EVEN GELATO CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE IF IT’S A MIX OF INTERCULTURAL INGREDIENTS AND RECIPES. “LOVE RECIPE” IS A PROJECT BY ARTIST MICHELANGELO PISTOLETTO THAT UNITES ART AND SWEETS FOR A MESSAGE OF PEACE BETWEEN COUNTRIES OF THE MEDITERRANEAN

After the “Wine of Peace” project (in which bottles of wine were sent to all of the heads of state around the world with labels signed by the likes of Zoran Music, Arnaldo Pomodoro, Enrico Baj, Dietman, Minguzzi, Salvatore Fiume, Pietro Consagra, Giorgio Celiberti, Darko Bevilacqua, Dario Fo, and many more) now food is taking its turn as the ambassador for peace between the various countries of the Mediterranean. The project, which will begin with a “Gelato Love Difference” premiere, is the creation of the maestro from the Italian town of Biella, Michelangelo Pistoletto, who is also the founder of “Love Difference”, an artistic movement for an inter-Mediterranean politic.

“Love Difference” is a reference to the peculiarities that characterize different cultural identities: an identity is one if it is equal to oneself and different from others. Long perceived as a negative element, because “different” means unknown and this creates fear, today, it is being searched for with enthusiastic positivism where “different”, being something new, is fascinating and enriching. Applying this philosophy to cooking, where cultural differences already reign supreme, “Love Difference” has proposed the creation of an unprecedented cookbook in which the ingredients of the various dishes are typical products from multiple areas of the Mediterranean, or are created using traditional methods that distinguish one culture from another.

The project premiered with “Gelato Love Difference” and the presentation of a halva flavored ice cream - a sesame seed based sweet that is very popular in the Arab countries of the Mediterranean that has been combined with the traditional Italian method of making gelato.

While waiting for the arrival of “Love Difference” pastry shops throughout Italy, here’s a sneak peak at a couple of the items on the menu: carob muffins by a Cypriot artist, and chocolates by two Greek artists who have used various ingredients from different countries like peanuts from Beirut, chestnuts from Madrid, raisins from Tirana, and fresh pomegranate juice from Cairo.