Pyxis

Pyxis

The project
CONCEPT

In ancient Greece, the use of Pyxis was intended for the female world: a box made to contain perfumes, jewels or medicinal ointments.

From the study of the sinuous shapes of this ancient object comes the design of a container for white gold whose closing element, once turned upside down, becomes a serving plate for the table.

Pyxis is an object capable of enhancing the consumption of mozzarella from both an aesthetic and functional point of view through an innovative design. This object is not intended to be just a container for storing mozzarella but also a serving dish which, by allowing the milk to flow inside the lid handle, improves its tasting.

Territory, history and design represent the three cornerstones of research that gave life to the Pyxis.

DEVELOPMENT
The project comes to life from an idea by Raffaella Del Giudice, Architect and Designer, who, driven by the desire to find herself around the table of her childhood, created a design object that is a tribute to her land and family.

The object was made in Capodimonte according to traditional processes: the ancient craftsmanship of the Real Fabbrica di Capodimonte, commissioned by Carlo di Borbone in 1743, has been handed down since 1961 within the Istituto Raro Caselli – De Sanctis with the aim to conceive and experiment the innovations of ancient art. During the Bourbon period, mozzarella became a widely consumed food and it was in Capodimonte that King Carlo di Borbone decided to establish the Reale Vaccheria, a buffalo farm with an adjoining experimental dairy for milk processing.

Thanks to the collaboration of a third partner, excellence in the food sector, such as the organic farm Tenuta Vannulo, it was possible to experiment with the use and perfect the functionality of the Pyxis, container and serving dish for buffalo mozzarella, in compliance with three fundamental rules of consumption indicated by Consortium for the protection of Campania DOP buffalo mozzarella.

EXPERIENCE
Pyxis, through its evocative forms of an archaic femininity, traces a hidden path for milk so that it is not wasted but kept in order to still govern mozzarella or to be used again in haute cuisine experiments.
The buttermilk flows inside the neck making the mozzarella dry at the time of tasting.
PYXIS
MILK PATHS

Container and serving dish for buffalo mozzarella.

Rules for consuming buffalo mozzarella:
  1. It must always be immersed in milk, its governing liquid, until the moment of consumption.
  2. The quantity of milk that comes out of the mozzarella is directly proportional to its degree of freshness. However, letting the milk flow before savoring its taste makes it easier to consume by allowing you to keep the dish sufficiently dry so that the liquid does not alter the taste of other foods with which the dairy product is often accompanied.
  3. If the mozzarella is not consumed in its entirety, it is necessary to keep the milk in order to store it correctly, prolonging its freshness for a few days.
SUGGESTED RITUAL

Place the mozzarella and buttermilk in the bottom container and cover the top of the item. Until it is consumed, the mozzarella must remain submerged in the milk that allows for its preservation.

Bring the Pyxis and its “adapter” to the table, turn the lid upside down, insert the adapter inside the neck, and transfer the « white gold » to the flat part. Let the milk drop so to make it easier to eat and keep the mozzarella dry enough.

Once the tasting is over, if the mozzarella is not completely consumed, turn the lid/dish upside down. Afterwards, collect the buttermilk that has flowed into the neck, and cover the base container again . To preserve the flavour and consistency of the mozzarella, it is necessary to keep the liquid and store it properly, extending its freshness for a few days. Or salvage the milk to employ it in new haute cuisine recipes