European Union & CSO Italy bring back a "MADE IN ITALY" premium gastronomic experience to Hong Kong

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Optimizing public health during these unprecedented times calls for nourishing eating habits that incorporate a wide selection of high-quality foods. Thanks to its unique microclimate and rich soils, Italy is one of the leading fruit and vegetable producing countries in Europe. To draw attention to Italy's ideal conditions, quality, guaranteed safety, and sophistication associated with Italy's long artistic heritage, "The European Art of Taste: Italian Fruit & Veg Masterpieces" will be held by Italy's leading fruit and vegetable producers – Centro Servizi Ortofrutticoli (CSO) in partnership with the European Union – for its 2nd consecutive year, this time at cozy Italian wine bar Acquasala in Soho. Acquasala's chef Michele Chiarello shares his knowledge and insights on Italy's exceptional range of fruit and vegetables by demonstrating a 3-course menu featuring white peach compote, fresh lemon, processed tomatoes, green kiwi, and blood orange juice.

The EU quality production system stands out worldwide for its stringent product protection requirements. A traceability system allows individual agricultural producers to be traced; and organic certification guarantees organic production, prohibiting the use of synthetic chemicals and promoting environmental sustainability. Italy has long been widely known for its prominent culinary culture. Purchasing European Italian products also means purchasing products of excellence. The European quality-checking system safeguards PGI (Protected Geographical Indication) and PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) certified products by involving the entire agri-food industry. Currently, there are 93 PDO and PGI certified products in Italy, such as Arancia Rossa di Sicilia PGI (Blood oranges from Sicily), Pera dell' Emilia Romagna PGI (Pear from Emilia Romagna), and Pesca e nettarina di Romagna PGI (Peach and Nectarine from Romagna). Protocols and certifications have been developed through a series of extensive and accurate checks. These signs of progress demonstrate how much food safety is valued by the "Made in Italy" market, allowing the country to thrive and flourish in an ever-expanding economy. Italy has currently 3.64m tonnes of fruit and vegetables exported with a value of 4.59 million euros.

"Everything is fresh – ingredients are shipped from Italy weekly as I want to bring Italy's quality products and guaranteed freshness from home to Hong Kong," says Chef Michele, who has diverse culinary experience from Tokyo and Taipei. He showcases in a special tailor-made menu for this campaign, "Salmon carpaccio over fennel in lemon vinaigrette salad and rosemary's white peach compote" to start, "Tomato confit rigatoni with basil caviar" as well as "Vanilla and green kiwi muffin on dark chocolate ganache" along with a refreshing "Thyme infused Campari blood orange juice".

European Italian fruit and vegetables will be seasonally available on the Hong Kong market. For the latest news from CSO Italy, please follow @European.Art.Of.Taste.HK on Facebook, @European.Art.of.Taste.HK on Instagram, and visit https://europeanartoftaste.com/en/.