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FOCUS<br />
Italian Gourmet Luxury<br />
BY COSTANTINO CICCHELLI, MANAGER SOUTHEAST, ACADEMIA BARILLA, CCICCHELLI@BARILLA-USA.COM<br />
When I left Rome in 1996 to study abroad in Boston, I<br />
<strong>la</strong>cked a clear v<strong>is</strong>ion <strong>of</strong> the perception <strong>of</strong> Italy abroad. Like<br />
any <strong>true</strong> Italian, I loaded my suitcase with several packages<br />
<strong>of</strong> pasta and a wedge <strong>of</strong> Parmigiano Reggiano, still <strong>la</strong>rgely<br />
unaware that Italy was already waiting for me in Boston.<br />
I was pleasantly surpr<strong>is</strong>ed to fi nd all those Italian culinary<br />
brands that made me feel at home again in an instant.<br />
More than ten years have passed and yet the presence<br />
<strong>of</strong> Italian culinary products circu<strong>la</strong>ting throughout the<br />
U.S. market has multiplied. High-end gourmet products<br />
like truffl es, aged balsamic vinegars, Prosciutto di Parma,<br />
mozzarel<strong>la</strong> cheese DOP, Parmigiano Reggiano, and caviar<br />
are now fairly accessible, both in gourmet stores and on<br />
the internet. Due to its privileged geographic position,<br />
various Mediterranean infl uences, and culture, Italy boasts<br />
one <strong>of</strong> the world’s most important culinary traditions and <strong>is</strong> a noted eno-gastronomic<br />
tour<strong>is</strong>t destination.<br />
There are numerous factors which have helped diffuse knowledge <strong>of</strong> Italy’s rich<br />
gastronomic traditions (and as a result, demand for “Made in Italy” products). First<br />
and foremost, Italians living abroad deserve a tremendous amount <strong>of</strong> pra<strong>is</strong>e. They<br />
act as veritable ambassadors who -- via the diffusion <strong>of</strong> their alimentary traditions<br />
-- have recreated a “Little Italy” wherever they have establ<strong>is</strong>hed themselves.<br />
Acknowledgment must also be given to telev<strong>is</strong>ion stations like the Food Network<br />
and its culinary superstars like Giada De Laurent<strong>is</strong> and Mario Batali who have brought<br />
the art <strong>of</strong> “Italian food” into millions <strong>of</strong> households across the country. Certainly,<br />
the advent <strong>of</strong> the Slow Food movement in 1989 has also p<strong>la</strong>yed a fundamental role<br />
in combating the frenetic life<strong>style</strong> associated with “fast food,” as well as reviving the<br />
appreciation for Italy’s rich regional products and noble gastronomic traditions. The<br />
movement -- founded with the desire to red<strong>is</strong>cover and preserve art<strong>is</strong>an gastronomic<br />
production and various traditional cooking methods -- has certainly aided in ra<strong>is</strong>ing<br />
awareness <strong>of</strong> and appreciation for regional culinary traditions (www.slowfood.<br />
com).<br />
Another factor which <strong>la</strong>unched Italian alimentary products (and particu<strong>la</strong>rly traditional<br />
Italian delicacies) to the foreground was the creation <strong>of</strong> various food consortiums<br />
tasked with preserving and diffusing genuine Italian products. These increasingly<br />
present commercial alliances ensure that producers adhere to high standards <strong>of</strong><br />
quality necessary to consolidate the continuous arrival and presence <strong>of</strong> high-end<br />
gourmet food products abroad. Let us also not neglect the important role <strong>of</strong> food<br />
fairs like CIBUS and Salone del Gusto in Turin that, year after year, attract both<br />
