Chefs Cook Pasta From Amatrice To Raise Quake Relief Funds

Chefs around the world are backing calls - supported by Jamie Oliver - to serve up a famous pasta dish to raise money for victims of the Italy earthquake.

Italian food blogger Paolo Campana launched an appeal earlier in the week asking restaurants to put the dish pasta all'amatriciana on their menus as a tribute to those who died.

He suggested they donate €2 (£1.40) for every meal sold to the Italian Red Cross to go towards the relief effort, after more than 280 people were killed.

The dish comes from Amatrice - one of the worst hit towns in the Appenine mountains where several communities have been devastated.

On Wednesday, British celebrity chef Oliver leant his support to the campaign by saying the 700 chefs at his restaurants would be cooking pasta all'amatriciana and donating £2 for every one sold to the fund.

The founder of the Slow Food movement, Carlo Petrini, went further by proposing that "every restaurant in the world" serve amatriciana for the next 12 months.

Since then hundreds more eateries from the UK, Europe and the US have put the dish on their menus and pledged takings to help rebuild the areas affected.

One, Davanti Enoteca in Chicago produced a special weekend menu featuring bucatini all'amatriciana with an accompanying text that said: "Our hearts go out to the people of Amatrice, Italy, whose community was devastated by a tragic earthquake earlier this week.

"In honour of this town and its famed culinary traditions, Davanti Enoteca will serve the city's namesake dish."

Six restaurants in the US city of Charlottesville, Virginia, responded to the call by serving the dish to raise cash, as did Moto Cucina in Nashville and Brigantessa in Philadelphia, along with many others, according to their Twitter feeds.

Other food fans said they had made the dish at home, with a view to making individual donations.

At least 221 of the of the 281 victims of the earthquake confirmed so far died in Amatrice.

The rustic meal is made of any kind of pasta drenched in tomato sauce flavoured with pork jowl and topped with pecorino cheese.

Oliver said on his Food Revolution website: "This could really make a difference, money will go to supporting the fire fighters involved... setting up of tented camps for homeless, and provisions of food and clothing as well as medical assistance...

"Sadly this rescue and rebuilding will run for months to come, as it will take time to relocate people to new living arrangements. But at the same time every bit of help will count!"

Amatrice was planning to hold a festival in honour of its famous dish the weekend after the quake struck, with events centred on the town's Hotel Roma, which was virtually destroyed along with dozens of other buildings.