October 25th is World Pasta Day and this year we celebrate it imagining the future of the famous Italian food
Every year, on October 25th, World Pasta Day celebrates the symbol of the Mediterranean Diet. The event, organized by the International Pasta Organization (IPO) and the Unione Italiana Food (UIF), in 2019 is at its 21st edition. However, it is an edition that looks forward, trying to imagine the future of pasta.
Riccardo Felicetti, UIF president explains: “We tend to imagine pasta as an unchanging product but actually it has accompanied our lifestyle changes throughout the years. If we think about how we used to eat pasta 30-60 years ago, we realize how much recipes, consumption occasions, and portions changed. The global success of pasta is exactly due to how it can intercept food, cultural, and social trends. At the same time, its production process evolved too, with growing care for environmental impact and health trends. That’s why we tried to mark its future from now to 2050, by asking the interpretation of chefs and pasta lovers.”
Ahead of October 25th, IPO and UIF organized an interdisciplinary meeting about the future of pasta in the global food evolution framework.
The experts identified 6 trends that will mark pasta consumption in the next decades. ‘I Eat Traditional‘ – pasta with tomato, the flagship of the Mediterranean diet in the world; ‘I Eat Ethical‘ – organic pasta and vegetables for sustainability; ‘I Eat Global‘ – pasta fusion, a world of contaminations; – ‘I Eat Different‘ – pasta with ingredients yet to be discovered; ‘I Eat Simple‘ – more basic recipes and healthy pasta; ‘I Eat Conscious‘ – the challenge of correct consumers information.
Many young chefs joined the famous ones – Heinz Beck, Rosanna Marziale, etc. -, in 100 restaurants across the globe, accepted the challenge. They created special #Pasta2050 recipes inspired by the 6 main trends that will mark pasta consumption in the next 30 years. IPO and UIF extended their ivitation also to bloggers and pasta lovers. Tonight they can join a ‘virtual spaghetti dinner’ sharing their experience with the #pasta2050 and #WorldPastaDay hashtags.
Ilona Catani Scarlett