The Ambassador of Italy, Roberto Natali, will launch today from Malindi the Kenyan events of the Week of Italian Cuisine in the World, the annual appointment for the promotion of our food and wine culture that aims to enhance abroad the Italian excellence in the agri-food sector, supporting exports, internationalisation and incoming tourist flows, conceived by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, and organised worldwide by embassies, in collaboration with Italian cultural institutes and the offices of the Italian Trade Agency (ITA).
The theme of this edition will be ‘Mediterranean Diet and Roots Cuisine: Health and Tradition’, and in this perspective promotional events are planned, such as ‘showcases’ of our products in supermarkets in Nairobi and Watamu, conferences with experts and invited meetings in the capital and on the coast, as well as media and social campaigns through videos, podcasts and publications, and promotion of Made in Italy on flights of the local airline ‘Jambojet’. The latter initiative was presented yesterday at Nairobi's Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, in the presence of Natali himself and chef Luca Mastromattei, ambassador of Italian taste in the world.
This week also sees the launch of the travelling photographic exhibition ‘Follow the Italian taste’ on the tuk tuks of Malindi, Watamu and Diani, organised by the Italian Cultural Institute of Nairobi, with eloquent images of our most famous dishes and products, applied to the characteristic public transport used by Kenyans and also by tourists in the seaside resorts on the shores of the Indian Ocean.
During the week, the booklet in English ‘Write spaghetti (not spaggeti)’ edited by Freddie del Curatolo will also be proposed. It aims to ‘correct’ the most common mistakes in spelling and writing our dishes and foods, explaining not only their correct definition, but also the genesis of the name, the history, culture and traditions behind each Italian preparation and food, the regional origin and curiosities. All this is completed by 12 recipes.
Below, one of the trailers of the Italian Cooking Week in Kenya.