The Italian Cuisine Week in the World was inaugurated in grand style in Nairobi.
This year, the Italian Embassy in Kenya chose the evocative and appropriate setting of the National Museum in Nairobi to celebrate the initiative promoting Italian food and wine as a pillar of Made in Italy and the connections between tradition, territory, business and culture. It combined the opening of the events with an exhibition dedicated to the historical menus of Italian restaurants, produced by the “Garum” Library and Museum of Cuisine in Rome.

‘An exhibition that offers visitors a journey through history, tradition and innovation, focusing on the post-unification period of Italy, and then tracing an arc from the Monarchy to the Republic,’ emphasised Ambassador Vincenzo Del Monaco, who kicked off the Week, accompanied by Kenyan Tourism Minister Rebecca Miano.

At the National Museum, during an invitation-only evening organised with the Italian Cultural Institute in Nairobi and the Italian Trade Agency (ITA),representatives of Italian institutions and businesses, and international guests, iconic Italian cars such as the Alfa Romeo Duetto and the Ferrari 308Gt were also on display.
Then came the highlight and theme of the evening, with food and wine offerings, the culinary part provided by Queen Deli and desserts and ice cream by “Non Solo Gelato”, plus a “wine station” with Nairobi's leading Italian wine importers.

In addition to Italian artist Tommaso Cascella, who created a sculpture-table that stands at the centre of the exhibition, Sapienza University of Rome professor Dominique Lora and curator Alessia Autuori, Kenyan marathon runner Benson Kipruto, trained by Italian Claudio Berardelli and fresh from his victory in this year's New York Marathon, was also present as a testimonial.

The Italian Cuisine Week initiatives around the world continue with masterclasses and Italian wine tastings organised by the ITA (by reservation) in Nairobi, Malindi and Watamu, with meetings with chefs (Ambassador of Taste Vincenzo Butticè) and a cooking show by Giallo Zafferano on 28 November.
 
The exhibition “Dining with Italy, 100 years of taste and innovation” will be open to the public at the National Museum until 10 December.