L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, MAY 18, 2023 www.italoamericano.org 10 L'Italo-Americano I t a l i a n c u i s i n e i s known worldwide for its authentic and tra- d i t i o n a l p r o d u c t s . However, in recent years, the Italian-sounding phenomenon has posed a t h r e a t t o g e n u i n e I t a l i a n goods. It's not uncommon to see "Italian" items, complete with Italian names and sym- bols, but with nothing Italian about them. Just to give you an example, an Austrian-Chi- nese "mozzarella" recently made its appearance in Bei- jing, gracing supermarket shelves with its gondola-and- Tower-of-Pisa packaging but not a single ingredient com- ing from Italy inside. But the issue of Italian- sounding products extends t o r e s t a u r a n t s a s w e l l . Many Italian eateries abroad do not serve authentic Italian food, and it's not just a mat- t e r o f r e c i p e s b u t a l s o o f ingredients and their quality. This has led Italy's Minister of Agriculture, Francesco Lollobrigida, to believe that taking action may be neces- sary if we want to protect the integrity of Italian cuisine a n d e n s u r e t h a t I t a l i a n r e s t a u r a n t s w o r l d w i d e adhere to certain standards. That's why Lollobrigida r e c e n t l y p r o p o s e d a n e w disciplinary code for Ital- ian restaurants abroad. The code would aim to rank Ital- ian restaurants according to their authenticity, based on a set of guidelines that include the use of authentic Italian i n g r e d i e n t s , t r a d i t i o n a l recipes, and the presence of Italian chefs. In La Repubbli- ca, Lollobrigida stated that I t a l y " s h o u l d s a y n o t o restaurants that call them- selves 'Italian' but use prod- ucts that are not; it should say no to chefs who can't cook Italian and, often, end up being a target for jokes." He continued, saying that the aim of the disciplinary code would be to protect the image of Italian cuisine and prevent the use of Italian names and symbols by restaurants that do not offer genuine Italian food. This would be key in the complex process of safe- guarding the national food heritage from the image and economic damages brought about by the Italian-sounding p h e n o m e n o n : " I t c a n b e d o n e , " L o l l o b r i g i d a c o n - cludes, "if we officially certify, also through specific regula- tions, the authenticity of Ital- ian restaurants abroad." Moreover, the Italian Min- ister of Agriculture believes t h a t a d i s c i p l i n a r y c o d e would also encourage the promotion of lesser-known traditional Italian dishes and r e g i o n a l s p e c i a l t i e s . O f course, adherence would be voluntary, not compulsory, and could be implemented through a system of certifica- tions. Restaurants meeting the standards set out in the code would be awarded a cer- tificate of authenticity, which they could display on their premises. The proposal, however, h a s r e c e i v e d a m i x e d response from the restau- rant industry, with some wel- coming it as a way to protect the authenticity of Italian cui- sine and others criticizing it as a form of protectionism or considering it unnecessary and just leading to additional bureaucracy. Some observers went further and declared that the real issue with Lollo- b r i g i d a ' s i d e a i s t h a t i t ignores the diverse nature of Italian cuisine, which is not limited to traditional dishes and can vary by region, mak- ing it more difficult to assess what is "canonically" Italian. And what about, others con- cluded, the measures already in place to promote Italian food culture abroad, such as the Italian cuisine weeks that are organized in various cities worldwide, including LA? D e s p i t e t h e b a c k l a s h , authorities highlighted the importance of these regula- tions, reaffirming that they would not restrict the activi- ties of Italian restaurants abroad but rather ensure they promote genuine Italian cuisine. To be fair, Lollobrigida's idea is not new: in 2019, the then-Minister of Agriculture, Teresa Bellanova, signed the Ita0039 project with inter- national certification agency Asacert and Coldiretti, Italy's main farmers' organization, aiming to certify 7,000 Ital- ian restaurants abroad each year. The project proposed to offer a 1 billion euro (1.10 bil- lion USD) restaurant bonus f o r t h e 1 8 0 , 0 0 0 I t a l i a n r e s t a u r a n t s a r o u n d t h e world, along with a 5,000 euro (5,500 USD) grant per business to purchase Made in Italy products exclusively: Bellanova hoped to make consuming Italian products a matter of national identity. While her idea was never fully developed, Lollobrigida admittedly took a leaf or two from Bellanova's book. Despite the criticism, Lol- lobrigida stands by his pro- posal, stating that it is impor- t a n t t o p r o t e c t t h e authenticity and quality of Italian cuisine and to prevent Italian-sounding products from being passed off as gen- uine. This can be achieved, he a r g u e s , o n l y t h r o u g h t h e implementation of strict reg- ulations aimed at assessing and controlling what can be considered Italian food and what should not. In this con- text, his disciplinary code would serve to establish a benchmark for Italian restau- rants abroad to follow. While it'll take time for the new policy to be created, dis- cussed, and eventually imple- mented, questions about its actual necessity will keep people thinking: isn't it better to focus on the quality of food rather than the recipes them- selves? What if some restau- rants can't access certain Made in Italy products and they, let's say, make their own mozzarella, Italian-style sausages, or even passata di pomodoro? And what about the differences in approach, quantities, and sometimes i n g r e d i e n t s f o r t h e s a m e recipe in different parts of Italy, or even in the same region? There is plenty of food for thought here, and if it is true that some more regulations may be helpful to protect our culinary heritage and avoid consumers being misled, we should also keep in mind that variety is one of the beauties of our food and that not only Italians can cook good Italian food... Perhaps, as often is the case, we should truly find a happy means and settle on that. LUCA SIGNORINI How many Italian restaurants around the world would embrace the idea of being evaluated for their authenticity? (Photo: Jonathan Weiss/Dreamstime) Should we regulate Italian restaurants abroad? NEWS & FEATURES TOP STORIES PEOPLE EVENTS

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