Italian Cuisine Week begins

Experiencing the culture of land through cuisine is what is in store in Muscat this week- and the flavor is Italian.

The Embassy of Italy in Muscat has organized “The Italian cuisine Week – The extraordinary Italian taste”, an initiative of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation to promote the cultural, social, and environmental dimensions of gastronomy. The week, which began on November 26th will continue until December 4th.

Ambassador of Italy to the Sultanate of Oman Federico Favi, said that the Italian cuisine week is an opportunity to raise the awareness of the public on authentic Italian food, culinary traditions, diversity of Italian regional cuisine as well as the importance of using quality ingredients following a healthy lifestyle and of being responsible consumers thus avoiding food waste.

While the week aims at promoting the Italian gastronomic culture by presenting the various regional specialties, the objective is also to highlight on healthy lifestyles and pay attention to the environmental dimension of food consumption.

The week began at Capri Court restaurant by Shangri-La with an evening dedicated to the great composer and gourmet Gioacchino Rossini in the presence of the singers of the Rossini Opera Festival directly from the Royal Opera House of Muscat. For the occasion, the menu was designed by the chef’s Paolo Pelosi and Daniele Di Sacco and it included some dishes much appreciated by the master and re-proposed over time by the local Italian cuisine.

The seventh Italian Cuisine Week in the World 2022 has the theme – of conviviality, sustainability, and innovation with an emphasis on the ingredients of Italian cuisine for the health of people and the planet.

This year there are also events that are aimed at students with experts sharing scientific knowledge on food and agriculture.

“What is important is also the concept of recycling food and that is especially when it comes to making use of the left over food. These dishes are very tasty. This is significant for sustainability,” she pointed out.

At the end of the conference, food recycling tastings of Italian cuisine are planned, made by the Michelin 1 Star, chef Paolo Gramaglia, of the Professional Association of Italian Chefs in collaboration with FRESCO restaurants.

“We are very grateful to Oman Air for bringing our chefs to Oman and other sponsors,” the Ambassador said.

On Sunday Fresco Restaurant, Al Mouj presented the origins of Pizza with the Professional Association of Italian Chefs. Chef Alberto Buonocore showed how the dough should be made, how it should be handled and how the real Neapolitan pizza is prepared a very old recipe. Throughout the week Crowne Plaza is participating with a journey through Italian flavors and typical dishes of the local tradition of the various territories will be presented together with the classic dishes on the occasion of the week of Italian cuisine.

On Tuesday, November 29th, Roberto Ariani, Secretary General of the Italian Cuisine Academy, and Roberto Vasarri, Academy’s coordinator for Tuscany Region is to meet the teachers and the students of the Oman College of Tourism. The speakers would provide an overview of the positive impact of gastronomy in promoting cultural tourism, highlighting the potential benefits for the Sultanate in terms of job creation and economic diversification. The best practice of Tuscany as a world-renowned destination combining culture, gastronomy, and hospitality would be brought as an example for tourism promotion in the Sultanate.

The day will also see Chef Daniele Di Sacco providing the students of the National Hospitality Institute with a practical lesson on how leftover products from the day before can be reused in the kitchen.

On November 29, an invitees-only event, a live cooking session is to be held at the Ambassador’s residence, where four cooking stations will be set up in the garden. Four chefs, two from Italy and two Italians who live and work in Oman, will prepare four typical Italian dishes: a first course, a second course with meat and one with fish, and of course pizza. Beside each chef there will be Omani and Italian personalities who will comment on the various dishes as they are prepared. The chefs Alberto Buonocore, Marco Ronca, Raimo Chiacchiera, and Alessandro Battisti will participate to the event.

On December 4th, Stefano Vaccari, Director General will be present research by CREA, the Agriculture and Food Research Council, Italian Ministry of Agriculture will presenting the topic, ‘Women’s nutrition before and after childbirth.’ The CREA – Food and Nutrition Research Center carries out, with a multidisciplinary approach, research, training and activities on food, its quality, and its role in maintaining health and preventing the risk of food-related diseases.

“This initiative is part of the Sultan Qaboos University project with Oman Cables to bring Omani women closer to STEM subjects,” explained the Ambassador while speaking to Observer.

At the end of the conference, food recycling tastings of Italian cuisine is planned, made by the Michelin 1 Star, chef Paolo Gramaglia, of the Professional Association of Italian Chefs in collaboration with FRESCO restaurants.

“We are very grateful to Oman Air for bringing our chefs to Oman and other sponsors,” the Ambassador said.

Participating in the week are also Illy Cafe and Tuscany, Grand Hyatt, Muscat with the Taste of Puglia- Chef Giuseppe will present a taste of his hometown, Puglia, from the farmlands and Mediterranean coastline.