White paper on creativity - ebla center

Chapter 6Spelta). Farro is considered to be atraditional species and thereforeendowed with a significant ecologicalvalue, especially for organic farms(there are over 2000 ha of emmer, T.dicoccum, and almost 500 ha of spelt, T.Spelta). Emmer, for example, wasknown to be used in ancient times,when it was part of the staple diet ofAssyrians and Egyptians. Moreover, inancient Rome, emmer was one of thefew forms of sustenance for slavesand soldiers, who used to eat puls (akind of porridge made of stonegroundemmer cooked with water).These kinds of wheats were used asthe main ingredient for various otherrecipes consumed by higher-rankingclasses. The best-known was certainlyconfarratio – a forerunner of themodern pastiera (wheat and ricottacake) – prepared for marriageceremonies. Since being recognised asa basic ingredient in traditional cuisine,these ancient wheat species weregradually replaced by common anddurum wheat and eventually only usedas forage. Today the rediscovery offarro has almost made it a luxuryproduct, used in recipes in some ofthe most highly rated restaurants inCentral Italy. The recovery of theimage of farro began in the early 1990swhen some farms began to invest toincrease their crops of the cereal. Theywere then supported by theacknowledgement of IGP status forGarfagnana farro in 1996. At the sametime there was a revival of old recipesusing farro in the local gastronomictradition.The image of farro is also associatedwith simple genuine country life,partly because it is attributed withhaving beneficial properties whichkeep cholesterol levels down in theblood. This niche product was thenadopted by the big supermarketchains, which launched it on themarket in several different kinds ofready-made dishes. The increasedproduction and massive investment incommunications has transformed farrofrom a staple ingredient for so-calledhumble dishes into a luxury delicacy.In Italy there are around 81,000restaurants employing approximately344,000 people (ASIA). xxiv The highestpercentage (14.4%) is in Lombardy;Lazio, the Veneto, Tuscany,Campania, Piedmont and Emilia-Romagna have around 8% each, whilethe other regions have minor shares –Apulia, Sicily and Liguria (6-4%); thesmallest have from just over 3% downto 0.6%.The ISTAT figures only concern thenumber of restaurant businesses inItaly without giving any informationabout quality. Unlike hotels, but likeagritourisms, restaurants have nonational regulations dictating thecriteria for quality indications. Somespecialist guides, however, do indicatethe quality of restaurants by usingvarious symbols.The 2008 Michelin Guide to Italymentions 2,580 restaurants, 3.2% ofthe national total. The region withlargest number of restaurantsmentioned is Lombardy, with 435restaurants (17%). By comparing thenumber of restaurants in the guide tothe ISTAT regional totals, we find thatthe best represented regions areTrentino with 14.1% of its overallrestaurants mentioned by the MichelinWHITE PAPER ON CREATIVITY 143