“The Revival of the Territory through the Revival of the Taste”: this is the philosophy behind the success of CoRFiLaC’s activities.
All the work done by this Institute in the scientific and social fields is founded on the deep-rooted awareness that food – its preparation techniques, the tactics to prolong its preservation, the rituals that in every society characterize the occasions of consumption – is one of the greatest and most ancient cultural expressions of a people.
In any traditional recipe, the ingredients, the work tools historically used to mix them, and the combination of the natural elements linked to the territory produce a unique equilibrium, mirror of the biodiversity of the environment and human culture that has created it.
It is in this perspective that CoRFiLaC is inviting at Cheese Art 2006 chefs and expert gourmets, who will join in interpreting the virtues of ancient and evocative products:

CoRFiLaC has established MICAS, Mediterranean Institute of Culinary Art of Sicily, as a research center of the eno-gastronomic heritage of Sicily and the Mediterranean basin. Its purpose is to study the resources’ origins, to promote the traditions, history and culture of their territories.
Ancient Sicily, center of the world, constitutes the emblem of culinary tradition. It is the motherland of the most celebrated gastronomes of history, such as Archestratus from Gela (300 B.C.E.), author of a treatise in verse titled “Hedypatheia;” the Sicilian Mithaecus (IV century B.C.E), cited by Plato in “Gorgias;” Heraclides of Syracuse; Glaucus of Locri; Dimbrione Siculus and the dietician Acronis of Girgenti; Lamprias and Erasistratus.
Sicily is an island that was dominated for centuries by different civilizations, and yet it never lost its identity. It was able to integrate the knowledge of different cultures with its own, treasuring this knowledge, and handing it down to the next generations, even through those delicious recipes that today characterize Sicilian tables.
Culinary courses are organized for opinion leaders, gourmets, journalists, and lovers of the gastronomy world, and last from one to five days. The real meaning of these short specialized cooking courses lies in the role that the raw materials play, and in the art of valuing the culinary art in its historical context. The objective is to contribute to the Revival of the Territory through the Revival of the Taste. During these courses, called “cultural gastronomic workshops,” famous chefs, researchers and experts organize lessons.
Knowledge of the organoleptic and nutritional qualities of the main ingredients – integrated with the study of historical and cultural aspects, and exchange of learning experiences between great experts of gastronomy – leads to obtain dishes whose peculiarity and taste are greatly enhanced; at all times respecting the traditions of the Mediterranean cuisine.