Mamma Mia! Eat your way to Italy

Italian food is characterised by its simplicity with quality ingredients. Amedeo Scarpa, Italian Trade Commissioner to the UAE and Director of ITA Dubai Office, speaks about how it has been misrepresented, and on giving the world an authentic Italian culinary experience

Boosting the agri-food industry

As a government agency that promotes the internationalisation of SME Italian companies, the Italian Trade Agency (ITA), is strongly involved in the promotion of the Italian food and beverage sector abroad. The main pillar of the promotional activities in the F&B sector is the organisation of Italian participation at main international fairs, promotion of Italian products in partnership with retailers and online platforms, incoming of international buyers to the Italian fairs and exhibitions. There is also the Week of Italian Cuisine in the World, an initiative developed to promote Italian culinary traditions and food connoisseurship as a distinctive trait of Italian identity and culture. Organised by the Italian Embassy in the UAE together with the Italian Consulate, Italian Trade Agency, and the Italian Academy of Cuisine, the UAE event is part of a global celebration.

Italy's innovations in the food sector have ensured double-digit growth in exports, globally. In the first half of 2020, Italian food and beverage exports amounted to over ?22 billion, up 3.5 per cent on the same period in 2019. On top of the exports pyramid is Italian bakery products, that achieved ?2.3 billion in value and double-digit growth of 15.6 per cent. This is followed by processed and preserved fruit and vegetable exports, which touched ?1.9 billion in value, recording an increase of 6 per cent, and dairy products with ?1.8 billion, at a growth rate of 0.8 per cent. Gulfood is an ideal platform to introduce buyers, distributors and consumers to high-quality Italian food ingredients and dishes that are popular in this region. This is also reflected in the growing UAE-Italy food trade. For example, in the first 11 months of 2020 Italy exported more than ?22 million worth of pasta to this market with a year-on-year growth of 30 per cent.Â

Italian cuisine in the UAE

Italian cuisine is one of the most well-known and widely recognised cuisines in the UAE- from traditional comfort food like pizza and pasta to a more elevated experience offered by Michelin Star Chefs and fine dining Italian restaurants and, speciality food distributors.  Italian cuisine is very varied, whether it is a simple creamy risotto, delicious cacio e pepe or margherita pizza shared with the family; or a polpo alla brace, a gourmet Italian dish with truffle and caviar suitable for a special occasion, there is Italian food available in the UAE to satisfy any palette. Milanese Neapolitan, Sicilian, Tuscan cuisines here are also growing in popularity here.

The Gulfood lineup

There are 120 Italian companies participating in various sections of the Gulfood fair in Dubai World Trade Centre, making Italian participation one of the largest foreign country presences this year. At the Italian Food Lab organised by ITA in Sheikh Saeed Hall, visitors can enjoy authentic Italian produce, traditional and modern dishes made by Michelin Star chefs and learn about Italian food industry's commitment to authenticity, innovation, sustainability.

Italian companies in Gulfood will exhibit a large variety of Italian products such as olive oil, confectionery items, cheese, Italian coffee, organic foods, 'free from' foods, pasta, sauces, condiments, truffles, canned foods and many other favourites. 'Made in Italy' is globally synonymous with authenticity, freshness, certified and safe food products. Experience the delicious world of Italian produce and cuisine at stand #S1-302 in Sheikh Saeed Hall, The ITAlian Food Lab that this year is designed and built using sustainable materials such as wood.

During the five days of the fair, taking place from February 21 to 25, the ITAlian Food Lab will feature a sequence of live cooking sessions by popular UAE based chefs specialised in authentic Italian cuisine, and masterclasses by renowned three Michelin Star Chef Norbert Niederkofler and two Michelin Star Chef Marco Sacco on February 21 and 22, respectively.

