Kingdom gets taste of Italian culture through week of culinary events

By JT - Nov 19,2019 - Last updated at Nov 19,2019

Event attendees peruse the book ‘Cake: The dessert culture between Arab and Western tradition’, which was presented by the Italian embassy at NOFA Creative Space on Monday (Photo courtesy of Italian embassy)

AMMAN — Now in its fourth edition, the Week of Italian Cuisine in the World, which seeks to enhance the concept of the Mediterranean diet, is being marked in the Kingdom through a series of events.

The Italian embassy, in collaboration with the Dante Alighieri Society and the Italian Trade Agency in Amman, seeks to intertwine food education with the presentation of Italian food products through a “varied and rich” array of events, according to an Italian embassy statement.

The week kicked off on Monday evening with the “CAKE” event at NOFA Creative Space, which witnessed the presentation of the book “Cake: The dessert culture between Arab and Western tradition", a manuscript that comprises art and cuisine, with the personal memories and the works of 19 international artists “joining in collective memories”, according to the statement.

The week of events is set to continue with various cooking classes, introducing young and old students to a slice of “Italian culinary excellence” with the guidance of two Italian chefs from the Italian Chef Academy. The lessons are designed to be “interactive, educational and stimulating”, and include training in dishes such as pizza and pasta, the statement read.

Two events entirely in Italian at the Dante Alighieri Society of Amman will see the participation of historian, journalist and writer Alessandro MarzoMagno, a connoisseur of the history of cooking, fashion, publishing and finance, the statement said, adding that these events include a lesson-laboratory for students on the history of Italian foods, with the screening of videos on some foods of the Italian culinary tradition and the presentation of MarzoMagno’s bestseller “Il Genio del Gusto: How Italian eating has conquered the world”.

With its focus on Italian cuisine, the “main vehicle of transmission of Italian culture”, the week falls under the plan "Living the Italian way" launched by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, the statement said.

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