TUTTOFOOD …THE ITALIAN FOOD EXPO

FOOD BUSINESS AS WE’D NEVER TASTED IT BEFORE

THE VERY BEST OF ITALIAN GASTRONOMY was showcased at the spectacular TUTTOFOOD exhibition, recently staged in MILAN by Fiera Milano.

Odette Halliford, representing Showcook.com and Africa, amongst 55 international food journalists from as far a field as Shanghai, Sae Paulo and New York, gathered to witness one of Europe’s most innovative food shows.

With more than 1000 exhibitors, covering a vast area of 30 000 square meters, this was an event that attracted much attention amongst the global food industry. "Fiera Milano aimed to distinguish Tuttofood from other events by opening the exhibition exclusively to professionals providing a bridge between the supply and demand for 'made in Italy' delicacies," Fiera Milano’s CEO, Claudio Artusi explained to the press.

During four days, buyers and representatives of major food and restaurant chains such as Waitrose in the UK, Wall-Mart in the US and Zensho (Japan’s largest restaurant group), passed through the doors of Milan’s new high-tech exhibition site at Rho.  Famous for the imposing l.5 km sail of glass that connects the east and west gates, the complex was designed by world-renowned architect Massimiliano Fuksas. 

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If the food extravaganza in the four huge pavilions didn’t grab your attention, Tuttofood hosted concurrent symposiums well attended by the industry.  Of interest was an in-depth analysis of Italy’s finest olive oils, including those produced by organic farming methods, organized by UNAPROL (the Italian Olive Growers’ Consortium) and another on the development and sale of goat’s milk derivative products.

For me, food highlights from Italy’s major agricultural regions were many: the ubiquitous parmigiano reggiano aged to perfection by traditionalists such as Luigi Guffanti of Milan;  the precious balsamic vinegars from Moderna; the superb almost revered hams from the ancient city of Parma; new balsamic glazes infused with truffle and cocoa; pane carasau (a crispy thin bread) from Sardinia; formajo inbriago (a fragrant cheese, immersed in must after maturation) from Treviso; pecorino from Sardinia.  

My tastebuds were working overtime! Capers preserved in salt from the small islands off the coast of Sicily caught my attention and the ricciarelli biscuits from Sinatti in Sienna brought back memories of a wonderful visit to that city where I first tasted these scrumptious little almond cookies.  I whisked Barbara Gibbs Ostmann, food and travel writer from Missouri, who admitted to a particularly sweet tooth, over to meet the Sienese pasticcerie bakers. Well respected, for the perfect panforte -- not named because it is hard (forte) as you might think, but because of its slightly sour taste! And for a new original combination, panforte fiorito with its delicious layer of almond paste. 

On my first day at Tuttofood, I was fortunate to accompany Marlena Spieler, columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle and BBC radio broadcaster, as she visited many of the exhibitors, known to her from recent trips to Italy on behalf of Marks and Spencer's.

Marlena has written over 50 cookbooks and she just loves to chat… especially about food!  She was the perfect companion to introduce me to the Italian food heritage. We tasted divine ravioli stuffed with buffalo riccotta, seasoned with a delicate sprinkling of nutmeg; faro, a porridge-like cereal used in soups with lentils and vegetables; and bottarghe, a fish which is traditionally dried, grated and served over pasta. 

Truffles, the supreme Italian delicacy, were in abundance and Marlena took me to meet Paola and Veronica Montnaru, brother and sister, who run the family truffle business, Tartuf Langhe, in the town of Alba. This is the area where the most expensive and rare white truffles are collected. Paola gave us  Sale con Tartuffo (truffle salt), nero and bianco (black and white) to sample with sushi, risotto, and eggs.  Paolo’s favourite is truffle salt sprinkled generously over barbequed steak.

New innovations we noted were truffles marinated in honey (to serve with mature hard cheeses) and another exhibitor, Savini Tartufi’s baby green peaches, marinated in truffle oil.    

Lombardy, the host region, produces 225 traditional products and is home to a great number of gastronomic customs. To introduce the international press to their culinary excellence, the Director General of Agriculture for the region, treated us to a classic Italian dinner in the 900-year-old Palazzo Reale, in the ancient Duomo district of the city.  

