An Eel Swimming Up the Po River is the journey of a fable that turned into a recipe. 

Once upon a time, there was a curious eel who was looking for her origins.
No longer content to swim in the lagoons of the Adriatic sea, she crossed the canals to reach the Po River, swimming upstream and against the current.

Along her journey she found magic ingredients.
Each one helped her understand where she came from and where she was going.
Golden polenta and onions from Veneto.
Sweet and sour Campanine apples from Mantua.
Sticky saba from the Emilian countryside.

Vain as she was, she covered herself in the precious saba and sunbathed along the river bank.
That is how she burned the onions! 

Entering the old city of Modena, the saba-lacquered eel with burned onion powder, cream of polenta and apple jelly ended her courageous journey as a memorable dish in Osteria Francescana.

The eel’s journey is also our journey.
It is made of flavours and magical encounters. 
With people, landscapes, and ideas.

Come with us along the journey. 
“Il Ritorno” is a short film created in 2011 in collaboration with Regione Emilia-Romagna and Togo Studio. 
The ingredients: the gallerist Emilio Mazzoli, the artist Giuliano della Casa, the kitchen team with Yoji Tokuyoshi, Takahiko Kondo, Davide Di Fabio, Riccardo Forapani, Francesco Vincenzi —and Massimo Bottura’s mother, Luisa.

“At times we have all felt like an eel swimming upstream and against the current, looking for clues along the way to where we come from and where we are going.”
Massimo Bottura

What about your journey?

Credits:

A short video by Roberto Rabitti

Illustration by Giuliano Della Casa