DELI IN THE HEART OF PORTOANTICO

In January/February the old harbour area, Portoantico, looks quiet but there are still good reasons to explore this area. My current favourite spot is Eataly, the delishop  dedicated to regional, mostly organic food produced by small farmers from all over Italy according to the principles of the Slow Food movement.

   The world has many reasons to be grateful to the Slow Food movement, founded in Turin in 1989 by Carlo Petrini: they were the first to make a fuss about the fast food chains and question the nutritional value of industrially produced food. Initially labelled as hopeless romantics, who wanted to take the world backwards rather than forward, it made millions of people to question where did their food come from and who produced it. Above all, the main issues were and still are, taste and quality.

 

A panoramic lift from the streetlevel takes you to the shop on  the second floor of this building, close to the Bigo. By the way, there is an excellent Italian book shop next to Eataly.
They have a small selection of books in English, if you are desparate.

   Eataly was born out of these concerns but gradually it has become a food empire with shops all over Italy. It is now a brand which has managed to get a foothold in the USA and Japan, too. It is not owned by the people behind the Slow Food movement, but it adhers to the same principles in terms of supporting small, local producers. Specialities, such as the famous, fiery chilli salami paste from Calabria called nduja, are stocked here.

   Eataly is not only a food shop. They have successfully combined the idea of a gourmet shop with an eating experience: tables cannot be booked in advance (come early for lunch), all food is freshly prepared there and then, it is easy and casual, yet tastes unbelievably good. Here you can get an impressive variety of artisan cheese, organically produced meat, deliciously fruity olive oil or unusual looking pasta produced with ancient methods. There is an outstanding selection of wine too.

   If I am quite ready to spend 6 -7 euro for a loaf of bread when I can go to my local bakery and get equally good, great tasting Tuscan style loaf with less money, is another question. The 610 euro bottle of some very special red wine would also be quite wasted on me. Eataly is not your everyday grocery store and cheap is ain't.  But as an occasional treat and for special occassion, yes please.