That’s Italian

Rome

The Italian government is launching a campaign against restaurants in foreign countries that purport to be Italian but serve soggy pasta and bottled salad dressing. It plans to offer a “certificate of authenticity” to restaurants that pass a tough inspection. Only those that use genuine Italian ingredients like Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, extra-virgin olive oil, and real pancetta—and serve their pasta al dente—will qualify. No red-sauce factories need apply. “We have to draw a line between what is really Italian and what is only mystification,” Agriculture Minister Gianni Alemanno told the London Daily Telegraph. He said most restaurants “have nothing Italian about them other than the name above the door or the tricolor flag outside.” The program, which will begin next year in Belgium, is expected to cost Italy more than $1.5 million.

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