ROME – The annual celebration of the Scottish poet Robert Burns was marked at Villa Wolkonsky with an unconventional seafood menu, created by Michelin-star chef Giuseppe Di Iorio and resident chef of the British Embassy, Dario Pizzetti. On the same day, data revealed that Italy is the world’s fourth largest importer of fish, crustaceans, molluscs, aquatic invertebrates and fish from Scotland, according to HMRC.

 At Villa Wolkonsky, the official residence of the British Ambassador to Italy, chefs Pizzetti and Di Iorio dismissed the traditional 'Burns Supper' - haggis, neeps and tatties - in favour of a maritime menu of salmon, scallops, monkfish and scampi. Scotland is the largest producer of scampi in the globe and it exports 43 percent of its catch, earning the country some 90 million pounds every year.

 The HMRC data showed that in 2020, Scotland exported 6,231 tons of fish products to Italy,  making the peninsula the third largest importer in the European Union. The statistic came to light on the morning of ‘Burns Night,’ the annual celebration on the evening of Jan. 25, in in honour of the Scottish national poet.

 Chef Di Iorio, who holds one Michelin star at the Aroma Restaurant in Rome, said, "I am honoured to be able to participate in this event at the British Embassy. Burns Night offers me the opportunity to engage in the search for a different culinary tradition.”

 “It was fun and fascinating to compete with new ingredients, blending Mediterranean taste with Scottish customs and fish products, from salmon to scampi, from scallop to monkfish.”

The Villa Wolkonsky Burns Night was organised in collaboration with Scottish Development International, the official Scottish government agency that promotes commercial relations between Scotland and foreign markets. As well as a chance to remember the poet, who died in July 1797, the celebration was an opportunity for Scottish gastronomic excellence to shine.

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