A trip to the Euganean Hills to discover conservation foraging, with Simone Padoan and Valeria Margherita Mosca. Among herbs, flowers and lichens, we learnt how to create bread and pizzas with wild and natural ingredients.
A journey through nature and gastronomic creativity recently involved Davide Di Bilio, pizza chef of Pizzeria Fuori Tempo, for an experience in the Euganean Hills, together with Valeria Margherita Moscowan expert in conservation foraging, and Simone Padoan, a reference figure in the contemporary pizza scene and former Davide Di Bilio teacher at the University of Pizza. Two intense days of gathering wild ingredients and working with special doughs. Conservation foraging was at the heart of the experiencean ethical and sustainable approach to the collection of wild elements - herbs, flowers, lichens - which, if respected, contributes to the protection of biodiversity and the landscape. Accompanied by Valeria Mosca, the participants explored the area, learning to recognise edible species and their gastronomic value. After harvesting in the woods, the group continued the experience in the laboratorytransforming spontaneous ingredients into active bakery elements. The selected herbs, flowers and lichens were designed to be integrated into natural doughs, resulting in breads and pizzas with an unprecedented aromatic profile. It was a true creative workshop, in which knowledge of raw materials was combined with technique: each herb or flower was carefully selected and combined, with the aim of enhancing the dough without distorting it. The project emphasises how important it is to know and protect biodiversity. In an era when cuisine tends towards standardisation, a return to wild ingredients is a courageous and far-sighted choice: it means enhancing what grows around us, reducing environmental impact and rediscovering forgotten flavours.