QUALITALY_135

July/August 2023 V MAGAZINE is sold in the appropriate 5-litre plastic container or in a 5-litre tin. Previously, the difference between a PET and a tin was 5 cents per litre, as a material cost difference, today the difference is over 20 cents. The same applies to glass, which has exorbitant prices. Again by way of comparison: the gap between a PET litre and a glass bottle was 15 cents, today we are talking about 40 cents. HAVE THERE BEEN ANY NOTICEABLE CHANGES IN THE INDUSTRY? It only takes a leap of about ten years to witness the first transformations in production. To understand the change well, it is enough to analyse the division of consumers: those who use it as a ‘simple’ condiment and those who seek the niche, high-quality product. The greatest changes are aimed precisely at the second bracket, the one that prefers a valued product, a PDO, that is healthy and adds flavour to dishes, even those at home. OIL IS ONE OF ITALY’S EXCELLENCES, FUNDAMENTAL FOR HIGH-LEVEL CUISINE: WHAT ARE ITS ESSENTIAL CHARACTERISTICS? First of all, the oil must be bitter and spicy, obviously with respect to each cultivar. These two characteristics must be balanced and constant, both must be felt continuously. To have this parameter of excellence, the olive must be processed green with a hint of purple. STAYING IN THE KITCHEN: WHAT ARE THE CORRECT QUANTITIES TO ENHANCE BOTH THE DISH AND THE OIL? 10 grams of oil per dish is sufficient. Excess would cover up the flavour of the ingredients, scarcity, on the other hand, would not convey any taste harmony. And the quantity is the same regardless of whether we are talking about meat or fish dishes. Attention must be paid to the cultivars from which the oil itself is produced. The same applies to vegetables. This is currently still a difficult message to get across in Italy. And it must be added that using the right oil on a dish reduces or eliminates the use of salt. WHAT WILL HAPPEN IN THE COMING YEARS? In the hope that the current critical situation will disappear, I would focus on the consumer: going back to what I said earlier, we are increasingly turning to quality, both for the individual end user and for HORECA. Although Italy has a great tradition when it comes to oil, the country lacks knowledge on the subject: in my opinion it is the consumer who will give (and in part is already doing so) us producers the chance to improve. AT PAGE 20 CHEF’S FACES Emilia on a plate TRADITIONAL LOCAL FLAVOURS ARE THE UNDISPUTED PROTAGONISTS OF THE CUISINE AT TRATTORIA DA BOLLO by Elena Consonni Trattoria Da Bollo is an ageless restaurant, no website, little social media communication, no advertising... yet customers arrive, attracted by the word of mouth, in Panzano, a small hamlet of Castelfranco Emilia between Modena and Bologna. The management is almost entirely family-run. Fabrizio Menabue , joint-owner together with his wife Cristina Bollo , is in the kitchen, while his wife devotes herself to the dining room supported by their son Mattia, who mainly looks after the wine cellar. Bollo’s cuisine is deeply rooted in Emilian traditions, but refined through careful fine-tuning of recipes and the selection of excellent ingredients. Fabrizio Menabue tells us about it. WHEN DID YOU DISCOVER YOUR PASSION FOR COOKING AND WHAT WERE THE MILESTONES IN YOUR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT? I started to be passionate about the world of cooking as a child, I was only 12 years old when I first approached the cooker at home. It all started with my mother’s great passion for cooking, something she passed on to me. Already at the age of 16, while I was attending the Hotel School in Serramazzoni, Modena, I was looking forward to the moment when I could enter a professional kitchen for the first time. At that age I already knew that I wanted to be a cook, but I then realised that it would be my life after a few years, when I started working and really realised how much I loved this job. WHICH TEACHERS HAVE INSPIRED YOU OR FROM WHOM HAVE YOU LEARNT THE MOST? Only one name. Gualtiero Marchesi. He is unanimously considered the founder of the new Italian cuisine and for me he is the one who has contributed most to the development