Italian Sounding: the gastronomic horrors of fake Made in Italy

The most widespread are the ubiquitous Spaghetti Bolognese, the most famous Italian specialty abroad that no Italian has obviously ever cooked or tasted. But it is enough to climb over the Alps to come across an almost endless jumble of gastronomic imitations with at least unlikely names. In supermarkets in Berlin or Beijing, in "Italian" restaurants in Toronto, New York or Rio de Janeiro you might find yourself in front of a stuffed slipper with cheese or socks stuffed with tomato and ham, or buying a package of Spagheroni, a Zottarella or a creepy Pizzaburger. It is the so-called Italian Sounding, ie the use of geographical names, names, images and brands that evoke the Made in Italy:, to sell products that Italy has never seen even by mistake.

If the comic side (involuntary) is undeniable, on the level of our local economy there is however little to laugh about. A recent dossier by Coldiretti, "The table of deceptions", found that even six out of ten food products sold as Italians on the international market they are actually the fruit of food piracy. A turnover that, taking advantage of the fake assonance with the Made in Italy, invoice 60 billions of euros around the world. Of course, to the detriment of the agri-food supply chain of our country which, according to the research, thus loses 300 thousand jobs.
Al Festival of Food Journalism we will address the issue, trying to understand what information and marketing can do to counteract the phenomenon.