The Embassy of Italy in the UAE has welcomed the year-long partnership announced by the ITA – Italian Trade Agency and Eataly to showcase the country’s food culture and ‘Made in Italy’ homegrown products, with a 12-month calendar of masterclasses, educational campaigns, promotions and food tastings.
The campaign across Dubai – home to two of Eataly’s food halls, in Dubai Mall and Dubai Festival City – will run in parallel with transatlantic campaigns in Monaco, Toronto, New York and Stockholm, with a focus on three main pillars: Eat, Shop and Learn.
The partnership will mirror the idea that food brings people together and customers will have access to a series of activations aimed at the discovery of authentic Italian cuisine and world-renowned beverages.
Among the launch celebrations will be a virtual Instagram cooking and educational event, hosted by Chef Marcello at Eataly Arabia – Dubai Mall and a pasta specialist at Eataly New York.
The first event will focus on perhaps the most famous ingredient associated with Italian cuisine: pasta! From tagliatelle to tortellini, from spaghetti to penne, Italian pasta’s shapes and recipes are synonymous with Italy’s gastronomic delights and one of the most eaten dishes around the world.
According to international research commissioned by the Italian Food Union and the Italian Trade Agency (ICE) global consumption grew by 24 per cent during the lockdown last year. Internationally, almost 16 million tons of pasta were produced in 2019, more than double the 7 millions of 20 years ago. Italy continues to be the global leader in production of pasta, with 3.5million tons produced last year alone. Italians also are the largest consumers of pasta in the world: 23.1kg/per capita each year. In fact, 98% of Italians do eat pasta.
Pasta is so popular worldwide that last year marked the 10th anniversary of UNESCO recognising the Italian staple as an Intangible Heritage of Humanity, with different shapes appealing to different audiences and cultures. While Italians tend to prefer short and striped shapes such as penne, Germans are more likely to prefer fresh pasta, while English and American consumers tend to choose long pasta such as spaghetti or linguine.
Additionally, Italian cuisine, and most generally the Mediterranean diet, has become popular thanks to its health benefits. It’s also recognised as Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO.
