In this interview, Luciano Pignataro, a well-known journalist for ‘Il Mattino’, writer and Italian food and wine critic, as well as lecturer on the degree course in Mediterranean Gastronomic Sciences at the University of Naples Federico II, takes us on a journey through the flavours of the Mediterranean and introduces us to a philosophical, yet more than ever concrete discourse on taste and time.
Time, for Pignataro, is the secret ingredient of the Mediterranean Diet that allows us to recover ancient recipes and knowledge and refine them with contemporary techniques and knowledge.
With a keen eye on his roots, Pignataro shares his ideas on traditional and starred cuisine, and the intrinsic link between food and territory. Exploring the importance of traditional dishes from Campania, starting with pasta and beans that reminds him of his childhood, and the role of wine in Mediterranean culture, the interview prompts us to reflect on our food choices and the connection between food, identity and well-being.
With passion and wisdom, Pignataro underlines the essence of the Mediterranean as a place of tastes, smells and values to be preserved.
Interiew by: Serena Russo
Video by: Carolina Venterelli, Francesco Iannucci
Video Editing by: Carolina Venterelli
Document by: Carolina Venterelli, Mariangela Bianco
Subtitle ita/eng by: Desireè Tedeschi, Francesco Iannucci, Serena Russo
Translation by: Desireè Tedeschi, Francesco Iannucci, Serena Russo
MedEatResarch – Center of Social Research on the Mediterranean Diet of the University of Naples Suor Orsola Benincasa, head by Marino Niola and Elisabetta Moro
Realized: 02/05/2024