Whose Cronica contains a 1284 reference to 'lagana cum caseo'?
Answer
Salimbene di Adam
Answer
Salimbene di Adam
Salimbene di Adam’s Cronica contains the 1284 reference to “lagana cum caseo.”
Salimbene was an Italian Franciscan friar and chronicler from the thirteenth century. His Cronica is a wide-ranging account of religious, political, and social life in Italy, and its incidental details preserve evidence about food as well as major historical events.
The Latin phrase “lagana cum caseo” translates as “lasagna with cheese.” It is not a modern recipe and does not prove that medieval cooks prepared the familiar layered dish in exactly the same way. Medieval pasta dishes generally used simple dough, cheese, spices, broth, or fat; tomatoes were unavailable in Europe until after the Columbian exchange.
This 1284 notice is often paired with the 1282 reference in the Memoriali Bolognesi. The dates are close, but the documents are different: one is a Bolognese notarial record containing a ballad, while the other is a chronicle written by Salimbene.
Source: Wikipedia · fact-checked Sept. 2026