MILAN – “We should share the knowledge of our culinary treasures much more often”. This is what Giada Bellegotti thinks, manager of Eatitmilano.it, a blog that began as prey to hunger pangs the culinary blogger states, seeing Expo 2015 as a unique opportunity for our country to promote Italian cuisine in the world.

How did Eatitimilano.it begin and what is it all about?

Eat it! Milano began basically out of necessity. Five years ago I worked until 10 in the evening and at the end of the day I never knew where to go for dinner (I lived an hour away). I looked for restaurant reviews on the web, but I wasn't always satisfied with the answers I found. And so I said to myself: “You know what? Now I'll do the reviews. Maybe someone in the same situation as me will find them useful.” And so it all began. Then, in the reviews section, I decided to add recipes (constantly updating a blog of reviews is rather time consuming...) in order to provide more content for the readers and then I began to talk about all the great initiatives that revolve around food in Milan. Now a restyling of the blog is in progress. The new logo has already been prepared. We'll need to wait until we have a bit more time to work on it though...

How is Italian cuisine perceived abroad?

I just returned from a trip between Japan and America and I can say quite frankly that everyone is crazy for our cuisine abroad. They try to imitate our dishes in every possible way. It's a shame that the final result is always a bit disappointing... We should share the knowledge of our culinary treasures much more or the message that chorizo is an Italian salami will continue to be spread.

What are the three things that identify a quality spread?

Ingredients that are carefully selected, knowledge and passion.

In your opinion is Expo promoting the excellence of our cuisine even more?

Expo is the right opportunity to truly introduce our culinary jewels to tourists. I hope that restaurateurs and gourmet companies are seizing the opportunity to work well. This is the right time to show who we are and what we have to offer.

Speaking of Expo, do you think that Italians are acquiring even more knowledge on topics of correct nutrition?

There is still a lot to be done, but something is happening. Unfortunately it isn't easy to convey the concept that eating a lot and well, while spending little is almost impossible. Quantity is often more important than quality, but at least now many people are talking about food (maybe even too much): it's a good start.

by editorial staff