The Academy
In the last few years, the great public appreciated the pleasures of the good table like never before, having discovered the authentic and genuine tastes of local, traditional dishes. In this period, we undertook to seek the basic values of our wine-gastronomy, and the more we searched, the more we realised that authentic and genuine tastes are connected to ancient knowledge, to "poor" and traditional dishes of our rural areas. It is a fascinating world, full with its scents related to territory and tradition.
Epulae and its on-line newspaper reflect this philosophy: they both aim to promote the most genuine products, make the wine-gastronomic culture known and thus protect the most typical products of local farming, menaced by massified, genetically modified products, and thus economically more favourable. Quality work is exhausting and expensive; however, in this effort we are sustained by our passion for wine-gastronomy and our culture and we hope this passion also sustains many farmers and chefs that chose this way. In our globalized world, the small details, the territory become important, especially to defend local identities and make them known as an irreplaceable source of cultural improvement.
Someone might think that there are too many associations working in this sector: Epulae is not a new competitor, but a new variant of the classic idea of association, hosting many sections, each for a specific branch of wine-gastronomy world. Wine-gastronomy experts, experts in sensorial analysis, oenologists, sommeliers, chef executives, nutrition specialists, wine-gastronomy journalists and many other professionals can find in Epulae their meeting and confrontation point. It is an ever growing space, a great cultural melting pot where all experiences and groups merge in one effort to support and divulge wine-gastronomic culture.
Epulae is the Latin name identifying food. In ancient Rome, during religious festivities, some Roman citizens were recognized the right to feast publicly with the best food and drinks, led by pagan priests. Like them, in our association, we too endeavour to discover foods and drinks of our land under the direction of Epulae's teachers, in order to know, learn and understand food's sensorial and cultural aspects. Our association's logo itself, a Roman amphora, express these ideas. The amphora was used to store food and wine on the ships, carrying thus innovation, culture, taste for the exotic from place of production to Roman tables.
A way to exchange knowledge and tastes and to bring together the four corners of the Empire on the tables. And the Mediterranean's waves, Mare Nostrum's waves, loom up on the amphora. Mediterranean was a great highway in the ancient world. It still is a crossroads of different worlds and cultures. In the areas facing the Mediterranean, the ancient cultures met, thus originating unique and spectacular wine-gastronomic traditions, a blend of tastes narrating a history of clashes and meetings between north and south Mediterranean.
All along Italy, you can discover a wine-gastronomic tradition with plenty of tastes, developed and enriched throughout thousands of years by the various peoples going across Italy. Different scents and tastes that met, from the Apennines to the Alps, telling us stories and flavours of different cultures. This association thus aims to promote and divulge food, wine-gastronomic culture, as well as sensorial analysis by means of promotional, educational, editorial and touristic activities. Although recently founded, our association already has delegations already set up or in process of being established in Latium, Veneto, Sardinia. We also have offices abroad in the USA, France, Argentina, New Zealand, Australia, Canada, Switzerland, Denmark, France, and Japan.
The activities of L'Accademia are divided into sections, each including the association's member according their competencies. Sommeliers/ wine-gastronomy experts, wine-gastronomy journalists, experts of sensorial analysis on food, tasters (specialized in honey, virgin and extra virgin olive oil, cheese, charcuterie, tea and infusions, coffee, chocolate, distillates and liqueurs, beer, aromatic plants and officinal herbs, mushrooms and truffles), nutrition experts, chefs in progress, pizza makers, confectioners and chocolate manufacturer, ice-cream makers, barmen and bartenders will operate in their specific sections, in order to promote and educate, organizing courses which enable our members to benefit of continuous education, increase their competences, meet other colleagues, and get qualification certificates attesting their competences. In the same spirit operates Epulae, the association's on-line magazine, which promotes the activities, the training courses and our members' various initiatives. The on-line magazine will also be a place where all delegation can promote their activities, their territories and local products: A place where members can share their experiences, suggest initiatives and promote specific aspects of the wine-gastronomic culture. However, also occasional readers will be allowed to send their contributions. Let us roll up our sleeves: we wish all members good work.
Translation of Mercede Succa