Third phase of Ursino.
Discovering Liguria.
We are currently in Genoa, Liguria, in northern Italy, where we are conducting the third phase of the Ursino project.
The team currently consists of myself and Annarita Mabellini, who has been a volunteer member of Konstelacio for several years. Our director, Simon Guyomard, will join us on January 28 to capture all our work on film.
We chose to conduct this phase outside the "big city," in a small town called Recco. There, we were welcomed at the Avegno Camogli Recco Uscio School by Marialuisa Villa, a French teacher, and 26 of her students. The students usually finish class in the early afternoon and go home, but they voluntarily chose to spend the afternoon at school to participate in our workshops. We were particularly touched by this!
Last week, we held three workshops.
On the first day, they filled out the impact questionnaire that we always give our students before and after the project. One of the questions is, "What are the first three words that come to mind when you hear the word 'cooking'?" We were touched by their responses, which were full of emotion and sharing. Here they are in Italian and French. This shows us how important cooking already is in their lives, despite their young age.
What are the first three words that come to mind when you hear the word "kitchen"?
The second workshop was a time for discussion with adults who came to meet them to collect traditional local and/or national recipes. These recipes complemented a collection already made by the students from their families. We collected more than 50 different recipes, most of which are typical of Liguria, or even the municipality of Recco. We discovered the local specialty: focaccia con formaggio. This little gem consists of two very thin layers of dough filled with cheese and baked in a bread oven. This recipe has a protected geographical indication and is to die for. You'll be able to see pictures of it as soon as Simon joins us!
The students are so invested in the project and motivated that two of them even brought their "nonna" ("grandmother" in Italian) along.
Finally, the third workshop marked the beginning of historical research into the origins of dishes, the migratory history of ingredients, etymology, and other information and anecdotes related to them.
Since this workshop, we have expanded on this preliminary research, which we then sent to Antonella Campanini, a food historian, who will verify and complete it.
We are really excited about how the project is going so far and can't wait to share more images with you!
While waiting to see our students again next week, we are preparing workshops and filming videos, including testing local culinary specialties (it would be such a shame to miss out!) in the company of culinary experts and locals, because, let's not forget, cuisine is an aspect of culture that is above all rooted in everyday life and in homes.
We are particularly fascinated by the kindness and helpfulness of the Genoese and Ligurians. A big thank you to everyone who has accompanied us on our discoveries. A special mention goes to Alessandra Pierini who, from Paris, shares all her favorite places with us and puts us in touch with fascinating people!