{"id":8083,"date":"2026-04-19T10:12:11","date_gmt":"2026-04-19T10:12:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/8083\/"},"modified":"2026-04-19T10:12:11","modified_gmt":"2026-04-19T10:12:11","slug":"pili-nut-gelato-wins-rave-reviews-in-rome","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/8083\/","title":{"rendered":"Pili nut gelato wins rave reviews in Rome"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

ROME, Italy – Curiosity quickly turned into delight as guests tasted the creamy, buttery richness of pili nuts at the Foods Lab of the FAO Museum in Rome.\u00a0<\/p>\n

What began as simple intrigue soon gave way to smiles and enthusiastic reactions \u2014 \u201cIt\u2019s creamy! It\u2019s delicious!\u201d\u2014 marking a memorable celebration of Filipino food in the Italian capital.<\/p>\n

The event was part of the official observance of Filipino Food Month in the Philippines, held every April under Presidential Proclamation No. 469 issued in 2018. The initiative seeks to appreciate, preserve, and promote Filipino culinary heritage on both local and global stages.<\/p>\n

At the heart of the celebration in Rome was the pili nut, a prized Philippine ingredient sourced from the Bicol Region and the provinces of Samar and Leyte. Known not only for its distinctive taste but also for its nutritional value and potential as a sustainable source of livelihood, the pili nut took center stage through a curated tasting of toasted varieties that captivated international guests.<\/p>\n

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Toasted pili nuts for tasting. BOYET ABUCAY <\/p>\n

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Its unique flavor profile inspired two gelato artisans to transform it into three innovative gelato creations.<\/p>\n

Barry Flores, owner of a gelato house in Rome and a gelato maker with over 22 years of experience, has long incorporated Filipino flavors such as ube and mango into his craft. This time, he explored the versatility of the pili nut. Collaborating with him was Stefano Ferrara, an Italian gelato maker, renowned for his expertise in non-dairy and vegan gelato.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow, I’m fusing my two worlds\u2014Italy and the Philippines,\u201d Barry shared. \u201cI’ve created flavors like chili vanilla with salted caramel pili nuts, and another that imagines what might happen if Sicily and Bicol were neighbors, combining pili nuts with Sicilian tangerine.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stefano highlighted the ingredient\u2019s technical advantages: \u201cCompared to nuts commonly used in Italy, pili nuts have more fat than walnuts, hazelnuts, and almonds, but less protein than almonds. In our laboratory, we used pili nuts as the base for a vegan gelato\u2014this creaminess is particularly valuable.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Enjoying their pili nut gelato are (L-R) Arianna Zocca, personal chef; Ann, an FAO Filipino employee; Camilla from Argentina; and CNA (Italian Confederation of Craft Trades and Small and Medium Enterprises) honorary president Indra Pereira . BOYET ABUCAY <\/p>\n

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Guests were then invited to sample the three new gelato flavors, which drew even more enthusiastic praise:<\/p>\n

\u201cDelicious, full of flavor! Congratulations!\u201d said Arianna Zocca, a personal chef.<\/p>\n

\u201cVery good, very creamy. Doesn\u2019t taste vegan at all!\u201d said Ann, an FAO Filipino employee.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis ice cream is amazing! Very soft and of very good quality! This is my first time tasting Filipino gelato, and it is the best experience!\u201d said Camilla from Argentina.<\/p>\n

\u201cVery delicious with its particular taste\u2014salty and sweet at the same time,\u201d noted CNA (the Italian Confederation of Craft Trades and Small and Mediun Enterprise) honorary president Indra Pereira.<\/p>\n

Flores expressed great joy over the results of the gelato tasting. He shared that beyond introducing pili nuts to a wider audience, the fact that it was held at the FAO Museum\u2014where there is an international audience\u2014made the event even more meaningful. According to him, this is proof that Filipino products have the potential to reach world-class standards.<\/p>\n

In his remarks, Philippine Ambassador to Italy Neal Imperial highlighted the timely significance of the event: \u201cIt was recently Gelato Week in Rome from April 13 to 17, making it the perfect opportunity to introduce the promising flavors of pili for gelato.\u201d He added that Filipino Food Month serves as a platform to promote, preserve, and ensure the transmission of Filipino culinary traditions.<\/p>\n

He also announced the release of the 3rd Edition of the Filipino Food and Restaurant Guide in Rome \u2013 “From Home to Rome: Filipino Cuisine in the Eternal City”, a valuable resource for those eager to discover authentic Filipino dishes and where to enjoy them in Rome.<\/p>\n

FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu graced the event and underscored that food extends beyond nutrition, representing culture, tradition, and inherited knowledge. He noted that this principle guides the FAO Museum\u2019s mission to highlight the value of food and agriculture and to foster greater cultural understanding through shared knowledge and innovation.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love it. It is very good,\u201d he commented after tasting the toasted pili nut and pili nut gelato.<\/p>\n

The celebration was led by Dr. Joy Javelosa, agriculture attach\u00e9 of the Philippines to Italy and deputy permanent representative to FAO, WFP, and IFAD. It gathered Philippine Embassy officials, FAO personnel, Italian partners from Agriturist-Confagricoltura, members of the Filipino community, private sector representatives, restaurant owners, and content creators.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are hoping that next year we will see pili-flavored gelato in gelaterias during Gelato Week in Rome, alongside other Filipino ice cream flavors such as ube, mango, and macapuno,\u201d Imperial said.\u00a0\u2014KG, GMA News<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"ROME, Italy – Curiosity quickly turned into delight as guests tasted the creamy, buttery richness of pili nuts…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":8084,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[5940,5941,5938,5,5942,5939,5937,27],"class_list":{"0":"post-8083","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-rome","8":"tag-filipino-food","9":"tag-filipino-food-month","10":"tag-gelato","11":"tag-italy","12":"tag-neal-imperial","13":"tag-pili-nut-gelato","14":"tag-pili-nuts","15":"tag-rome"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8083","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8083"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8083\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8084"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8083"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8083"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8083"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}