After a private viewing of the Russian artist Kandinsky’s masterpieces, at present housed in the Palazzo’s gallery, we enjoyed a veritable feast which included the famous Risotto alla Milanese made with quality carnaroli rice, yellowed with saffron and spiced with nutmeg. It was deliciously creamy and the best I’d tasted. Of course, superb wines of the region accompanied each course.  

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Franciacorta, a  lovely sparkling dry rose poured in huge, fine glass flutes, as we arrived in the Palazzo, set the tone for this truly memorable evening. As the finale, slices of panettone, served on huge platters, were ceremonially passed around to the guests. This sweet Christmas bread that reaches our shores annually, has its origins in Milan and has a fascinating history. 

In the 15th and 16th centuries, Milanese bakers were forbidden from producing white bread except at Christmas when rich and poor alike enjoyed the same luxury panettone. Even today, before baking, a cross is normally cut into the top to bless this great bread.  The Milanese say panettone should be a well-risen yellowy dough, with a generous amount of sultanas, candied orange peel and citron, soft to the touch and never dry.

Gorgonzola cheese, another Lombardy original, was named after the town close to Milan. It is said to have been invented by accident back in the 9th century by a herdsman who added a little one-day-old curd to some new curd. The result, gorgonzola, characterized by its unique taste and pungent aroma.  

Many of the old cottage industries in this region preserve these historic flavours which continue to satisfy both home and international consumers. The ruby red, salame brianza, is another speciality that has its origins hundreds of years ago, when the Gauls inhabited the region. These ancient Frenchmen were traditionally experts in the preparation and conservation of pork.  

 

Tuscany, Umbria, and Calabria were amongst other regions whose produce was well represented at the exhibition: olives, pasta, pistaccios, anchovies, bruschetta spreads.  Every Italian taste sensation was there and amongst the homegrown specialists, were a few international exhibitors including a number of major South American meat exporters and Turkish tea growers.  

More than 20 000 visitors (20 percent from outside Italy) attended the first Tuttofood food fair.  The organizers, Fiera Milano are hoping to make this a bi-annual event and were encouraged to do so, following the response from both producers and buyers to this truly professional event.  

THE VIRTUAL GROUP 
OF ITALIAN CHEFS

This is a network of 700 Italian cuisine-related professionals, working outside Italy.  Members are mainly chefs, but there are restauranteurs, sommeliers, food and beverage managers, importers, retailers and media representatives in the group.  Up until recently they have shared ideas, knowledge and have kept in touch through an internet forum in Italian.

Now the group, newly named ITCHEFS & Co has put together a new website, completely in English www.itchefs-gvci.com.  Rosario Scarpato, an Italian food and wine writer, based in Melbourne told the press “Our main aim is to preserve and improve the standard of quality and authenticy of Italian gastronomy throughout the world.”

Milan has always been a desirable destination for fashionistas, film makers and heavy-weight financiers. 

It is the centre of Italian fashion and major commercial activities and by necessity, has many suitably glamorous and businesslike hotels. I stayed in one that fulfills both requirements. The Sheraton Diana Majestic is quite the grande dame with an absolutely fascinating history, spanning more than one hundred years. 

Built in 1907 on the site of Milan’s first public swimming pool, the gracious façade overlooking the Piazza Oberdan (2 minutes from the Porta Venezia metro) remains unchanged. But, on Saturday evenings, the newly refurbished all-black cocktail lounge which serves one of the best dry Martinis in Milan, is the choice of the city’s most fashionable clientele.  

It was on the fifth floor of the Diana, that Patrizio Bertelli took a couple of unused back rooms, in which to start his first leather workshop;  later to become, the international label, Prada!  Naomi Campbell is a regular and she has written in the visitors’ book that the Diana is “my best hotel in Milan”.  

Dionisio Gabaldo, the chief concierge for the past 30 years knows everything and everyone worth knowing.  And as I found, he is the man to talk to when visiting Milan for the first time.  Charming and unflappable, there is no crisis (including the ramifications of an all-day taxi strike) that he can’t diffuse!  

TUTTOFOOD

Milano World Food Exhibition
S.S. del Sempione, 28 - 20017 Rho (MI) - Itlay
Tel: +39 02 4997.7635/6305 - Fax: +39 02 4997.7685

www.tuttofood.it - tuttofood@sifafiere.it