A Taste of the Past is a podcast by HRN exploring the link between food cultures of the present and past. In this week’s journey through the history of food, the host and culinary historian Linda Pelaccio interviewed Gustiamo’s very own Beatrice.
Linda starts the dance by defining Beatrice “a woman who has made it her task and mission in life to protect Made in Italy [products].” Yes Linda! Gustiamo is all about defending the honorable traditions of honest Italian farmers and food makers. In Beatrice’s words, “food has to have a [fair] price, it’s the result of an agricultural process and has to be respected.”
Beatrice and Linda investigate together some of the most puzzling food topics. Listen up to hear the baffling numbers of olive oil production in Italy. Did you know that Italy is the biggest importer of EVOO in the world? Yes, you read that right: IMPORTER. That raises questions about the legitimacy of most real Italian extra virgin olive oil on the market.
The figures about Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena or real San Marzano Tomatoes DOP are not much more comforting, to be clear. Beatrice and Linda dive into the reasons behind that, before switching to a more upbeat note. After more than 20 years fighting the good food battle and “vetting every single product to make sure that it is indeed Made in Italy,” does Beatrice have favorite Italian ingredient? Ovviamente, she does. “They call me the Colatura Queen, I use it everywhere!”
Grazie Linda, we always love an enlightening discussion about controversial aspects of the food world. Let’s keep this conversation going!