High-quality extra virgin olive oil is one of the cornerstones of Italian cuisine. It stems from the extraordinary biodiversity of Italy’s olive-growing regions, where over 500 native cultivars thrive, each capable of expressing unique aromatic profiles. Within this living heritage, the millers, custodians of ancient knowledge and, at the same time, experts in the most advanced extraction technologies. Thanks to their expertise, Italy can offer a wide and refined range of extra virgin olive oils, protagonists of traditional regional cuisines and authentic ambassadors of our gastronomic culture around the world.
In this context, theAFP – Association of millers of Puglia – has always collaborated with restaurateurs and, today, together with the Degree Course in Dietetics, promotes a vision of Italian cuisine as a living cultural heritage, where quality extra virgin olive oil becomes a vehicle for health, nutrition education, and awareness.
UNESCO, the Association recalls, underlines how Italian cooking “promotes social inclusion, promoting well-being and offering a channel for lifelong intergenerational learning, strengthening bonds, encouraging sharing and fostering a sense of belonging.”. For Italians, cooking is in fact «a community activity that emphasizes intimacy with food, respect for ingredients and moments shared around the table»A practice rooted in anti-waste recipes, in the transmission of knowledge and memory, which makes the kitchen a natural place of dialogue and continuity between generations. As a multigenerational practice with interchangeable roles, Italian cuisine plays a profoundly inclusive role: it allows everyone to enjoy an experience both individual and collective, open to exchange and capable of overcoming cultural and generational barriers.
Stephen Caroli
“Extra virgin olive oil is the first ingredient that tells who we are: our history, our work, our territory. As millers – comments Stefano Caroli, president of the Puglia Olive Oil Mill Association – We have the responsibility and pride to preserve this legacy and improve it every day, combining tradition and technology. Collaboration with restaurateurs and the academic world, such as this project with the Dietetics Degree Program, confirms our desire to spread a culture of oil that is not just about flavor, but also about health, education, and identity. Because a good oil improves a dish, but an excellent oil improves the way we experience food.
Dining and Cooking