A mini web series in three episodes, dedicated to tomatoes, flour, and ice cream. This is just one of the initiatives scheduled for the 6th Week of Italian Cuisine in the World organised by the Consulate of Italy in Belo Horizonte and the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Minas Gerais, in collaboration with ICE (the Italian Trade Agency) and ENIT (The Italian Government Tourist Board) of San Paolo. A rich calendar of events, both online and in person, to promote Italian products, regional recipes, and food sustainability.
In each of the videos, which are in Portuguese with Italian subtitles, three representatives of the Italian gastronomic scene take turns to describe the products and suggest some recipes. Additionally, 150 kits will be delivered to chefs, digital influencers, and opinion makers, inviting them to create two piadina recipes, one sweet and one savoury, which will be photographed and posted on social networks. The videos can be watched on the Youtube channel of the Consulate of Belo Horizonte (https://www.youtube.com/c/ConsolatodItaliainBeloHorizonte).
During the week, in collaboration with ICE, a campaign “Sabores da Italia” will be launched to promote Italian products in the supermarkets of the Supernosso network. In addition to the dedicated corners in the stores, the Venetian chef Massimo Battaglini has created a three-course menu for which the ingredients are available across the network of more than 37 supermarkets. There will also be150 kits containing the ingredients for preparing the menu, which will be distributed to representatives of institutions, opinion makers, the press,and digital influencers.
Two in-person aperitif sessions will take place at the Hotel Fasano: on 23 November with representatives of the Italian institutions and entrepreneurs, and on 24 November with the press and digital influencers. At both events, classic Italian drinks such as Spritz and Negroni, whose consumption in Brazil is experiencing unprecedented growth, will be promoted. Italian wines, particularly those from Piedmont, Emilia Romagna, and Campania, will be the protagonists of two in-person tastings, organised in collaboration with the Brazilian Sommelier Association: on 26 November for an audience of importers and wine lovers, and on 29 November at an event open to the public.
An online meeting, in Italian, entitled “Il movimento Slow Food: un fenomeno eco-gastronomico in evoluzione” [“The Slow Food movement: an evolving eco-gastronomic phenomenon”], with wine and food journalist Nella Cerino, promoted by the Language Centre of the Fondazione Torino Italian school in Belo Horizonte, is scheduled for 24 November.
Another event in the programme features students of Italian at the Federal University of Minas Gerais in a short film who, to promote the theme of food sustainability, will describe and prepare a number of simple regional dishes: canederli, stroncatura, spaghetti alla carrettiera, and spaghetti alle vongole “fujiute”, recipes unknown to most Brazilians but whose ingredients are easy to find.
During the Week of Italian Cuisine, the Italian restaurants in Minas Gerais will also be offering special and promotional menus. To encourage people to try them, there will be a raffle for everyone who posts photographs of the dishes, tagging the Consulate and the Chamber of Commerce. The prizes will be baskets of Italian products and wines.
