Italy enjoys the reputation of "The Ancestor of European Cuisine" and "The Country of Wine". Its millennia-long history is reflected in its time-honored culinary tradition and wine culture. Meanwhile, China and Italy have a common love for high-quality food.

An event entitled "Italian Food & Wine Journey: Introducing Italian Culinary Excellencies" was launched at the Bistro Wang Restaurant in Changsha on June 30th. The event was hosted by the Italian Trade Agency (ITA) Guangzhou Office, co-organized by the China-Italy Chamber of Commerce, and undertaken by the Changsha Eurasia China-Italy Trade Consulting Co., Ltd (CECITC).

Wu Liudan, representative of the ITA; Vincenzo Raffa, representative of the China-Italy Chamber of Commerce; Zhou Shijie, representative of the Wine To Asia; and other guests and media representatives, attended the event.

Bread with mixed cheese platter, tasty and refreshing cantaloupe melon with Parma ham and fresh smoked salmon salads were served before the meal. Main dishes included Spaghetti Cacio and Pepper with Pecorino Romano and T-bone beef steak with Asiago. Seasonal sorbets were the desserts served at the end of the meal. Representatives of dozens of brands came to the event as expected, embarking on a journey to explore Italian food and wine. Chinese and Italian guests chatted happily over the delicious food. Italy's sense of fashion in clothing was also reflected in these dishes, with delicate settings and colorful embellishments. Various food was matched with different types of Italian wine to complement each other and have different tastes. When tasting a very satisfactory wine, guests would excitedly flip through the menu to memorize the wine’s name. Western food lovers spoke highly of the authentic cheese. With grape wine, it tasted mellow but not greasy.

Giulia Zappon, general manager of the company which undertook the event, has been in China for more than ten years and has lived in Changsha for many years. Giulia introduced Italian food culture during the event. “Italians usually use the cooking methods of frying and grilling to cook a whole piece of meat and pay attention to making various sauces for seasoning. Italian wines are mostly produced in the north and made by secondary fermentation,” Giulia noted.

Blessed by the natural environment, Italian wine accounts for a quarter of the world's wine production, and its output and consumption ranked first in the world. "White wine can match the salads we are tasting, while red wine is suitable to match the meat staple we are tasting, such as steak and roasted prawns with garlic, and red pepper flakes," said Zhou Shijie, who popularized the matching skills during the event.

(Photos/Yang Jun)

In September 2020, the EU and China signed the Landmark Agreement Protecting Geographical Indications. As a result, Italy has 26 products selected in the first batch of geographical indication products, including wine, cheese, ham, and balsamic vinegar. Since then, consumers in both countries can enjoy quality products from the other side.

This article is from the Hunan Provincial Government www.enghunan.gov.cn.

Translator: Kuang Zhenzhen

Chinese source: hunantoday