavour the beans and meat.

Once the liquid begins to simmer, add the spring onions and wild fennel, both cleaned beforehand. Taste the broth and adjust the salt as needed.

After about two hours of boiling, remove the meat from the pot and transfer it to a second pan with plenty of cooking liquid, so that it stays warm and moist.

Finally, add the Savoy cabbage to the main pot, after removing the tough central ribs from the leaves. Continue cooking until the cabbage is tender and the favata is thick, fragrant and well combined. Serve hot.

CRUMBLE: A PHILOSOPHY OF FOOD NEWSLETTER

#6 (2026)

CRUMBLE:
A PHILOSOPHY OF FOOD NEWSLETTER