Tag: Championship

Genoese Pesto World Championship 2024: the winner – Italian cuisine reinvented by Gordon Ramsay

The 10 finalists of the Genoese Pesto World Championship

How the selections for the Genoese Pesto World Championship take place

A long journey: before the final they were held at the Palazzo Ducale in Genoa 24 qualifying matches, of which 13 in Italy and 11 abroad, between France, England, Spain, Holland, the United States, Niger and South Africa and Brazil. Races that brought together cooks of all ages who have chosen to try their hand at this ancient gastronomic art partly by chance and partly out of passion, for cooking and for Italy.

The competitors

This year’s youngest contestant was Nicolò Di Girolamo23 year old Roman student and rapper, known to the television audience for having also been among the contestants of the edition of the program Friends by Maria De Filippi of 2022. The oldest competitor, however, a Genoese veteran of the championship who turns 90 this year: Mrs. Maria Carbone. With them professionals, artisans, managers, but also chefs and doctors, of which 80 Italians and 20 foreigners.

Maria Carbone, the oldest competitor of this edition of the Genoese Pesto World Championship

How to participate in the Mortar Genoese Pesto World Championship

And even if Mattia Bassi won, ultimately everyone was the protagonist of the party. One of those cases where the important thing is to really participate. If you want to do it too, know that in a few days the qualifying races for the next world championship will begin, in 2026. The first will be on April 6th in Milan. All the info on www.pestochampionship.it

Genoese Pesto World Championship: the final on March 23rd – Italian cuisine reinvented by Gordon Ramsay

There are 100 competitors: 80 from Italy and 20 from abroad; the youngest is 20, the oldest is 90. They are the finalists of Genoese Pesto World Championship, on March 23 at the Palazzo Ducale in Genoa. A key event for the Genoese and now not only for them. Because this competition, created to raise awareness the culture of the typical basil-based sauce, has crossed the borders of the region and Italy.

Genoese Pesto World Championship: how the competition takes place

Competitors now come from all over the world (even from Brazil), but in ten editions of Genoese Pesto World Championship there are two constants that fortunately have never changed: the playful spirit and joy that animates the race and the organizersand at the same time the regulation, rigid, which is faithful to the original pesto recipe. In fact, the competitors will have to prepare the pesto only with what is provided by the organizers, i.e. the ingredients of the recipe from the specifications of the Genoese Pesto Consortium: DOP Genoese basil from the Ligurian Riviera, Italian pine nuts, garlic from Vessalico (Imperia), DOP Parmigiano Reggiano, Sardinian flower, sea salt from the Trapani salt pans, DOP Ligurian Riviera DOP extra virgin olive oil.

What the Pesto Genovese champion wins

The 100 will compete in a first heat in the morning and then a jury made up of 30 expert judges – including we at “La Cucina Italiana” And a delegation from Alma, the prestigious international cooking school in Colorno (Parma) – will choose the best 10 for the final which will be played in the afternoon. Manual skill, colour, finesse, consistency and balance between the ingredients they will be the judging parameters based on which each proposal will be given a score. Up for grabs an olive wood pestle with a gold-wrapped handle worth around 2 thousand euros and worldwide fame, which is priceless.

What to do in Genoa during the Pesto World Championship

March 23rd will be a party, even before a race, hosted by Roberto Panizza, director of the championship, together with Marisa Passera, historic presenter of Radio Deejay, which will involve the entire city. The World Pesto Championship final will in fact be the highlight of a long series of events dedicated to the culture of pesto, but also to fun.
Among those that will be held on March 23, the Children’s Championship organized by the Consorzio del Basilico Genovese DOP, the Lollipop Choir with 20 choristers of all ages who will interpret theAnthem of the World Championship written by the band Buio Pesto. Meanwhile, outside the championship, there is a rich calendar. For example the March 21st a guided tour of the botanical garden with the theme “Essence of botany. Journey through perfumes, from the table to public greenery” and on March 22, in the Sala Trasparenza della Regione, a series of talks on the present and future of pesto, from the presentation of Genoese Pesto Revealed, that is, the presentation of the book by photographer Craig Wales, to a scientific research on the formula for the perfect pesto coordinated by Ben Thuriaux, before an inevitable demonstration on how pesto is produced in a mortar. Obviously it will be a special occasion to taste pesto: all week in Genoa there will be the “Ligurian Restaurateurs’ Pesto Week”who participate in the promotion of traditional cuisine in collaboration with Ascom, Confesercenti and Genova Liguria Gourmet (the complete program of the long weekend is on www.pestochampionship.it)

«Almost twenty years of work on the Mortar Pesto World Championship have changed the perception that the world has of our sauce”, said championship director Roberto Panizza. «The road is still long, but we think we have actively supported this growth: when we started, finding pesto in many medium-high range restaurants was almost impossible, while today even the most prestigious establishments offer it to customers. The championship’s work to promote the tradition of pesto and its recipe is therefore well underway and we are equipped to face the next twenty years.”

