Shanghai Celebrates the Week of Italian Cuisine in the World

26 Novembre 2021

On November 23rd, in the framework of VI Edition of the Week of Italian Cuisine in the World (November 22nd-28th, 2021), the China-Italy Chamber of Commerce (CICC), in collaboration with the Consulate General of Italy in Shanghai, the Italian Trade Agency (ITA-ICE) and the Italian National Tourist Board (ENIT), held a special Dinner gathering more than 70 guests from different business sectors, Chinese Media and KOLs.

A dinner celebrating the Italian Cuisine Tradition is one of the key initiatives carried out in Shanghai for the Italian Week, to spread worldwide the Italian culinary tradition and food & wine knowledge, as a distinctive trait of the Italian identity and culture.

This year's edition is focused on the theme "Tradition and Perspectives of the Italian Cuisine: Awareness and Enhancement of Food Sustainability". In the press release published by the Consulate General of Italy in Shanghai, the words of Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Luigi Di Maio are quoted: "Italian cuisine conveys culture, research, innovation, education, territorial identity and biodiversity, promoting it is a priority (...). According to 2020 data, agri-food in Italy is worth 208 billion euros, equal to 12.6 per cent of GDP."

Italian Ambassador to China H.E. Luca Ferrari stressed "the fundamental role of Italian cuisine as a recognized and recognizable symbol of the culture of the 'Bel Paese'. Italian cuisine is not only synonymous with goodness and quality but also with salubrity. Indeed, the Mediterranean diet remains a key ingredient for both biodiversity and sustainable development. In a world still affected by many restrictions to international travel - continued Ambassador Ferrari - the quality of Italian food and wine makes it possible to bring the Chinese public closer to Italy".

Which cuisine can be more sustainable than that of Italian grandmothers who are the guardians of traditions handed down from generation to generation? The whole menu that the guests had the opportunity to taste is inspired by the traditional cuisine of the grandmothers of the famous Italian capital: Rome.

From meatballs cooked according to grandmother's secret recipe to the Roman Pasta alla Gricia and the traditional fruity pie, a culinary journey was offered to discover the Italian flavours of the territory, including 5 Italian products that are part of the 26 of the 100 EU Geographical Indication products: Mozzarella di Bufala Campana, Prosciutto di Parma, Pecorino Romano, Montepulciano d’Abruzzo and Grappa.

During the event, the Consulate General of Italy in Shanghai officially launched the new bilingual section of its WeChat Mini-Program dedicated to Italian restaurants in Shanghai, aimed at promoting the excellence of Italian hospitality and F&B in eastern China.

The event was also an opportunity to launch the latest in a series of eleven videos specifically dedicated to the promotion of the 26 IGPs covered by the China-EU Agreement, specially made for the Chinese public, in Mandarin and with a style designed to be suitable for the Chinese social media. “Soul of Food” is the name of the latest video of the series created by ITA, performed by Mattia Romeo, an expert in cultural communication between China and Italy, which has already totaled 2 million views in a few weeks. Thanks to ITA's support, Romeo also live-streamed the dinner on Weibo, allowing viewers who love Italian food culture to participate remotely and experience the charm of Italian cuisine culture together.

During the event, topics such as the Mediterranean diet as a balanced diet and healthy lifestyle, the connection between biodiversity and food diversity and the enhancement of the food and wine traditions of the Italian regions and territories have been addressed.

In particular, the concept of sustainability was emphasized not only in the food, but also in the creation of the Italian wine that guests were able to taste, from grapes to the glass.

The China-Italy Chamber of Commerce would like to thank all the institutions present, the media, KOLs, the food & beverage working group for providing an overview of the planned activities aimed at promoting the sector in China, the sponsors and all the participants for having contributed to the success of an evening dedicated to Italian food that is authentic, traditional, sustainable.