Our
typical characteristics’ value
The
value of the typical products, their peculiarity,
has been rediscovered in the latest few years in Italy.
Peculiarity
means memories, tastes, hard work, feelings and emotions
and business too… one after the other, developing
all together.
The
great enthusiasm linked to this discovery, and to
a new awareness of the peculiarities of each area,
has to keep in mind the many values of peculiarity
itself. I think that protecting the peculiarities
of one area means not only protecting the products,
but also a source of income for that area. These products
are due to special climatic and environmental conditions
and are a truthful heritage, which has been let to
the people living in the area by their ancestors.
Genoa’s Pesto Sauce is a wonderful example and
another example is the much more famous Lardo di Colonnata.
Genoa’s Pesto sauce is the heritage, which has
been left to those living in these areas; this is
an ancient tradition benefiting the "heirs"
of the ancient farmers.
These
people are often unaware of the importance of what
they did and have done: thanks to their efforts a
unique production process has been passed on from
generation to generation. Are we allowed to take everything
away now?
Are
we allowed to praise them for what they have done
and send their products out into the world? I do not
think so and this is not a matter of quality, since
Genoa’s Pesto sauce is likely to keep or even
improve its quality if produced on a largest scale.
From
a legal point of view, a solution to this problem
is the D.O.P. (denomination d’origine protegée);
in the meantime, what is advisable is the experts
working in this sector (or at least a number of them)
not to mess things up too much.
Roberto
Panizza
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