L'Italo-Americano

L'Italo-Americano THURSDAY, APRIL 20, 2023 www.italoamericano.org 4 NEWS & FEATURES TOP STORIES PEOPLE EVENTS H ave you ever h e a r d o f " A s i a g o C h e e s e " o r " P o m a r o - l a " ? H a v e y o u c o m e a c r o s s " P a r m e s a n " o r a "San Daniele Ham" pro - d u c e d i n C a n a d a a t t h e supermarket? Do you usu- ally toast with "Prosek" or pour yourself a glass of Chi- anti made in California? Italy is art, culture, land- scapes, but also culinary excellences, because our country has always been synonymous with eating well and, of course, with the M e d i t e r r a n e a n d i e t , o n which our cuisine is based, and that has been a cultural heritage of humanity since 2010. In recent weeks, Italian c u i s i n e a l s o b e c a m e a U N E S C O c a n d i d a t e , n o t only because its dishes and foods crossed generations and defined territories, but also because, as Minister f o r C u l t u r e G e n n a r o Sangiuliano said, they are "the very essence of Italy's lifestyle and quality of liv- ing." Our cuisine is an expe- riential heritage that "rep- resents an added value for our nation," Francesco Lollobrigida, Italy's min- ister for agriculture, added. Italian cuisine is not simply food or a recipe book, it's a s e t o f s o c i a l p r a c t i c e s , h a b i t s , a n d a c t i o n s t h a t make preparing and con- suming a meal a moment of sharing and conviviality. It is a ritual and a pleasure, but it is also a strong, iden- tity-forming cultural ele- ment; it is products that mirror a territory; it is syn- onym with a highly con- trolled food supply chain. And once it gets in our pots and pans, it is an expres- sion of national creativity. But the agri-food sector i s a l s o a n e c o n o m i c asset. In 2022, Italian agri-food exports reached a record high of 60.7 billion euros ( 6 8 . 1 b i l l i o n U S D ) . The United States con- sumed Italian products for 6.6 billion euros (7.4 billion USD), registering an 18% increase over the previous year; they come second only to Germany, our primary m a r k e t w h e n i t c o m e s t o food (9.4 billion euros, or 10.6 billion USD), and ahead of France, which last year purchased 6.5 billion euros worth of Italian food and drinks (7.3 billion USD). Food accounts for almost a q u a r t e r o f t h e n a t i o n a l GDP and involves 4 million workers in 740,000 farms, 70,000 food-making busi- nesses, over 330,000 restau- rants, 230,000 retail points, and 10,000 farmers selling directly to customers, from farm to table. But both our cultural her- itage and our economy are under attack. Serving a plate of pasta using bacon instead of guanciale (pork jowl) and "Romano Cheese" made with cow's milk instead of Pecori- no Romano (which, as the name suggests, is made with sheep's milk), it's not mak- ing carbonara. If you put Wisconsin mozzarella on a pizza, you're not eating a Neapolitan Margherita. And t h e r e i s n o s u c h t h i n g a s " F o n t i a g o " i n I t a l y , a n improbable mix of Asiago and Fontina. It's not about being purists or fussy but a b o u t p r o t e c t i n g o u r Made in Italy. Ultimately, i t ' s a l s o a b o u t n o t b e i n g deceived. A n d t h e r e i s m o r e , because fake, industrially- made products lack the his- tory, flavors, and aromas of a region, and their quality is not certified. They are a poor copy made in places thou- sands of miles away from the fields, cheese factories, and cellars where authentic products are born. Italian-Sounding is a f r a u d , t h e r e i s n o t h i n g more to say. Using images like the David or the Colos- seum, the Tricolore, geo- g r a p h i c a l l a n d m a r k s , o r names evocative of Italy to market products that are not m a d e i n I t a l y i s a s c a m against consumers. Not to mention that it takes more t h a n 1 2 0 b i l l i o n e u r o s (around 135 billion USD) away from the Italian econo- m y e v e r y y e a r , t w i c e t