Goulash, paella and hot dogs met with consternation by city councillor who says project to promote diversity is an assault on Italian eating habits

In a rare break with tradition, Rome is pushing the boundaries of Italian school dinners with a pan-European menu. From Spanish paella to Hungarian goulash, the continent’s most famous dishes have in recent weeks been served up to around 145,000 pupils at nursery, primary and middle schools in the city.

The project has taken recipes from 15 European countries, and appeared to be going welluntil Belgium had its turn. Beer-braised chicken was served up to Italian children, prompting complaints from parents and teachers.

Rome city hall denied it was dishing up boozy lunches between lessons, arguing that alcohol-free beer was poured into the dish. But such a defence has not sat well with Alessandro Onorato, a councillor who said the matter had become a very serious situation.

Onorato said meetings have been arranged from next month between upset parents and representatives from the embassies of the 15 countries featured on the menu.



“We’re talking about three-year-old children. Parents are very angry because their children came home hungry,” Onorato told the Guardian, while also complaining the portions in northern Europe dishes were far too small.

In general we’ve noticed that the children really like the European menus, particularly because they’re very appetising Paolo Masini

As if the Belgian chicken incident was not deemed shocking enough, hot dogs have also featured on the menu. “Thousands of children in the Italian capital, which has a food history known throughout the world, were eating hot dogs. Madness!” he bemoaned.

Paolo Masini, councillor for schools, defended the idea and argued the children enjoyed their new lunch options. “In general we’ve noticed that the children of our schools really like the European menus, particularly because they’re very appetising,” he said. The recipes were created by nutritionists before being served up to 500 schools in the Italian capital, the councillor added.

Fish and chips – the dish chosen to represent the best of British cuisine – is one of the children’s favourites. In a description offered to pupils, city hall cites Charles Dickens’s novel Oliver Twist and muses that Venetian immigrants may have brought the meal to the British isles. The Italian twist sees the seaside staple only lightly fried before being oven baked.

But Masini admitted “it’s not always easy to propose something new”, and said city hall had also backtracked somewhat and now also let the pupils eat pasta.

“To overcome parents’ natural mistrust in the face of dishes that were often unknown, and to reassure some teachers who have raised concerns over quantities, from January we introduced an Italian dish, in most cases a plate of pasta,” he said.

The culinary showcase so far includes croque monsieur from France, Austrian wiener schnitzel and Irish chicken and chips. “It’s an important initiative aimed at fraternity and the knowledge of the diverse cultures of European cultures,” Masini said.

His adversary Onorato agreed with its good intentions but has nevertheless pushed for a return to the Italian table.

Children in the Italian capital, which has a food history known throughout the world, were eating hot dogs. Madness! Alessandro Onorato

“We should go back to Italian food; the Mediterranean diet is famous,” he said, pushing for local produce to be used. “Obama has a garden at the White House, it seems like a good idea.”

Marco Salino, a lead researcher at the Italian National Institute of Health (ISS), agreed the Mediterranean approach is hard to beat. “We have a great advantage, because fresh fruit and vegetables are available to the whole population.”

A healthy school meal could consist of a bowl of pasta, followed by a meat or fish dish, a side salad, and a piece of fruit, he said. Soup or eggs would work for those weary of pasta, while a dessert could even make it on to the menu every now and then.

For Salino such lunches could be served up to toddlers and 10-year-olds alike just by changing the portion sizes, but he lamented that the Italian diet was changing.

“Because of globalisation, children go for junk food. It’s certainly getting worse. Family habits are also changing; they’re eating more quickly and using ready meals more often,” he said.

While Italians may be adapting to the fast-paced meal times more common abroad, many remain defensive when it comes to changing their traditional fare.

One Italian council earlier this month expressed its disbelief that Carlo Cracco, a Michelin-starred Italian chef, had dared to add garlic to the town’s signature dish. Officials in Amatrice issued a stern rebuke to Cracco, informing him that the recipe for amatriciana had existed for nearly 1,000 years and was certainly not about to be changed.