Written by Rasha Ibrahim
Manama, November 24 (BNA) Italian Ambassador to Bahrain Paola Amadi said that she is confident that Manama and Rome will witness a unique expansion and deepening of bilateral economic and non-economic growth in the post-pandemic era.
“Bilateral relations are growing steadily at all levels, especially in the business sector,” she said.
“Italy is among the top ten countries in terms of trade volume with Bahrain, and we expect that by the end of this year, it will record better results with the gradual return to normal life.”
It added that in the first eight months of 2021, Italian exports to Bahrain totaled $307 million, making Italy the largest European exporter.
Figures indicate that 40.2% of Italy’s exports to Bahrain are industrial machinery and equipment, while iron and steel exports constitute 9%, cars and motorcycles 5.2%, furniture 5%, medicines 4.1%, and chemical products 3.7%.
The ambassador, who speaks Italian, English, French, Spanish and Arabic, said Italian arts and cultures have also been active in strengthening relations with Bahrain.
Currently, we are sharing the richness of our famous Italian cooking as part of the 6th annual Week of Italian Cuisine in the World. It’s a unique window into what Italy has to offer and an opportunity for people to immerse themselves in Italian culinary culture, and of course buon appetito! “
Following up on the themes developed at Expo Milan in 2015, the Italian government subsequently launched the first International Week of Italian Cuisine. This year’s sixth edition will take place from November 22-28.
“Italian cuisine is celebrated with its time-honoured traditions and well-established recipes that have captivated the taste buds around the world for centuries simultaneously across the globe through a range of events organized by Italian diplomatic and consular offices, Italian cultural institutes and Italian trade. The agency network celebrates Italian food and culinary traditions as a hallmark. of Italian cultural identity”.
“Traditions and Perspectives of Italian Cuisine: Awareness and Promoting Food Sustainability” is the theme of this year’s edition.
“Our core message is that Italian cuisine expresses culture, research, innovation, biodiversity and identity. It stands as a synonym for quality and diversity. The Mediterranean diet is a balanced dietary model and style. Indeed, health is an important dimension of food. Food is also a great unifier.” “It connects nationalities, geography and generations,” she said.
“Just the smell of food can take us back to our childhood or to a place we visited abroad. By learning more about food from other cultures, we also learn about the history, geography, climate, economy and many other factors that make each country or region unique.”
Amadi, who took up her position as the ambassador of Italy in Manama in January 2020, said she was pleased to discover that the offer of Italian dishes in Bahrain is wide and diverse with the opening of the first restaurants in the 1970s. “This week is a great opportunity to celebrate Italian cuisine together,” she said.
Many Italian restaurants and chefs in Bahrain have provided a special menu for the celebration.
The festivities included a class with an Italian teacher for a fun lesson on “Italian Cuisine Vocabulary” and an event dedicated to Bahrain’s food importers with a long-standing commercial tradition of bringing delicious Italian dishes to the kingdom.