One of the key highlights of the show is the finale of the Tuttofood Pasta Challenge which will take place at the ITAlian Food Lab. It is a unique pasta making competition that involves participation from Italian restaurants in the UAE and organised in collaboration with the Tuttofood Milan Fair and the Emirates Culinary Guild, around the theme of how Italian cuisine connects people. The final round will take place on February 23 afternoon at 3.30 pm at the ITAlian Food Lab. A special jury will choose the winner, who will get a sponsored trip to the next edition of the Tuttofood fair in Milan from October 22 to 26 this year.

Amedeo Scarpa,

Italian Trade Commissioner to the UAE and

Director of ITA Dubai Office

Tuttofood Pasta Challenge

Leading figures from the UAE's F&B sector are participating in the Tuttofood Pasta Challenge. The finale will happen at the ITAlian Food Lab in Gulfood. This challenge was organised as a platform to discover how Italian cuisine connects people, inviting the chefs of local Italian restaurants to cook the pasta that best represents Italian heritage and is most enjoyed by international customers, specifically Emirati and GCC clients. Through the heritage of Italian cuisine and the principles of the Mediterranean diet for healthy living combined with food sustainability and innovation, we can help improve health, quality of life, and the planet. We really believe that good quality food connects people just as well as Italian beauty does.

Guarantee of quality

Italy with its extraordinary biodiversity and its great variety of IGP (PGI - Protected Geographical Indication) and DOP (PDO- Protected Designation of Origin) play a crucial role in the future of the agri-food sector. Nevertheless, many quality Italian products suffer unfair competition from foreign competing manufacturers. For instance, Parmesan, Prosciutto, and Buffalo mozzarella are very imitated products. There are many products (such as pasta, tomato sausage) and brands in the market that look Italian from the colour and type of packaging, but they are not Italian at all!

Today's consumer demands clearly labelled products and expect transparency in the traceability system. Italian ingredients and agri-food products are a guarantee of quality, combining modern agricultural techniques with biological control, soil health and lowering water use.

Brands to watch out for

Come to the ITAlian Food Lab and experience the offerings from selected nine companies participating through ITA, they have some amazing products that heighten the taste of Italian cuisine

Assopaf Agrindustria Alimentari are very popular worldwide for their excellent assortment of bio and non-bio tomato products, diced paste, peeled, cherry tomatoes, tomato puree (also bio) the tomato pulp for pizza and the chickpeas, lentils and beans. They have Agrisole, Prontochef, Veganchef under them.

For over 32 years Campo D'Oro company has been producing a vast line of preserves by continuing and reinventing a long family tradition. Through innovative research and development processes, the company produces preserves with a high quality and territoriality, designed for a healthy and balanced diet with particular attention to the family, to a natural lifestyle and to a balanced diet, constantly caring for Sicilian craftsmanship and tradition, the freshness of the raw material, having an eye of respect for the environment and for the society.

The concept of Con Gusto is not only to sell food products but above all to promote a truly Italian eating culture based on several century-long agricultural traditions. The company provides the best creative and innovative artisan gourmet foods. A variety of exceptional products to choose from to suit fine dining restaurants, gourmet grocery shops, luxury hotels, or gift boutiques. Their goal is to offer a unique culinary experience to a wider audience of food lovers and enthusiasts with pasta, coffee, cremes and preserves.

The Cooperativa Produttori Latte e Fontina has been on the market for 64 years producing and commercialising high-quality Fontina DOP/PDO cheese, Toma from Gressoney, Fonduta. Fontina produces 2,000 tonnes per year - 250,000 wheels corresponding to a market share of 80 per cent of the total annual regional production and an annual turnover of approximately ?25 million. Fontina Cooperative is in a commercial relationship with all major chains, wholesalers, delicatessen and HoReCa in Italy, most European countries and overseas with a significant increase of sales to the USA, Australia, Canada, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the Caribbean region, China, HK and South Korea.

