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Italian chef uses Olympics food waste to feed homeless

With three Michelin stars to his name and a restaurant recently crowned the world's best, Italian chef Massimo Bottura is used to serving the wealthy in his Modena restaurant.

Published: 18 August 2016 08:54 CEST
Italian chef uses Olympics food waste to feed homeless
Italian chef Massimo Bottura (centre) is feeding the homeless in Rio. Photo: Giuseppe Cacace/AFP

But as part of his ongoing project to eliminate food waste and help tackle social issues through food, Bottura is currently working in Rio de Janeiro, serving meals to the homeless.

The restaurant, Refettorio Gastromotiva, is housed in a building made of corrugated plastic in a lot in the city's Lapa district; its customers are members of Rio's large homeless population.

Meals are made from leftovers from caterers working at the Olympics and other local businesses, with filling, healthy dishes on the menu including aubergine parmigiana and a twist on classic carbonara which used banana skins, La Repubblica reported.

The project is the result of a collaboration between Bottura himself, whose social organization Food for Soul aims to eliminate food waste and build community, and Brazilian chef David Hertz, who runs the non-profit organization, Gastromotiva, to promote social integration.


Photo: Giuseppe Cacace/AFP

Around 5,000 meals a day are prepared both by top international chefs, and graduates of Gastromotiva's cooking school, which teaches people from Brazil's neglected favelas how to cook. The restaurant will stay open throughout the Olympic and Paralympic Games, after which it will become a social project.

Bottura says his inspiration comes from Pope Francis's dedication to help the poor, and he was involved in a similar project providing food to the homeless during Milan's Expo last year, which saw an abandoned theatre on the city's outskirts transformed into a kitchen.

Bottura's Modena-based restaurant, The Osteria Francescana, was crowned the best eatery in the world in this year's prestigious World's 50 Best Restaurants Awards. The restaurant also boasts three Michelin stars and a meal doesn't come cheap, with the tasting menu setting diners back €220.

READ MORE: Meet the Italian genius behind the world's best restaurant

His dishes, including 'Yellow is bello' and 'Memory of a mortadella sandwich', offer a creative twist on traditional Italian cuisine, and Bottura doesn't take himself too seriously. He also devotes a lot of time to social projects around eliminating food waste, an issue which has become a hot topic in Italy recently.

Photo: Giuseppe Cacace/AFP

Earlier this month, Italy introduced a set of laws aimed at eliminating unnecessary food waste by incentivizing shops and restaurants to give away food waste for free. Donating food which has passed its official sell-by date has been made easier, and a €1 million campaign has been rolled out to encourage the use of 'doggy bags' in restaurants.

A study by the University of Bologna earlier this year suggested that the food wasted by Italian households and businesses amounts to some €13 billion each year, equivalent to 1.1 percent of the country's GDP.

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FOOD AND DRINK

Six of the most Italian non-alcoholic aperitivo drinks

As well as its most famous cocktails, Italy has a long tradition of making refreshing aperitivo drinks without the alcohol.

Published: 11 April 2024 12:01 CEST
Six of the most Italian non-alcoholic aperitivo drinks

Italy’s favourite aperitivo-hour cocktails are known far beyond the country’s borders, so their names will probably be familiar to you whether you drink them or not.

But if you’re in Italy and not drinking alcohol, you might find yourself stumped when it comes time to order your aperitivo at the bar.

The first time I found myself in this situation, there was no menu. The waiter instead rattled off a long list of all the soft drinks available, most of which I’d never heard of, and I just picked something I thought sounded nice.

Luckily it turns out that Italy has some great options for an aperitivo analcolico. As well as ‘virgin’ versions of well-known cocktails, there are bitters, sodas and other Italian-made soft drinks that you’re unlikely to find anywhere else.

They might not be quite as iconic as the Aperol Spritz, but they’re as thoroughly Italian – plus, effortlessly ordering one of these will make you look like a true local.

SanBittèr

San Pellegrino’s SanBittèr is one of the most famous non-alcoholic Italian drinks of all, with its highly-recognisable red packaging, often enjoyed in place of Campari cocktails because of its similar dark, ruby-red color.

This drink is carbonated with a slightly sweet, citrus flavor. The recipe is more complex than that of an orange or lemon soda, with notes of spice and herbs, making it ideal to pair with your aperitivo-hour snacks.

Crodino

Crodino looks a lot like an Aperol Spritz with its bright orange hue, and that’s not an accident: it’s said to have been created as a non-alcoholic alternative, and the zesty, slightly herbal taste is similar. It’s typically served the same way. in a round goblet glass over ice with a slice of orange: a Crodino Spritz.

The name comes from the town of Crodo in Piedmont, where it is still bottled today by the Campari group.

Chinotto

Citrusy Chinotto is an acquired taste for many, but it’s worth trying: it’s one of the classic Italian bitters and is said to have a long history, dating back to a recipe shared by Chinese sailors arriving on the Ligurian coast in the 1500s.

It may look a little like Coca Cola, but don’t let the appearance fool you.

(Photo by Eugene Gologursky /Getty Images via AFP)

Aranciata/Limonata

Aranciata is Italy’s version of an orange soda, but not as sugary, and it tastes like oranges. Its base is sparkling water with the addition of orange juice and sugar. There are various brands, but San Pellegrino’s is the most popular. It also sells a ‘bitter’ aranciata amaro, with even less sugar, more citrus tang and herbal notes, which might be more aperitivo-hour appropriate.

Limonata is, as you might guess, the Italian answer to lemonade. Again there are many versions out there but the fizzy San Pellegrino limonata is beloved for its strong, sweet-sour flavour and there’s nothing more refreshing on a hot summer’s day.

Cedrata

Cedrata is one of Italy’s oldest and best-known non-alcoholic drinks. It’s a refreshing, carbonated drink made from a large citrus fruit called a cedro, grown in southern Italy. It’s far less bitter than a Chinotto, but not as sweet as limonata.

The main producer of Cedrata today is Tassoni, and this is what you’re likely to get if you order it at a bar.

Gingerino

This is harder to find than the other aperitivi on the list and is seen as decidedly retro, but it’s worth trying if you can track it down.

It’s another orange-coloured, sparkling drink which became popular in Italy in the 1970s and is still sold today, though you’re more likely to find it in the north-east, close to Venice, where it’s produced.

You may be expecting it to taste a lot like ginger beer, and there are similarities, but it has stronger citrus notes and more bitterness.

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