Who doesn’t love Italian food? If the thought of delicious Italian dishes grabs your attention, set your palate to ‘yum’ and get ready to dig in and savour the 6th edition of World Italian Cuisine Week!

World Italian Cuisine Week, also known as The Extraordinary Italian Taste is an initiative launched by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. Celebrating its sixth edition, the event is jointly organised by the Italian Embassy and the Italian Trade Agency in Kuala Lumpur, and in collaboration with the Italy-Malaysia Business Association, the campaign was launched to raise awareness about the quality and uniqueness of authentic Italian cuisine and Made-in-Italy products.

Following its success in previous years, the campaign will continue to highlight the importance of the health benefits and millennial food traditions of the Mediterranean diet and environmental sustainability of Italian cuisine, resulting in the quality of each region’s unique characteristics and geographical indications.

“The Extraordinary Italian Taste campaign is a remarkable opportunity for those involved in the support and promotion of Italian culture, cuisine and lifestyle in Malaysia. We are very fortunate that Malaysians have a food culture in place that makes it easier for us to bring awareness to Italy’s world-renowned tradition and quality gourmet specialties. Our universally loved products are ambassadors of Italian excellence and we have dedicated ourselves to share these “eccellenze italiane” by inviting guests to experience modern Italian cuisine, authentic regional products and discover their stories without the need to travel abroad,” said H.E. Massimo Rustico, Ambassador of Italy to Malaysia.

This year’s programme will focus on two initiatives – the first initiative is a Virtual Cooking Masterclass for the Universities in the culinary field and the second initiative is an Italian Journey of Food Discovery featuring 14 Italian restaurants in Klang Valley, Langkawi, and Penang.

A Virtual Cooking Masterclass with Universities

Participating universities include Sunway University, Berjaya University College, and UOW Malaysia KDU University College. Targeted to culinary students, the masterclass is organised in collaboration with Italian culinary institutions including Tor Carbone di Roma, Polo Tecnico Del Mediterraneo Aldo Moro di Santa Cesarea Terme and Istituto F. Datini di Prato between 22 and 25 November 2021.

The cooking classes will be hosted virtually featuring recipes from different regions. Dishes include Risotto Alla Zucca, a Pumpkin Risotto dish from Veneto and Lombardy; and Riso, patate e cozze, a popular dish from Puglia, a renowned region for its rice, potatoes, and mussels. To end on a sweet note, Montblanc is featured as a dessert, specially enjoyed in Piedmont from the Northwest region of Italy. The name comes from Mont Blanc, as the dessert resembles a snow-capped mountain.

An Italian Journey of Food Discovery

Malaysian foodies can take advantage of the campaign by exploring authentic Italian restaurants available locally, showcasing specially crafted set menus from 22 to 28 November 2021. Enjoy a delicious journey of discovery, exploring new spots, culinary tours whilst enjoying the Mediterranean diet – which makes Italy one of the world’s healthiest countries.

Indulge in popular Italian favourites such as Tortellini, Ravioli, Calzone Fritto, Tiramisu, Panna Cotta, and much more.

Participating restaurants include the following (click the name for their website to learn more):

• Ciccio
• Nero Nero
• Gallo Nero Italian Restaurant (Langkawi)
• Monnalisa Ristorante Italiano
• Heritage Pizza KL
• Osteria Gamberoni
• Il Bácaro (Penang)
• Roberto’s 1020
• Luce Osteria Contemporanea
• Sapore
• Luretta D.O.P. Italian Deli
• Zenzero Restaurant & Wine Bar
• Marini’s on 57
• Strato

Are you hungry yet? To learn more about this campaign, please visit www.italianfestival.info.