Italian gourmet enthusiasts along with a growing number <strong>of</strong> foreigners interested in<br />
our savory and wholesome alimentary traditions. (For more information, v<strong>is</strong>it http://<br />
www.fi ereparma.it and http://www.salonedelgusto.com).<br />
The widespread presence <strong>of</strong> Italian cooking schools that <strong>of</strong>fer ad-hoc courses for all<br />
levels <strong>is</strong> another factor which has impacted the demand for Italian gourmet products.<br />
Some students prefer the more romantic versions set in old medieval farmhouses<br />
Quando <strong>la</strong>sciai Roma nel 1996 per recarmi a Boston<br />
per motivi di studio non avevo bene in mente il<br />
concetto di Italia all’estero. Ma da buon Italiano,<br />
m<strong>is</strong>i nel<strong>la</strong> valigia alcuni pacchi di pasta ed uno<br />
spicchio di Parmigiano Reggiano, non sapendo che<br />
l’Italia era giá a Boston che mi aspettava. Rimasi<br />
sorpreso e felice di trovare tutte quelle marche di<br />
prodotti culinari che, di nuovo, mi fecero sentire a<br />
casa in un battibaleno.<br />
Sono passati piú di dieci anni ed i prodotti<br />
culinari che si trovano in commercio negli USA<br />
sono moltiplicati. Prodotti di lusso come tartufi ,<br />
aceto balsamico invecchiato, Prosciutto di Parma,<br />
mozzarel<strong>la</strong> DOP di bufa<strong>la</strong>, Parmigiano Reggiano e<br />
bottarga sono oramai facilmente accessibili, sia in<br />
negozi gourmet, sia su Internet.<br />
L’Italia per <strong>la</strong> sua posizione geografi ca, le varie<br />
infl uenze mediterranee subite, <strong>la</strong> cultura ed<br />
esperienza seco<strong>la</strong>re, si colloca tra i paesi piú noti e<br />
di riferimento nel mondo del<strong>la</strong> cucina, divenendo<br />
essa stessa meta di tur<strong>is</strong>mo gastronomico.<br />
Tra i fattori che hanno aiutato a sviluppare <strong>la</strong><br />
conoscenza gastronomica e quindi <strong>la</strong> domanda del<br />
made in Italy negli USA si devono elogiare per primi<br />
gli Italiani all’estero, veri e propri ambasciatori, che<br />
con le loro abitudini alimentari hanno ricreato una<br />
picco<strong>la</strong> Italia dovunque si siano stabiliti. Altri meriti<br />
recenti vanno sicuramente al<strong>la</strong> stazione telev<strong>is</strong>iva<br />
del TV Food Network ed i vari divi del<strong>la</strong> cucina come<br />
Giada De Laurent<strong>is</strong> e Mario Batali, che entrando<br />
in milioni di case hanno divulgato il piacere del<br />
“mangiare Italiano”. Un’altra colonna portante é<br />
il movimento “slow food” fondato nel 1989 per<br />
contrastare il frenetico stile di <strong>vita</strong> del “Fast Food”<br />
e <strong>la</strong> conseguente scomparsa di cibi regionali e delle<br />
nobili tradizioni gastronomiche. Un movimento<br />
fondato sul<strong>la</strong> intelligente curiositá e conoscenza<br />
del<strong>la</strong> produzione artigianale, sulle metodologie<br />
tradizionali di produzione e per valorizzare le<br />
molteplici tradizioni geografi che culinarie. www.<br />
slowfood.com<br />
Altri fattori fondamentali che hanno posto in primo<br />
piano i prodotti alimentari Italiani, in specie quelli<br />
tipici e di lusso, sono stati <strong>la</strong> formazione dei vari<br />
Consorzi alimentari di tute<strong>la</strong>. Alleanze commerciali<br />
sempre piú estese, gestite in direzione di un<br />
obbiettivo comune a tutti i produttori in termini<br />
di elevati standard qualitativi, per far consolidare<br />
ed arrivare, anche oltre oceano, i vari prodotti<br />
alimentari di qualità. Important<strong>is</strong>sime anche le fi ere<br />
.13