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“Sapori di Sicilia”, Chef Maucieri’s pizza, at “Tutto Food Milano”, “celebrates” the New Carrot of Ispica PDO.

“Sapori di Sicilia”, the pizza by chef Maucieri, at “Tutto Food Milano”, “celebrates” the New Ispica Carrot PDO. The President of the PDO Protection Consortium, Pavan: “Institutions must support the presence of PDO and PGI products so that they have value even within large-scale retail.”

Meetings with buyers from the United Arab Emirates, Lithuania, and Spain, opening up potential new business prospects, participation in a round table on “Geographical Indications between territorial identity and global competitiveness,” and the creation of a tasty and original “Flavours of Sicily” pizza with the Carota Novella di Ispica PGI made by the chef Claudio Maucieri “celebrated” within the Consortium's stand. These are some of the highlights of the Consortium for the New Ispica IGP Carrot’s first appearance at “Tutto Food Milano”, one of the most important international agri-food fairs, which closes its doors today.

“Flavours of Sicily” – says the chef Claudio Maucieri – It is born with the aim of enhancing the excellences of our territory and transforming them into an authentic experience to be told and shared. This pizza is not just a gastronomic proposal, but a true ambassador of our land, designed to introduce and make known, even to outsiders, the quality and identity of our products. The star is the young carrot from Ispica IGP, a symbol of local agriculture rooted in tradition and care, laid on a fondue of Ragusano DOP cheese, accompanied by semi-dried cherry tomatoes, olives and fresh basil. A harmonious blend of selected ingredients, expressing balance, authenticity and belonging. Our mission – conclude Mauceri owner of “Incavò” where history, materials and taste merge in the heart of Cava d'Ispica – is to bring the territory to the table, to enhance it through taste and make it recognisable, bite by bite.

During the roundtable discussion on “Geographical Indications between territorial identity and global competitiveness, moderated by the journalist from Il Sole 24 Ore Maria Rosaria Sica What has registered the participation of the president of Edamus Emilio Ferrara and the Regional Councillor for Agriculture of the Campania Region Maria Carmela Serluca, the President of the Consortium of the New Ispica Carrot PGI Massimo Pavan stated: “Small consortia need the large-scale retail sector to believe in them more by marketing DOP and IGP products more extensively to support their growth. Consortia with a production period like ours, from 1 February to 15 June, particularly struggle to gain access to the entire large-scale retail network because our products are not wanted for three or four months of the year. Pavan, thanking the Sicilian Region and the institutions that, in various capacities, assist the growth of consortia, stressed that “Consortia should also be supported by the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty in order to guarantee a greater presence of PDO and PGI products in large-scale retail. 

Meanwhile, today, at the “G. Curcio” Higher Secondary Education Institute in Ispica (Ragusa), the last of the four seminars planned by the Consortium for the New Carrot of Ispica PGI. The proceedings were opened by the vice President of the IGP Protection Consortium Carmelo Calabrese (Owner of the company “Fonteverde”). Il Professor. Rosario Mauro, Professor of Horticulture and Floriculture at the University of Catania, has highlighted the main qualitative peculiarities of the Nova Carrot of Ispica PGI ((organoleptic, nutritional, and hygienic-sanitary) that emerge from the inseparable link between the crop and its land of origin. Mauro gave a historical overview of the Carota Novella di Ispica, from the origins of its cultivation to the recognition of the Protected Geographical Indication (PGI), covering the transformations in production areas and farming practices.

The event curated by the chef Peppe Giuffrè has seen the Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) Ispica New Carrot rewrite the rules of cooking, creating the “New Grammar of Taste”. After the success of the Savoury cassata and of Sweet bread, 2026 marks the consolidation of a format that inverts the sensory paradigms between sweet and savoury. No longer a simple base ingredient, but the gravitational centre of a’avant-garde gastronomic experience. The Carota Novella di Ispica PGI He continues to amaze, cementing his status as a leading figure in a form of experimentation that goes far beyond traditional cuisine.

 

The Evolution of a Journey: From 2025 to the Present Day

The journey began last year with a bold challenge: to invert palate conventions. The public had been captivated by Savoury Sicilian cassata (a provocative tribute to Palermo) and from Sweet carrot bread, two cornerstones of a format that has demonstrated how the “glassy crispness” and the mineral sweetness of this root can break down the boundaries between courses. Added to these are the iconic carrot rings, a gourmet dish with a strong visual impact capable of transforming the aesthetic of the root into pure gastronomic design.

 

2026 News: Completing the “New Grammar”

A few days ago, the route was enriched with two new creations that integrate and complete the manifesto of the “New Grammar of Taste”: Ispica d’Amare: A bold encounter between sandy earth and sea, where the carrot dialogues with the saltiness of preserved sardine, anchovy velvet, and Nocellara del Belice olive earth. Golden Carrot An elevation in haute patisserie, where the root becomes a light mousse in symbiosis with sheep's ricotta and the warmth of an enveloping honey bread. “We are on the right track to defining a new culinary language.” –  affirms the chef and curator Peppe Giuffrè –. “By uniting this year's innovations with previous successes, we are not just cooking up a product: we are coding a new grammar where the Novella di Ispica PGI Carrot dictates the timing, flavours, and textures.”.

Excellence, Sustainability and Territory

The project continues to be a spokesperson for the philosophy Zero Waste. From the thin skins to the green tops transformed into aromatic pestos, every part of the Ispica Carrot is ennobled. This approach not only celebrates creative talent but also pays homage to the hard work of the producers and the uniqueness of a region that yields a carrot with a singular perfume and fragrance. The Ispica New Carrot PGI is no longer a side dish: it is the future of a Sicily that knows how to innovate by starting from its roots.

 

Salvo Messina

Journalist ODG Sicily – card no. 70152

Mobile. 0338 6113548

salvo.messina4@gmail.com

Media Relations Manager Project “The Ispica IGP New Carrot in Ho.Re.Ca.”

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