Get Your Pasta on in Bologna Next Week

Next week, the city of Bologna will turn into a pasta lover’s paradise as it hosts the first-ever major pasta fair, Pasta Trend. Pasta Trend celebrates all things pasta and presents a variety of exhibits and workshops for manufacturers and consumers. The event will be held from April 24 through 27 at the BolognaFiere exhibition center.

The making of pasta, its history, ingredients, recipes, and culture are all represented at this fun, educational event. Pasta manufacturers will have a chance to show off the newest technology and a wide range of raw materials, including flours and seeds, which are utilized in efficiently making, storing, and packaging pasta. This event will give pasta manufacturers an opportunity to improve their pasta-making ingredients and equipment by viewing the latest examples of innovative technology and cutting-edge research.

An array of sauces will be exhibited, ranging from those containing traditional ingredients such as tomatoes and mushrooms to unusual, Asian-style and spicy sauces. In addition to sauce, hundreds of different kinds and shapes of fresh and dried pasta will be on display, as well as pasta fillings such as cheese, meat and fish.

Professional chefs and home chefs will benefit from an area dedicated to the cooking process, including information on how to serve and cook pasta, how to make better sauces, and how to present pasta to dinner guests or restaurant patrons. Pasta Trend will also feature famous chefs participating in cooking demonstrations and contests – and of course, a pasta fair wouldn’t be complete without the opportunity to taste fresh pasta! –Elaine Murphy