The Italian Cultural Institute in New York will host Ingredients/Ingredienti: The Secrets of Italian Cuisine on November 13. This event, part of the series celebrating the 9th Week of Italian Cuisine in the World, will focus on adapting the Mediterranean diet outside of Italy. Professor Annamaria Colao, UNESCO Chair and professor at the University of Naples Federico II, co-organizer of the event, describes the fusion of Mediterranean diets with other cultures—thus, other cuisines—as a phenomenon she calls “planeterranean diet.”
This discussion will kick off a research project involving New York-born high school students who maintain strong ties to Italian culture. In addition to hearing from Professor Colao, students will have the opportunity to engage with notable experts, including Chef Fabrizio Facchini, who will share his experiences in bringing Italian cuisine abroad; Stefano Albertini, Director of Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò; renowned food journalist and author Mark Bittman, former New York Times contributor and Columbia University lecturer; Silvana Mangione, Deputy Secretary General of the General Council of Italians Abroad (CGIE) for Anglophone Countries; Michael Cascianelli, Principal of La Scuola d’Italia; Erica Di Giovancarlo, Director of ITA New York; and Roberta Marini De Plano from the Italian Academy of Cuisine in New York.
The Ingredients/Ingredienti: The Secrets of Italian Cuisine series will focus on sustainable practices and the biodiversity of typical Italian ingredients, which are the true source of Italian gastronomic excellence. As mentioned, this event is part of the 9th Week of Italian Cuisine in the World, held from November 16 to 22, with a focus on the Mediterranean Diet and Rooted Cuisine: Health and Tradition.
The series aims to highlight the Mediterranean diet’s role in fostering a healthy, balanced, and sustainable lifestyle, emphasizing Italian culinary traditions and the cultural roots of Mediterranean cuisine. Its focus on health and sustainability also ties into the Roots Tourism program promoted by ITALEA, which aims to understand and celebrate the impact of Italian communities abroad in spreading Italy’s rich agro-food heritage worldwide.
