An ‘Iranian’ tortellini in Bologna for the inclusion festival
Among the events of the inclusion festival in Bologna is also the gourmet dinner with Iranian-style stuffed tortellini
BOLOGNA – Fresh pasta as a metaphor for hospitality. And the tortellini with Iranian filling (chicken, walnuts, turmeric and pomegranate) as a symbol of integration. Cuisine, together with cinema, music and art, is also one of the “unpublished languages” chosen for ‘Roadmap to Inclusion’, the summer event organized in Bologna by the social cooperative Arca di Noè, which talks about migrations and social inclusion in the city and in the metropolitan area. Now in its second edition, the festival is divided into five events, mostly in the Fuori Orsa spaces in the DLF park. The gourmet dinner dedicated to inclusion is scheduled for June 18th. Chef Marco Cavalli prepared it together with Mehdi Mirzaei, an Iranian refugee who arrived in Bologna from Turkey a year and a half ago thanks to a humanitarian corridor. However, he is not a chef by trade.
A RECIPE TO BREAK BARRIERS
“The tortellino is untouchable – admits Cavalli, today in the press conference – but we wanted to leave the comfort zone and break down the barriers“. After all, the chef claims, “fresh pasta is something that welcomes: the ragù or the filling”. Every tradition will be respected, Cavalli assures. At the dinner there will be a pasta maker to roll out the dough and anyone who wants can help close the tortellini. But the filling will be Iranian: among the many dishes Mehdi had the chef taste, the Ghormeh Sabzi was chosen, a typical second course from a region of Iran made with chicken, walnuts, turmeric and pomegranate, which usually it goes well with rice. It will be transformed into the filling of tortellini. Then there will be crispy Persian rice together with Italian risotto, and aubergines ‘burned’ on the flame. The cost of dinner is 40 euros.
THE PROGRAM OF THE REVIEW
The ‘Roadmap to inclusion’ festival was presented to the press this morning in the Fuori Orsa premises in via delle Moline. The event begins next Thursday, May 30, with the screening of a short film made by a group of four refugees from the Sai program, which intertwines the stories of some asylum seekers with other Italian stories (for example Ustica) . Following the film ‘Ibi’ by Andrea Segre. Thursday 13 June will be the turn of a talk, with performance, on the comic ‘Ancore’ by Irene Caltabiano. On Sunday 16 June, however, a refugee representation will be at the Bike Pride in Bologna. In particular, women who took part in the journey to learn (or relearn) to ride a bicycle created by Salvaiciclisti will participate. A personalized workshop involving eight women, each with a dedicated tutor. Said of the gourmet dinner, the event will end on 5 and 6 September with the Social Beer Festival, the celebration of social breweries.
“STORIES THAT OFTEN STAY BEHIND THE SCENES”
The Welfare Councilor of the Municipality of Bologna, Luca Rizzo Nervo, underlines the importance of the event organized by Arca di Noè, because “it tells stories that often remain behind the scenes, since numbers prevail in the public debate” . According to Rizzo Nervo, the theme of inclusion in Bologna is addressed “not in the logic of room and board, with the minimum of services, but in the logic of welcome and integration. All that glitters is certainly not gold, we must take responsibility on the outcomes of these paths. these experiences are more credible and coherent if within choices made in this direction”.