Tanto per rimanere sul Times, la notiziola xenofobo-culinaria non poteva non arrivare sulla stampa straniera. Britannica compresa. E così il Times ci prende un bel po’ in giro, per il divieto imposto a kebab e sushi. Immagino cosa possano pensare i londinesi, di un’idea geniale come quella del sindaco di Lucca.
Nell’articolo, anche la reazione di chef Kumalè, all’anagrafe Vittorio Castellani, che della contaminazione ha fatto un’arte (gastronomica, ma non solo).
Vittorio Castellani, a celebrity chef, said: “There is no dish on Earth that does not come from mixing techniques, products and tastes from cultures that have met and mingled over time.”
He said that many dishes thought of as Italian were, in fact, imported. The San Marzano tomato, a staple ingredient of Italian pasta sauces, was a gift from Peru to the Kingdom of Naples in the 18th century. Even spaghetti, it is thought, was brought back from China by Marco Polo, and oranges and lemons came from the Arab world.
Mr Castellani said that the ban reflected growing intolerance and xenophobia in Italy. It was also a blow to immigrants who make a living by selling ethnic food, which is popular because of its low cost. There are 668 ethnic restaurants in Milan, a rise of nearly 30 per cent in one year.