Gargiulo produces its DOP extra-virgin olive oil exclusively from the best olives of the Sorrento peninsula between the natural richness of the earth and the centuries-old experience of farmers and oil millers. Gargiulo offers only the best products, the result of the careful selection of the raw material and rigourous control of the entire supply chain, from collection to packaging.  The company has about two hectares of olive groves that guarantee the absolute quality and complete traceability of their oil and its extraordinary beneficial properties. Some of their other products are vinegar, pasta, jams and dried fruits.Â

Happy Mama is producing natural jams and marmalade, sweets, side dressings, vinegars, follows only the original recipes typical of the Emilia region's ensuring a natural and traditional production of the country families. The jam products are created using only natural and genuine ingredients and without the use of any additional preservatives, thickeners or artificial additives or pectin. The production takes place in standards of the highest food safety. The cooking facilities fully comply with all relevant food and health and safety regulations, using modern machinery and techniques to avoid any oxidization of the products, and ensure the maximum preservation of their natural colours and smells. The company offers several lines: Preserves, dressings, balsamic, jams special condiments line for meat recipes, line for cheese recipes.

Vidiz & Kessler was founded in 1948 by professional blend designers from Trieste with experience in the colonial and coffee sector, known in the sector mainly for the processing and packaging of coffee, decaffeinated coffee and barley. The company has consolidated its reputation thanks to the production flexibility that distinguishes it and differentiates it on the market, both nationally and in Europe. Selecting the best raw coffees available on the market, with the mixing tests and the hard work, to present a careful selection of blends and formats that satisfy the final consumer. In 2007 the Qubik caffè brand was born, the result of years of experience in the coffee roasting and blending sector. The Qubik coffee is young, cosmopolitan, innovative, active and original.

Carofaro cioccolatieri is an artisanal traditional chocolate factory using chocolate that comes from selected companies of first importance and recognised excellence that guarantees the quality of the cocoa. Carofaro offers brilliant ideas to increase sales by offering various types of packaging, and beautifully designed and elegant boxes with various volumes, which can be personalised with company's brand.

Products: Assortment of chocolates, pralines, creamy chocolates with nuts, pistachio, gianduia, coffee, lime, oranges and other flavours, etc.

Caffe'Karoma is a producer of various types of coffee beans, ground coffee, coffee pods and coffee capsules. Active since 1986, the company is specialised in producing and distributing coffee in Italy and all around the world. They are passionate about Neapolitan espresso coffee, in fact, their motto is 'Drinking coffee is more than a habit, it is a ritual'. They choose only the best Arabica and Robusta beans, obtaining a product different in quality, taste and fragrance. They offer various types of products with their brand Karoma Caffé for HoReCa and retail; such as coffee beans, ground coffee, coffee pods, coffee capsules (compatible with different systems - Lavazza A Modo Mio, Lavazza Espresso Point, Nescafè Dolce Gusto, Nespresso, Uno System, Caffitaly). They are also specialised in private label services and are able to produce all of their products with any brand.

For the first time, TUTTOFOOD, the world's reference point for the agri-food system, and HOSTMilano, the world's leading event for technologies and solutions for the hospitality and out of home sectors, are being held together, placing Milan as an international hub of interchange and business opportunities between supply chains.  With the support of ITA, high profile buyers, distributors, importers and wholesalers, retailers, restaurants, hotels, and more, are selected.  Get in touch with new customers, build valuable relationships, meet industry professionals, activate new ideas and upskill, all at the world's most connected and integrated hub for the whole agri-food and HoReCa sector. Â

Participating Restaurants and chefs at Italian Food Lab

Bella - Alessandro Miceli

Bice - Hilton Hotel Marina - Davide Gardini

Bice Mare - Marcello Rivetti

Bice Sapori - Marcello Rivetti

Cinque - Five Hotel - Giuseppe Pezzella

Eataly - Daniele Scotto

Alfredo Albergatore - Luigia

Francesco Acquaviva - Social by Heinz Beck

Other Chefs

3*** Michelin starred Chef Norbert Niederkofler

Other Chefs

2** Michelin starred Chef Marco Sacco

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