The month of July in Japan will be full and rich of Italian culinary culture, with the prestigious PDO and PGI deli meat - Mortadella Bologna, Cacciatore Italiano, Zampone and Cotechino Modena- involved in exclusive events. The Italian products are going to be showcasing their quality, taste and versatility from July 3rd to the 7th, in Tokyo and Yokohama where they will be featured in dinners, a workshop and for the first time, also at the festival “Italia, Amore Mio!”.
These events are part of the three-year project Arigat-EU, the authentic deli meat from Europe that combines Consortia Mortadella Bologna PGI (in the role of head institution), Cacciatore Italiano PDO and Zampone and Cotechino Modena PGI. The campaign, co-funded by the European Union, aims to increase the level of knowledge and recognition of European PDO and PGI deli meats and to promote them in the Japanese market. The first appointment will be in Yokohama, Wednesday July 3rd, with a workshop and a gala dinner. The workshop, dedicated to food operators, will be led by Chef Fastro, expert in northern Italian specialties and owner since 2004 of the famous and award-winning Italian restaurant in Tokyo “Da Stefano”, Chef Fastro will conduct his audience through a presentation of the project Arigat-EU that promotes the Italian delicatessens in the Japanese market.
After this presentation, the Chef will focus on the history and quality of the products and conclude with a show cooking of original recipes prepared with these deli meats at the restaurant Cruise Cruise Yokohama. In the evening, always in Yokohama, there will be a gala dinner for 25 journalists and food bloggers at the Cruise Cruise Yokohama. The Chef Ishihara will create exquisite dishes with the Italian PDO and PGI cold cuts. After last year's great success, the Consortia will return again at the Shangri-La Hotel in Tokyo, for a gala dinner dedicated to 25 selected journalists and food bloggers.
Thursday July 4th, the executive Chef of the Shangri-La restaurant Piacere, Andrea Ferrero, expert in Italian and Japanese cuisine, will introduced a new and unique menu with recipes, that include and combine these Italian products. Gianluigi Ligasacchi, Director of Consorzio Mortadella Bologna, will attend the two gala dinners in Yokohama and Tokyo where he will give a brief presentation about the project Arigat-EU and future initiatives. In addition, he will explain the role of the PDO and PGI products in each course of the dinner and answer questions and remarks. From July 5th to the 7th, for their first time, the Consortia will participate in the biggest Italian festival in Japan, “Italia, Amore mio!”. Created in 2016, for the 150th anniversary of the diplomatic relationships between Italy and Japan, the festival counts over 50,000 visitors per edition. Annually held in Tokyo and other cities, the festival is organized by the Italian Chamber of Commerce and features exhibitions, shows, presentations and direct sale of products and food aiming at the promotion of Made in Italy. The 2019 edition celebrates romantic love, with the annual meeting of the two-star lovers Vega and Altair, as the Tanabata legend tells. Their encounter is made possible by the lifting of the Milky Way on the 7th day of the 7th month.
Symbolically this encounter could represent a good luck sign for the new commercial engagement between Italy and Japan, made possible by the EU-Japan EPA that lifts many barriers on the import of crafted goods. The Consortia will participate at the festival “Italia, Amore Mio!” in Tokyo, starting Friday July 5th, with a cocktail party at PCA Cardinal which will feature finger food and a mini concert by Emiliano Pepe e Chiara Galiazzo. Saturday July 6th and Sunday the 7th, from 10am to 8pm there will be an Italian PDO and PGI deli meat stand in Akasaka Sacas where the public will taste the original Mortadella Bologna, Cacciatore Italiano, Zampone and Cotechino Modena. At the stand the audience will discover everything about the Arigat-EU project, the history, tradition and authenticity of the Italian products.
They will also learn the nutritional values, health and sustainability aspects of these cold cuts, how to recognize the European quality labels and how to use them in different creatives ways.