The 'Herbs of Passion' are the Focus of 'Il Piatto Verde' Food Fair
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At Riolo Terme, from the 26, to the 31, of March 2007, competitions, lessons, meetings and dinners.
In the bucolic town of Riolo Terme, perched on the hills of the tourist district of Terre di Faenza (The Lands of Faenza), there are the headquarters of the IPSSAR "Pellegrino Artusi" (IPSSAR = Istituto Professionale di Stato per i Servizi Alberghieri e della Ristorazione, or Professional State Institute for Hotel and Restaurant Services). The Pellegrimo Artusi is a gastronomy and hotel management school which pays particular attention to local traditions and products. It is located in the heart of a zone where the cultivation and the culture specific to erbe officinali, or herbs that confer healthful benefits, have deep roots. Every street, square, garden and backyard is reminiscent of this aspect of the local lifestyle, and it is not unusual to find delicacies based on such produce in the local restaurants.
This historic vocation is the reason why 15 years ago, the small thermal hill town started a yearly gastronomy extravaganza entitled 'Il Piatto Verde' (The Green Dish). The 2007 annual, planned for March 26, to the 31st, will be dedicated to the 'Le erbe della passione' (The Herbs of Passion), includes many tasty events, including a cooking competition open to the general public.
In recent times it has become fashion to use wild aromatic herbs to add flavor to many recipes. In this part of Italy though, the use of such herbs has a long history. The peasants used to live mostly from what they could gather from the land, and the lack of resources forced the true manager of the family life, the azdore (or the homemaker in local dialect) to use anything edible which grew on the land.
Many volunteer herbs used to be harvested and used in savory omelets, delicate sauces and flavorful stews which helped the peasants substitute the chronic lack of meat protein and minimal variety of produce. The creativity and the secrets passed down from mother to daughter were often the recipes which supplemented and ensured a healthful diet, thus preventing some illnesses and curing others, due to the vitamin and mineral content of certain plants.
As time passed though, the customs changed, and with the improvement of the living conditions due to a better economy, the use and knowledge of many aromatic herbs was lost to most. People began to substitute the traditional products with imported spices which were more and more available to anybody.
The center of this year's 'Il Piatto Verde' is the March 29 and 30 food competition. In one session the students of various European culinary schools will face off, while in another one it will be non-professional food buffs who compete.
The common denominator for both events will be the use of plants and herbs which are believed, either because of scientific proof, tradition, or popular belief, to fire up physical passions.
The 20 plants selected by the organizers are:
- Bay laurel (leaves),
- Thorn tree (flowers, leaves and berries),
- Malva (leaves and flowers),
- Issopo ( Hyssopus officinalis – leaves and flowers),
- Lavander (flowers),
- Myrtle (leaves),
- Nettle (leaves),
- Poppy (unopened bloom, seeds and flowers),
- Wild Rose (flowers and berries),
- Rosmary (leaves and flowers),
- Ruta (leaves),
- Sage (flowers and leaves),
- Santoreggia (Satureja hortensis – leaves and flowers),
- Lovage (leaves, flowers and stem),
- Thyme (leaves and flowers),
- Tiglio (Tilia Europea – leaves and flowers),
- Verbena odorosa (Lippia citrodora – leaves and flowers).
The six finalists in the competition open to the general public will be hosted in local hotels for the two days dedicated to the event. In addition, they will be guests of honor at the gala dinner during which the winner will be announced. The winner will be awarded a spa vacation at the Grand Hotel delle Terme in Riolo. All the finalists will receive an artistic plate created by the Ceramica Artistica di Faenza specifically for the 2007 competition
The program includes various other events, including among others cooking courses for food professionals held by internationally renowned chefs, theme dinners open to the public the evenings of March 26, 27, and 28, as well as evening in the company of 'narrators' expert in curative herbs, gastronomy and local traditions.
| From March 31st to the end of May, the restaurants participating in the initiative will propose special recipes featuring the 'herbs of passion', created especially for the occasion by the local chefs. Patrons who order the 'Piatto Verde' (Green Entree) will receive a special present. |
| Fonte: Pierluigi Papi / Coop Aleph – Tel. 338 3648766 Info: Ufficio stampa Società di Area TERRE di FAENZA Tel. 0546 71044 |
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