Available on board Costa’s smaller ships bound for destinations off the beaten track, the first of these cruises this April will be combined with the Festival of Mediterranean Cuisine, a special programme devised in collaboration with the renowned Università di Scienze Gastronomiche di Pollenzo (in Cuneo, Italy), as a tribute to the extraordinary Mediterranean gastronomic heritage.
This academic institution was set up by Carlo Petrini, the founder of Slow Food, a global grassroots movement created to counter the rise of fast food and to work towards goals of sustainable foods and promotion of local small-scale producers that safeguard local traditions and high quality products.
The Festival of Mediterranean Cuisine will be held from April 11 to May 25 in conjunction with the 12-day Hidden Treasures of the Mediterranean cruises on Costa neoRiviera (above). It promises a unique gastronomic journey in pursuit of authentic taste sensations in the heart of the Mediterranean, in the very places where these culinary treats were first conceived: from Liguria (Savona) to Provence (Toulon), Catalonia (Barcelona), Sicily (Porto Empedocle), Malta (La Valletta) and Campania (Salerno).
On board Costa neoRiviera, the Festival offers guests different events linked to the appreciation of typical local food and wine; staples of the Mediterranean tradition. There are food and wine seminars and tasting of PDO (protected designation of origin) olive oil from five Italian regions, preserves made from local orchard produce, as well as wines and sweets typical of the coastal areas and islands visited. In Salerno, pasta makers from the Amalfi Coast will give a practical demonstration of the traditional method of preparing fusilli.
The homage to Mediterranean taste also involves all the à la carte restaurants and buffets on board, with offerings including moscardini alla ligure (baby squid), traditional Provencal bouillabaisse, stoccafisso alla livornese (stockfish), coniglio all’ischitana (rabbit), crema catalana (low fat crème brûlée) and cassata al forno (cake made with ricotta).
The menus consist of dishes and recipes selected in partnership with the Università di Scienze and are designed to foster the regional traditions of the destinations visited by using local produce and specific ingredients protected by Slow Food Presidia, such as Cetara anchovies and Conio beans.
This academic institution was set up by Carlo Petrini, the founder of Slow Food, a global grassroots movement created to counter the rise of fast food and to work towards goals of sustainable foods and promotion of local small-scale producers that safeguard local traditions and high quality products.
The Festival of Mediterranean Cuisine will be held from April 11 to May 25 in conjunction with the 12-day Hidden Treasures of the Mediterranean cruises on Costa neoRiviera (above). It promises a unique gastronomic journey in pursuit of authentic taste sensations in the heart of the Mediterranean, in the very places where these culinary treats were first conceived: from Liguria (Savona) to Provence (Toulon), Catalonia (Barcelona), Sicily (Porto Empedocle), Malta (La Valletta) and Campania (Salerno).
On board Costa neoRiviera, the Festival offers guests different events linked to the appreciation of typical local food and wine; staples of the Mediterranean tradition. There are food and wine seminars and tasting of PDO (protected designation of origin) olive oil from five Italian regions, preserves made from local orchard produce, as well as wines and sweets typical of the coastal areas and islands visited. In Salerno, pasta makers from the Amalfi Coast will give a practical demonstration of the traditional method of preparing fusilli.
The homage to Mediterranean taste also involves all the à la carte restaurants and buffets on board, with offerings including moscardini alla ligure (baby squid), traditional Provencal bouillabaisse, stoccafisso alla livornese (stockfish), coniglio all’ischitana (rabbit), crema catalana (low fat crème brûlée) and cassata al forno (cake made with ricotta).
The menus consist of dishes and recipes selected in partnership with the Università di Scienze and are designed to foster the regional traditions of the destinations visited by using local produce and specific ingredients protected by Slow Food Presidia, such as Cetara anchovies and Conio beans.
The Festival of Mediterranean Cuisine programme gives guests the chance to indulge in food & wine tasting, dinners in typical local restaurants and exclusive shoreside excursions for small groups of less than 25 people, specially devised in line with Costa’s new slow cruising philosophy.
More info: call 0800 389 0622 or visit www.costacruises.co.uk.
The next edition of World of Cruising will be out on March 17, and you can see the current version online on our home page at www.worldofcruising.co.uk. To subscribe at our special offer rate for 2014, see this link.
