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Posted

On the 25th of February the site “Guia de la Buena Mesa” were the first to write about the absurd situation in Italy with the signing of new legislation banning the use of Food additives in the kitchen, this is also going to extend to the use of Liquid Nitrogen as it is a “gaseous substances” and considered dangerous even though 78% of earths atmosphere is actually Nitrogen in it’s gas form! The title of the article says more than 1000 of my words “The Italian Taliban”! The article is as below:

http://www.guiadelabuenamesa.es/?p=1359&language=es

As you know I am normally pretty opinionated about most things, especially when it comes to ignorance towards food. So after 1 month of biting my tongue and listening to all the facts I am now ready to give my 2 cents worth…………………………..

It all started in the youtube link below, this is when Italian Ministry of Health’s secretary Francesca Martini signed the new legislation banning the use of pretty much all food additives in professional kitchens.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2cy6HeX0ZIA&feature=player_embedded

This less than qualified new Health minister in Berlusconis party does not have the qualification nor the intellect to deem the use of additives as dangerous, she should stick to commenting about things she does know about like this article (http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/world-news/italian-tv-chef-roasted-for-praising-joy-of-eating-cats_100321564.html) Condemning the eating of cats by a famous TV Chef!

Ok, so now to the serious part of this story………..

Let’s have a look at the legitimacy of their claims. What makes Agar Agar any more or less of a “Powdered” food additive than the flour the Italians have been using for generations to make pasta? You can also make a pasta from the Agar Agar. The Flour is taken from the milling of wheat and the Agar Agar is extracted from the red Seaweed Gelidium (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gelidium), but the law still suggests you can eat the red seaweed in it’s natural state so it is not a problem with the product but merely the final result. What about if we look at Pectin Powder v’s Gelatine leaves? By the true definition of this new law you cannot use pectin which comes from the cell walls of certain fruits (Citrus being the primary source) but you can use Gelatin which is being taken from the hoofs and cartilage of Animals! Which one sounds hypothetically more natural and “Safe”? In actual fact they are both 100% safe and have been used for a very long time yet one is banned under this new law and the other isn’t. I can give you thousands of examples of why this does not make sense, but I won’t as I am sure you are all smart enough to smell an ulterior motive on the behalf of the Italian government. But before we get to this let’s discuss the biggest hole in their story!

This rule only applies to restaurants and not the Production industry! If this was for health reasons how is this possible?

Imagine that the same Sodium Alginate and Calcium that you are not allowed to use in Kitchens you are allowed to consume when eating your Burger king Onion rings or your McDonalds Apple pie (which also are not very Italian restaurants, perhaps all non Italian restaurants will be banned next?)! Would this have anything to do with the power of the Production industry and the amount of revenue they bring in from Taxes as opposed to that of restaurants?

Think about the level of stupidity it takes to think that any Nitrogen gas remains in food once it’s been frozen, considering liquid Nitrogen (-190 +/- degrees Celsius depending on your altitude) boils at room temperature and changes back to a gas. Then add the fact that we are already breathing 78% Nitrogen all day long……………. It doesn’t make sense! So I guess we can rule this one out as ridiculous!

This government stinks of desperation in an attempt to keep the Italian cuisine traditional at the expense of progression. There will always be those Chefs who will continue to cook traditional food as this is where their roots are, but there also has to be those pushing the boundaries and creating the next generation of what will one day be traditional or else food will be stuck in a virtual time warp. Whats next? Are we going to start burning Creative Chefs at the steak like the treatment of witches in distant times? How can this backward government think the people are that stupid?

Why is it not possible for traditional Italian Cuisine and New Cuisine to co-exist harmoniously? Take my friend Carlo Cracco as a great example. Carlo has a cuisine which is deeply rooted in tradition yet he utilizes all the tools at his disposal with the introduction of new techniques into his cuisine. Is not the role and responsibility of every Chef to use every tool, technique and ingredient at his disposal to help interpret his vision of food? So if we remove one part of this how can we be free to express?

From the reports I am being told by my friends in Italy, the police are entering kitchens and seizing any powdered products and giving the owners nasty fines.

This is a very desperate and pathetic attempt to retain control (Communist style) of what is known as an iconic cuisine of the world. Hopefully the Italian Government will realize the error of their ways before it’s too late or else the world of cuisine will leave your country back in the dark ages at the expense of your great Chefs and the enjoyment of the consumer.

Adam Melonas - Chef

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Posted

This is indeed a sad and amazingly ignorant developing situation. It is truly hard to believe that they think this will actually accomplish anything good.

Government Prohibition against alcohol failed miserably in the USA (but at what cost??) and with any luck this foolishness will be likewise quenched in Italy. Let's hope it doesn't take them 13 years to realize their folly. In the mean time, look for a molecular speak-easy coming to a neighborhood near you!

The Big Cheese

BlackMesaRanch.com

My Blog: "The Kitchen Chronicles"

BMR on FaceBook

"The Flavor of the White Mountains"

Posted

Sounds like a bunch of Food Nazis (Food Brownshirts?) playing off the whole traditional = unprocessed/natural = healthy/safe set of myths and prejudices.

This is a very desperate and pathetic attempt to retain control (Communist style) of what is known as an iconic cuisine of the world.

Come the Revolution you bourgeois running dog chefs will be first against the kitchen wall. :raz:

This is my skillet. There are many like it, but this one is mine. My skillet is my best friend. It is my life. I must master it, as I must master my life. Without me my skillet is useless. Without my skillet, I am useless. I must season my skillet well. I will. Before God I swear this creed. My skillet and myself are the makers of my meal. We are the masters of our kitchen. So be it, until there are no ingredients, but dinner. Amen.

Posted

If it wasn't true it would be a funny story to tell your friends..............

But unfortunately it's true and ignorance seems to be spreading as we saw similar comments made by Santi Santamaria here in Spain 2 years ago when he said Ferran was poisoning people with his food. Back then it was proven to be a publicity stunt to sell more copies of his book he launched days later and I am sure this one will also be revealed for the joke that it is with absolutely no basis of truth.

Let's hope that "Uncommon sense" becomes "Common Sense" Again, as the use of these ingredients have been approved by the EU and every other food agency around the world. Chances are that they are safe to use!

Adam Melonas - Chef

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Posted

This is a very desperate and pathetic attempt to retain control (Communist style) of what is known as an iconic cuisine of the world. Hopefully the Italian Government will realize the error of their ways before it’s too late or else the world of cuisine will leave your country back in the dark ages at the expense of your great Chefs and the enjoyment of the consumer.

Indeed. They have overlooked a couple facts.

1. Nitrates are naturally found (in very high concentrations) in celery, beets, spinach, radishes and cabbages.

2. Italy is shaped like a boot because they couldn’t fit all that crap into a sneaker.

Posted

Hi Baron,

At last we have finally agreed on something!!!!!

Funny thing is I have just been in Italy (Venice, Padova and Trieste) for the past few days and visited a supplier in Trieste who had a warehouse full of additives from Sosa. He can't sell any of them anymore :-(

I also spent the last 3 days eating their "Traditional food" and let's just say improvement wouldn't be a bad thing in many of the places.

Regards from Croatia,

Adam Melonas - Chef

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