The panorama of festivals dedicated to the world of food is wide and varied. From those in the spotlight, with glam and glossy guests to the most "veracious", from the province. Also to Sesto San Giovanni, on the outskirts of Milan, an event dedicated to culinary art finds space To eat. 2019 cooking festival. Sixth edition in the program Saturday 23 and Sunday 24 November, at the Spazio Mil, in a very suggestive area, that of the industrial archaeological park of the former Breda factory. The festival takes place not coincidentally with the Italian Cuisine Week in the world, which aims to spread the culture of food from different points of view, from preparation to tasting and from raw material to processing tools.

The theme
The theme of the event is conviviality, an aspect common to all the cultures of the world in every age and in every place. Food has always been perceived as a moment of meeting and sharing. Each country with its customs and typicality contributes to creating a good dialogue between different cultures.

The program
A two-day program is planned with a all free activities, with a focus on exotic atmospheres and sui perfumes from Asia and South America.

On the calendar there are cooking workshops such as Hosomaki for everyone by Lilli Geri, manager of the courses at Gambero Rosso and Boscolo, or The semolina this unknown, which sees the participation of the “Giallo Zafferano” blogger Elisabetta La Cerra, there is no lack of tastings, meetings with producers and cooking shows with recipes that pass from East to West.

For lunch and dinner, visitors will be able to explore international foods from different regions of Italy in an area dedicated to street food. MEAL space, where to choose the proposals of the various food trucks.

Food and design
During Sunday, throughout the day, the food design workshop Food is culture held by designers Marika Aakesson and Francesco Subioli, addressed to sixteen Product and Communication Design students selected from those who sent their candidature to info@spaziomil.org. The young aspiring designers are called to explore the tastes, forms and rituals of eating between Italy and China, and to propose effective solutions for the usability of food in specific contexts and situations.

For children
There is also a space dedicated to children, with workshops that, through play, manipulation and discovery, bring children closer to smells and flavors from all over the world and to the importance of a healthy and varied diet, including biscuits and tasty snacks.

The exhibition: Twelve stories about food
Starting from Thursday 21 November, the festival is anticipated by the exhibition Twelve stories about food. From Horse to Cart. Cards from the Rapisarda collection, edited by Andrea Tomasetig. On display is a selection of vintage papers and documents from the vast collection of Milanese scholar Michele Rapisarda, which tell twelve curious stories about Italian food from 1865 to the present day.

Interesting covers of various illustrated magazines, from the historic "Domenica del Corriere" designed by Achille Beltrame and Walter Molino, to the current artist magazine "Toiletpaper" created by Maurizio Cattelan and Pierpaolo Ferrari, as well as advertising pages with graphics signed by Leonetto Cappiello, Antonio Rubino, Benito Jacovitti. To these are added postcards, calendars, receipts for meals at the tavern, gadgets and leaflets.

The documents on display range from the period in which the rich Lombard bourgeoisie went to eat out of doors in a carriage, also providing for the coachman's and horse's meal, to arrive at the emergence of supermarkets and shopping carts.

Visitors will find the lunch of Ferragosto of 1904 under the spiers of the Duomo of Milan and the Neapolitan urchins "mangiamaccheroni" always from the early twentieth century.

The advertisements of the 1930s such as that of the ultra-modern Algidus fridge and the innovative Caffè Cirio vacuum-packed, before arriving at the advent of television in 1954 and the television success of Carosello, to conclude with a tribute to the great Gualtiero Marchesi.

On display are visible both the original materials and their enlarged reproduction on the wall, accompanied by short texts to deepen their historical and social context and those who wish can take advantage of guided tours with the collector and the curator.

The info on the festival and the exhibition are at this link.

Mariacristina Coppeto
November 2019

DISCOVER THE COURSES OF THE SALT AND PEPE COOKING SCHOOL