The Savvy Gourmet

Producers in the Spotlight – Ah!, as in Amedei!

Alessio and Cecilia had a dream and in the late eighties, driven by passion and enthusiasm, they started to make that dream a reality, discovering the world of cocoa.

Together they experimented with new ideas, creating an exclusive chocolate which they launched worldwide. They wanted to break with tradition and become the artisans of a veritable renaissance in taste. Since 1990, Alessio and Cecilia have committed themselves to the search for a perfect harmony of tastes, which takes the form of an exquisite chocolate bar, a Neapolitan or the soft roundness of a praline.

The entire production process is managed with skill and care for craftsmanship, from the selection of cocoa seeds (personally done by Alessio in the countries of origin) to the manufacturing of the chocolate in the Pontedera laboratory under the attentive supervision of Cecilia, Amedei’s maitre chocolatier.

Awards:

2009 - Cecilia Tessieri won the Academy of Chocolate "Golden Bean" Award for the 4th year in a row.

2008 - The Academy of the Italian Cuisine awarded Cecilia Tessieri, CEO and maitre chocolatier of Amedei, the prestigious "Dino Villani" prize.

2008 - Cecilia Tessieri won the Academy of Chocolate "Golden Bean" Award.

Food Additives are not Safe to Consume - True or False?

Food additives are chemicals that manufacturers or processors add to foods for various reasons, such as to preserve foods or improve their appearance.

Although food additives have been used for many years, some people have become concerned about their safety and want to minimize the amount of food additives they consume.

There are many types of food additives: antioxidants (such as vitamin C), colouring agents, emulsifiers, gelling agents, preservatives, stabilizers, sweeteners, thickening agents, etc. Should they all be considered in the same manner?

To learn more about this subject.

The Safety of Food Additives

Food additives

Food Allergies and Intolerances - What’s the Difference?

For those with food allergies, sensitivities or intolerances, avoiding specific foods and ingredients is a major health challenge.

Yet, there is conflicting information that can leave a person wondering what the real truth is about allergies. 

The four most popular myths:

1. Food allergy and food intolerance are the same thing.
2. There is no cure for food allergies.
3. Reading labels will protect against adverse food reactions.
4. Once you are allergic to a substance, you are always allergic to that substance.
5. Food allergy is not a serious condition.

Those interested by this subject should read the two following articles.

Five Myths About Food Allergies

Allergen Labelling

Guide to Wild Mushrooms, or how to Replace Ordinary Mushrooms!

Dried wild mushrooms should receive more attention.

First, because they taste good. In fact, some of them are quite simply sublime!

Secondly, because these wild products are easy to preserve, they are all offered in dried form. Place them for a few minutes in water, and they recover their size and taste.

Not only that, but they are easy to use. Ordinary mushrooms can almost always be replaced with wild mushrooms to obtain exciting new flavours.

To learn more about wild mushrooms, consult the guide.

Wild Strawberries with Balsam Fir from Gaspésie Sauvage

A wild and delicious product from our forest.

Wild strawberry flavours nicely complement the resinous flavour of balsam fir.

Made only with wild strawberries and balsam fir, unrefined organic cane sugar and lemon juice.