Malindi hosts ‘World of Italian Cuisines’ week
By Christopher Owuor, November 28, 2019Monica Kagia
Malindi resort town is hosting the World of Italian Cuisines festival this week. The festival, dubbed The Extraordinary Italian Taste opened on Tuesday and will run until Sunday December 1.
The fete aims at offering special menus of Italian food to both locals and foreigners in Malindi and Watamu towns.
The two resorts are renowned Italian tourism destinations, which hosted over 65,000 tourists from Italy last year and expects to attract more than 80,000 this year.
Freddie Di Curatolo, the spokesman of the Italian community in Malindi and a representative of The Italian Institute of Culture at the Coast region, says the event is showcasing the depth of Italian cuisine.
“This is a good chance for Kenyans to learn more about our culture. They have hosted us for decades and many have learnt how to make Italian food,’’ he said.
More than 10 hotels and Italian restaurants have prepared rich Italian menu for lunch and dinner during the weeklong festival.
They include Leopard Point Luxury Beach Resort, Tangeri Lounge, Bar Bar, Baby Marrow, Malaika Beach Resort, La Malindina, Billionaire Beach Resort, Kilili Baharini Resort and Spa, Osteria Beach Restaurant and Olimpia Club.
Nancy Palumbo the Manager of Leopard Beach Resort Malindi says they are happy to prepare Italian cuisine, “which provides an opportunity to highlight all our flavours and meet the people; our big idea today is to make people sample the taste of Italian food,’’ she said.
Last weekend, Italian restaurants offered free food tasting for residents at the Oasis Mall ahead of the festival. They displayed the meals at the entrance of the mall, which also houses the Tuskys Supermarket.
Traditionally Italians are known for their love of tasty meals and fashion.
Leonardo Dangelo from Malaika Beach Resort said they would be making goat meat, which will be done in the Italian style as opposed to the popular nyama choma (roast meat) in Kenya. Italian embassy officials are expected to attend the festival.