Tete – The 11th edition of the Week of Italian Cuisine in the World in Mozambique opened on Saturday, 7 November, with a dinner at Mario’s Restaurant in Tete, organised by the Embassy of Italy in Maputo. This is the first time that the Week’s events have been held outside the capital.
The dinner was attended by the Governor of Tete Province, Domingos Viola, the Secretary of State in Tete Province, Cristina de Jesus Xavier Mafumo, and the Mayor of Tete, César de Carvalho, together with other civil and military authorities and representatives of the local community. The initiative follows up on the Sistema Italia mission to the province in October, which focused on cooperation, energy and investment.
At the heart of the evening was the story of Emanuele Ganci, who came from Calabria, Italy. A prisoner of war, he survived the torpedoing of the Nova Scotia in November 1942, while being transported to South Africa, spending more than two days at sea clinging to a wooden plank. After spending ten years in Lourenço Marques, he settled in Tete, where he worked as a shoemaker and named his first daughter Italia Morena. His descendants, Mario, Anna Cristina and Yara, are today the owners of Mario’s Restaurant.
To celebrate this story, Italian chef Massimo Battaglini, who travelled from Brazil especially for the Week of Italian Cuisine, created a special dish for the occasion: Fettuccine del Naufrago (Shipwreck Survivor’s Fettuccine).
This year’s edition is the first to take place following the inscription of Italian cuisine, in December 2025, on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
“Bringing the Week of Italian Cuisine to Tete means affirming that the relationship between Italy and Mozambique belongs to the entire country, not just the capital. Emanuele Ganci’s story reminds us that this relationship is, above all, about people: an Italian whom the sea brought to Mozambique, where he went on to build his life. Seeing his story transformed into a dish, created by an Italian chef who travelled from Brazil and served by his descendants, is the finest expression of what we mean by culinary diplomacy: memory, encounters and friendship between peoples,” said the Ambassador of Italy to Mozambique, Gabriele Annis.
The Week of Italian Cuisine will continue with events dedicated to promoting and discovering Italian dishes and products, and will conclude on Saturday, 21 November, in Maputo, with one of the most eagerly awaited events among wine enthusiasts: the Solaris Wine Festival, where Italy will be the guest of honour.
The Week of Italian Cuisine in the World – Launched in 2016 by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation through its network of Embassies, Consulates and Italian Cultural Institutes, the Week promotes Italian cuisine and products as expressions of culture, identity and quality.
