“The spaghetti tree” – “The Swiss Spaghetti Harvest “is a false documentary conceived by Charles de Jaeger that the British television broadcaster BBC broadcast on April 1, 1957 in the Panorama topical program To do one joke to viewers.
Defined by the CCN “The greatest joke that a respectable information body has ever thought”in the film (with a distinctly popular cutting) it is shown that in Switzerland the Spaghetti flourishing from the trees in your home garden. The documentary – which can be seen entirely here – collected a significant success And many viewers called the BBC eager to have more information about it.
“The Swiss Spaghetti Harvest”: the creation and realization of the false documentary
Was Charles de JaegerAustrian Cineoperator who worked on the Panorama transmission, to propose the realization of this project. De Jaeger was inspired by a phrase that his teacher in Austria said to him and his companions, accusing them of being so stupid that they would have believed that the spaghetti grew on the trees.
The false documentary is was really shot in Switzerlandwhere Charles procured 10 kg of spaghetti And he attacked them in the trees after moistening them with a cloth: he had tried to hang them cooked, but glued to each other or slipped too much. Then they were involved in local girls with lots of typical costumes, and was made in the shot. At the end of the filming, the whole troupe celebrated with a spaghetti.
The content of the Fake documentary
In full popular style, the video is conducted by one narrative voice off the pitch Which tells that spring, that year, came by surprise everywhere, in England as well as in Switzerland, in the Canton of Ticino, an area that borders on Italy. On Lago di Lugano, in fact, flowering is already in full, and with it Spaghetti trees have also blossomed.
Here is one smiling Swiss family Which collects spaghetti from the trees: women take spaghetti from the branches, put them back in a basket, then they spread them in the sun to dry them. But not always – explains the narrative voice – the collection is so luxuriant: the frosts can compromise it and also alter the flavor of the spaghetto. Furthermore, In Switzerland flowering is not as abundant as in Italy Where, in the Po Valley, there are “huge” plantations. There is also no wonder if the spaghetti are All long and thick equal: This is the result of years and years of research on the product and care of the plant by the farmers, nothing more!
The documentary ends with a nice convivial meal at the restaurant and greets the spectators saying:
“For Those Who Love This Dish, There’s Nothing Like Real, Home-Grown Spaghetti!”
“For lovers of this dish, there is nothing better than real spaghetti, cultivated at home!”
Has the public fish response worked?
First of all, consider that, in those years, spaghetti in England they were considered an “exotic” foodand many people did not have the slightest idea that it was a pasta format obtained simply by kneading water and flour. Generally they were purchased in the classic pre -cooked format and stored inside the can, seasoned with tomato sauce.
There pastain general, was not widespreadand very little was known about production processes. A large number of spectators thought that the documentary told the truth, and many called to the BBC to ask for information on how to start a cultivation.
Telephone operators, with the humor that distinguishes the British, seem to have replied:
“Place a Spring of Spaghetti in a tin of Tomato Sauce, and Hope for the best!”
“Put a handful of spaghetti in a can of tomato sauce and hope for the best!”
The joke liked it so much that, ten years later, An Australian broadcaster the idea replied, and in 2024 a Swiss city He paid tribute to the April fish announcing that – as told in this article – the plant, now considered extinct, It was a trim!