Omelettes with pesto, green beans and potatoes: the video recipe

Second day of the Championship, the A series goes into the kitchen – Italian Cuisine

Even on the second day of the season the teams had a great feast of goals. Inter, Turin, Genoa, Verona, Sassuolo and Parma winners come out. Let's see some of the most succulent clashes together

Juventus 4 – 3 Napoli

Lady kisses VS Neapolitan Zeppole (staples)

Summit at the top of the protagonists of the last five years of Serie A, the teams field all their sweetness, Lady's Kisses versus zeppole, also called staples. Juventus immediately started work to knead their sweets and went ahead with three biscuits to zero. Napoli, unprepared by these sudden baked goods, cannot react. But when everything seemed to have been written, the new Neapolitan purchases decide to reopen the pastry shop, frying and sweetening their zeppole, thus balancing the accounts. The pastry chef of the Neapolitan team however, at the last minute, makes a mistake and gives the ingredient that serves to complete the recipe of the blacks white. The Juventus players therefore manage to match the biscuits perfectly thanks to the help of their opponent Koulibaly, who puts a bit of his chocolate into it.

Milan 1 – 0 Brescia

Negroni Negro VS Pirlo Brescia

At 18, at the San Siro stadium, Milan organized an aperitif with old friends he hadn't seen for a long time, a reunion that had been missing in Serie A for almost ten years. The hosts offered their favorite cocktail on Wrong Negroni, while guests to thank them for their joyful invitation brought their excellent drink, the Pirlo. Beautiful challenge played in joy, and between one elbow and the other the fans gave their best and dedicated each other choirs. And you know, after a drink you are all happier and as written in the banner exposed by the black red curve: "party will be done" and party is done. The match took place at a bit hectic pace and the only moment of lucidity was Calhanoglu's goal that decided the match. The Brescia therefore unable to withstand the wrong alcohol rate, returns home without points, fortunately not those of the license.

Lazio 1 – 1 Rome

Amatriciana VS Carbonara

For the menu of the Capitoline derby the two teams propose two great classics of Italian cuisine, ladies and gentlemen amatriciana and the bacon and egg. Rome and Lazio have tried throughout the game to assert their ingredients, attaching to each other, bacon cheek, pecorino pecorino. The red yellows sink the first forkful on penalty in the first half and only in the second half the celestial whites manage to respond by equalizing the courses. So many punch-lines you missed, that have touched the edge of the plate of its contents several times. You can not choose a winner between these two recipes, both deserve to be tried, in fact the game is over "poles".

Sassuolo 4 – 1 Sampdoria

Tigella VS Chickpea Farinata

Dinner based tigelle is gruel the one that took place on Sunday night at the Mapei stadium. Appetizing but unbalanced race, a greedy Berardi leaves his mark by stuffing a "trigella", Samp struggles to react and before the break one of his slices is also exploded, leaving the porridge outnumbered. The Sassuolo is not completely satiated scores his fourth tigella with the new signing Traore, the guests instead only in the final part of the game manage to bring their plate to the table, signing the goal of the flag, porridge postponed.

Udinese 1 – 3 Parma

Montasio VS Parmigiano Reggiano

At the Dacia Arena in Udine the DOP challenge between protected designations of origin, the teams take the field with two typical forms, the Montasio and the Parmigiano Reggiano. The Friulian cheese readily says its and in the seventeenth it carries on a slice. For a taste of Parmesan, you must instead wait for the end of the first half when the blue yellows manage to equalize the tasting. In the second half, Montasio tries again but with no luck, while Parma players raise the "crust" and do not forgive grating their opponents on two occasions. The hard cheese defeats the host team thanks to its greater aging, leaving the fans with that unmistakable, strong and spicy flavor.

The championship will now stop with the first seasonal break ahead of the qualifying for the 2020 European Championships

European. Mancini's Italy will play against Armenia and Finland on Thursday 5 and Sunday 8 September, two valid matches for qualifying for the 2020 European Championships.

FantaPulcina: Sara Suardi
FantaAllenatore: Cristian Rodella

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