Italia responds to Russia: pizza is democratic and of high quality

As the proposal touched upon a cornerstone of Italian national identity – pizza – reactions were swift to the controversial suggestion put forward by Vitaly Borodin, head of the Federal Project for Security and the Fight against Corruption in Russia, to remove pizza from Russian school canteens. The initiative was subsequently backed by presidential adviser Elena Yampolskaya. Initially, the proposal was also linked to the fact that pizza is a product of Italian origin, and its exclusion from Russian canteens was tied to Italia’s support for Ukraine in the war between Kyiv and Moscow. However, concerns regarding public health soon emerged in support of the proposal.

And it was precisely the health aspect that the Italian reactions focused on. “I read a statement, which was subsequently reported as news,” commented the Minister for Agriculture, Francesco Lollobrigida, “but at the moment the Russians are doing all sorts of things wrong. So if they wanted to add to that, this would be it, but mainly for their own citizens. Pizza is a healthy food, but apart from that, it’s not as though they’re causing any particular harm, because I imagine that 99 per cent of the pizzas produced and distributed in Russia are made in Russia.”

The Italian Society of Environmental Medicine (Sima) also commented on the issue. According to Sima, a pizza made with high-quality ingredients, low in salt and served in portions appropriate to the child’s age can have a place on the school menu. ‘Pizza can form part of a healthy lunch, even at school,’ explained Sima’s president, Alessandro Miani. ‘A Margherita pizza with tomato, mozzarella, extra virgin olive oil and a little salt, served in the right portion alongside seasonal vegetables, a piece of fruit and water, is a concrete example. Children’s health is safeguarded by ensuring the quality of the ingredients, the portion sizes and the variety of the menu. The same principle applies to pizza and to the traditional dishes of every country.”

And, of course, the pizza chefs have rallied to defend their core business. “I’d like to offer President Putin a pizza,” said Antonio Pace, president of the AVPN (Authentic Neapolitan Pizza Association), “to prove that the Russian authorities’ argument is wrong.” Pace pointed out that there are five pizzerias in Russia affiliated with the AVPN: three in St Petersburg, one in Moscow and one in Omsk, Siberia.

“Pizza is a dish that brings everyone together,” added the Neapolitan pizza chef Gino Sorbillo, who said he was ready to create a ‘Pizza For Russia’. It is the most democratic culinary product in the world. Its name is untranslatable, it is neutral, it is a treasure of humanity. Our craft, too, is linked to humanity’s intangible cultural heritage.”