NZ HERALD: Italians impressed by Pope Benedict's good health and quick mind at the age of 83 have been shocked to learn that the German Pontiff's favourite recipes are a suicidal mix of fried, buttery and carnivorous pleasures.
The glimpse of Joseph Ratzinger's culinary wish list is granted by a new book, Eat Like a Pope, which details, in all their greasy glory, the top dishes served in the Ratzinger household in Bavaria by his mother before the war.
A cholesterol roller-coaster, the recipes range from stuffed pigeon with butter, cream and sherry, to soup with liver and onion dumplings, to the "exquisite butter and jam biscuits" that young Joseph loved.
Publisher De Agostini says the book is already into its second edition since publication last month, despite coinciding with the child abuse scandal swirling around the Vatican.
But Italian weekly L'Espresso warned children against attempting to follow the Ratzinger diet if they wanted to grow up to be Pope themselves.
"With these dishes, there is the risk of not reaching adulthood at all," the magazine stated. "This is a triumph of animal fats, sugar and cholesterol." >>> Tom Kington | Monday, June 21, 2010