h e turnover of genuine product exports. And exports would triple without food counter- feiting. It is estimated that in the United States, fake "Made in Italy" products amount to 40 billion euros (44.25 bil- lion USD) and that 90% of I t a l i a n - s t y l e c h e e s e s a r e actually made in Wisconsin, California, and New York. T h e s e i m i t a t i o n s e v e n e x c e e d t h e p r o d u c t i o n o f American cheeses such as Continued to page 6 Hands off our Made in Italy! BARBARA MINAFRA Cheddar, Colby, Monterrey, and Jack. Ettore Prandini, presi- d e n t o f C o l d i r e t t i , t h e main Italian and European organization of agricultural entrepreneurs, which counts one and a half million mem- b e r s , s p o k e t o L ' I t a l o - Americano about protect- ing "Made in Italy" and the future of quality food. T h e F i n a n c i a l Times has recently pub- lished an article attack- i n g I t a l i a n c u i s i n e , including one of its most i c o n i c p r o d u c t s : r e a l Parmigiano, which, it is claimed, is actually from Wisconsin. How do you respond to this? A t t a c k i n g a s y m b o l o f "Made in Italy" agri-food products like Parmigiano, o n e o f o u r m o s t c o p i e d excellences, is just surreal. The article presents a rather fanciful reconstruction of one of our country's sym- bols, an attack that came at the very moment Italian cui- sine put forward its candida- ture with UNESCO. All I can say is that changing the his- tory of our country's cuisine isn't that simple. Because la cucina Italiana comes from the agriculture, food tradi- tions, and culture of thou- sands of Italian municipali- ties. There is so much love for Italy in the world, and it truly starts with food. Per- h a p s i t i s p r e c i s e l y t h i s yearning for Italian agri- food that led to the prolifer- a t i o n o f s o m a n y f a k e s , t o d a y w o r t h 1 2 0 b i l l i o n e u r o s o n g l o b a l m a r k e t s , t w i c e a s m u c h a s o u r e x p o r t s . A n d s o , f e r t i l e ground is created for odd historical reconstructions, like the one published in an authoritative newspaper like the Financial Times. In that interview, enti- tled "Everything I, an Italian, thought I knew a b o u t I t a l i a n f o o d i s wrong," food historian Alberto Grandi dismiss- es the classics of Italian cuisine, saying that Italy built its historical culi- nary tradition on foods that are, in fact, mod- ern. Is this mere provo- cation, or can it cause true damage? How can such a theory be supported? Of course, one can get visibility in newspa- pers, and notoriety, but on what basis? One can state a n y t h i n g , e v e n t h a t t h e E a r t h d o e s n ' t m o v e . B u t facts speak for themselves. Let's start with Parmigiano, t h e k i n g o f c h e e s e s . I t i s made through the skilled processing of milk produced according to specific regula- tions. It is indissolubly tied to the pastures of certain territories of Italy. Its true h i s t o r y d a t e s b a c k t o t h e Middle Ages, in particular to the Benedictine and Cister- cian monks who wanted a cheese that could keep well over time. Its commercial- ization started around 1200. This is documented history, b u t i t d o e s n ' t m a k e t h e news. What makes the news is that Parmigiano Reggiano i s o n t h e l i s t o f t h e m o s t counterfeited of our prod- u c t s : I t a l y i s a t t a c k e d b y agri-piracy. Coldiretti has b e e n c a l l i n g t h i s o u t f o r years, and on several occa- sions, we showed some of t h e s e c u l i n a r y " h o r r o r s " from around the world, from fake Parmigiano to cold cuts, pasta, and olive oil. Products that sport the Italian flag or a reference to geographical landmarks like Vesuvius for Coldiretti President Ettore Prandini spoke to L'Italo-Americano about the importance of safeguarding our food her- itage (Photo courtesy of Coldiretti)

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