The IX Week of Italian Cuisine in the World (16-22 November 2024) will have as its theme the “Mediterranean Diet and Roots Cuisine: Health and Tradition”. This year’s event aims to present Italian cuisine with particular reference to its traditional roots and the recognized role of the Mediterranean Diet in protecting health, within the framework of a healthy, balanced and sustainable lifestyle.
For the occasion, the Institute proposes a discussion in which they will intervene Anita Aloisio, author of the book on Lucanian gastronomic culture entitled “Basilicata Secrets” edito da Guernica Editions (2021), Cassandra Marsillo author of the book Dalla valigia alla tavola: A journey through Molisan culinary heritage (Federation of Molisan Associations of Quebec) which explores the gastronomic tradition of Molise and its memory within the community of emigrants in Montreal with more than 40 recipes still practiced. Maria Giovanna Filia will also intervene, Sardinian cuisine expert who is working on the drafting of a volume dedicated to the culinary specialties of the island.
The meeting, in French, will be coordinated and animated by Simon Gravel, a journalist from La Presse, a cooking enthusiast, and an analyst of the relationships of the Italian community with the different cultural and gastronomic traditions of the different regions of origin.
Monday November 18th at 6:30pm
Istituto Italiano di Cultura
1200 av. du Dr. Penfield, Montréal
Free Admission
RSVP
Anita Aloisio is an accomplished author and documentary filmmaker with a BA in Communications and an MA in Media Studies from Concordia University. One of few female filmmakers of Italian heritage born in Quebec, she has written and directed three feature-length documentary films. Additionally, she created a 14-part video series chronicling her culinary journey in Basilicata, Italy, which inspired her book, Basilicata Secrets: A Culinary Journey. Her work centers on themes of immigration, language, culture, and politics, particularly as they relate to Quebec and Canadian society, with a strong research focus on the Italian-Quebec and Canadian experience. Anita’s debut film, Straniera come donna. A Woman, a Stranger (2002), was co-produced with support from the Ministry of Immigration of Quebec and the National Film Board of Canada. Her second film, Les enfants de la loi 101 (2007), aired on Canal D to underline the 30th anniversary of Quebec’s historic Bill 101. Her latest documentary, Calliari, QC (2022), is currently available on CBC GEM across Canada. She is currently in development with her 4th documentary which examines the recent amendments to the Quebec’s French Language Charter. In 2019, Anita co-founded Alliance Donne – Italian Women of Quebec, a non-for-profit organization that advocates for the interests of Italian women in Quebec. Since January 2023, she has also served as a research associate with QUESCREN, the Quebec English-Speaking Community Research Network, based at Concordia University
Maria Giovanna Filia, she is a health manager and Consultant for Sardinians in Canada, as well as being passionate about Sardinian culture and cuisine. She was born in Montreal to Sardinian parents, a city where she still lives. She is working on the drafting of a book in 3 languages that will be released next summer, dedicated to traditional Sardinian cuisine.
Cassandra Marsillo, artist whose work focuses on stories of immigration, identity, collective memory, food and folklore, particularly in relation to the Italian-Canadian experience and the traditions of her family’s region of origin, Molise. She is currently developing a project on the history of the “torta italiana ” in North America. She works as an archivist at Library and Archives Canada and does freelance work at various cultural and non-profit organizations, such as the Italian-Canadian Archives of Quebec, Panorama Italia magazine and Migrants of the Mediterranean. www.artistorian.com
