A Global Celebration of Italian Cuisine Is Coming to New Zealand

Last year, over 100 countries across the world came together for one of the best excuses to swirl pasta and eat pizza slice upon slice: the Week of Italian Cuisine in the World. And in 2017, New Zealand is joining in.

An event coordinated by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, the Week of Italian Cuisine in the World (November 20-26) was created for the purposes of eating food in the Italian way: together. There's nothing better than uniting a group of people and sharing laughs and good times over Italian food, right?

Italy is known for its amazing exports of parmesan, pastas and wines (among others, of course). A wide range of events this year will showcase the traditions of Italy in the Italian way, including lots of authentic Italian produce and regional specialities that can be hard to find in New Zealand.

The Italian Embassy in Auckland has coordinated 32 events across Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch to get you introduced to the Italian way. These include specialty dishes at favourite Italian restaurants, meetings with the chefs, cooking workshops and food and wine tastings. Cultural events such as food-related film screenings (we like the sound of that) will also take place.

If you're in Wellington, head to La Bella Italia, Bel Mondo, Mediterranean Foods, Cicio Cacio, Franziska, Bastardo, Pizza Pomodoro for their specialty dishes. The Embassy is also hosting two events, a mozzarella workshop with Massimiliano De Caro (Il Casaro), and a cooking class "Italy by Ingredient: Parmigiano" with Viola Buitoni, a San Francisco-based native Italian leading food expert.

If you're in Auckland, head to Pasta e Cuore to taste some regional Italian dishes in their authentic form. The Mount Eden restaurant will also hold a class on making perfect pasta and offer tastings of the best organic wines from the Emilia-Romagna region. Settebello will present a pizza-making demonstration and pizza degustation; experimental ice creamery Giapo will craft a Maori take on tiramisu; and Segafredo will offer tips and tricks for brewing the perfect espresso.

Get amongst the strong flavours and intense cultural history of Italian food, and buon appetite.

The full range of events at the Week of Italian Cuisine in the World can be found here.