Apr. 28 – While in Italy, food and nutrition have never been more discussed – also thanks to the official countdown for the world’s largest event on the topic – Expo Milano 2015 – across the ocean, the Italian Cultural Institute of Buenos Aires is preparing to host a conference on agri-food and gastronomic traditions, entitled “Flavors and aromas … lost? Yesterday and today in the culinary traditions of Italian immigrants and their descendants.” The event was organized by the Italian Cultural Institute in collaboration with the Association Incontro, a network of professional Italian-Argentinian women. One of the risks of globalization is losing some “flavors” of the past; but the rediscovery and recovery of one’s history, roots, fragrances and traditions also passes by food and culinary traditions. So it’s important to reflect on how cuisine and food help preserve the identity of a land and a people. This and much more will be discussed during the conference scheduled for Thursday, May 21, starring Claudia Forgione, anthropologist and deputy secretary of the Association Incontro. Cuisine will be tied back to the issue of emigration and immigration: the conference will be an opportunity to illustrate – from an anthropological point of view – the form in which the process of food preparation took place for Italian migrants to Argentina. The goal is to reflect on what still remains today of those flavors and aromas, those mixtures, intersections and influences that, over time, make up gastronomy.
