July 2008

In this issue:

Editorial by Paolo Di Croce, Jan Wolf e Leonie Furber Twinning’ Special    Thumbs up to convivia twinning    From Monza to the Scottish Highlands    Strength in Unity The influence of indigenous culture on regional gastronomy in Latin America Celebrate our first anniversary with us! Slow Food Nation... Come to the table Terra Madre Earth workshops underway! Farm Fresh Madame la pomme de terre The price is right! Learning about... the market The German Ark The Karmeliter market in Vienna New convivia

Twinning arrangements between convivia in different countries seal a bond of friendship and sharing between geographically diverse experiences. The relationships are often born spontaneously, and encourage the exchange of good practices, dialog and a comparison of diverse experiences in a true manifestation of the Slow Food spirit.

Thumbs up to convivia twinning

By developing twinning arrangements between convivia, we are building a rich community and developing a network of relationships within the Slow Food universe. This has been the case for Zaragoza (Spain) and Pau (France) convivia, which you find on opposite sides of the Pyrenees. Our friendship began when Gilbert Dalla Rossa, Pau convivium leader, came to Zaragoza to attend a congress. We have kept in touch ever since, and try to bring our two convivia together whenever we can. Last year, our convivium visited Pau during their festival celebrating beans and corn. It was a memorable experience, during which we were able to visit many farms and learn about the various initiatives Slow Food is undertaking in this region.
We also have a strong link with the Bologna convivium, which brought us to Slow Food on Film in Emilia Romagna this May. Emilia Romagna and Aragon have in fact always had a close relationship. The composer Giuseppe Verdi, who came from Parma, set his opera Il Trovatore in the troubadour’s tower of the Aljafería Palace in Zaragoza while the epigrams of the Latin poet Marziale, originally from Catalayud (South of Saragozza), sang the praises of his beloved Bologna and its wine.
History and agriculture have always underpinned culture and a genuine sense of fraternity.

Jorge Hernández
Slow Food Zaragoza convivium leader.
yurko01@telefonica.net

From Monza to the Scottish Highlands

Like all good things, this relationship also developed by chance. Last year during one of my frequent getaways to Scotland, I met Pam Rodway, Slow Food delegate for the Eastern Highlands. at the Inverness farmers’ market. We got along well immediately, and since then we have been in regular contact, meeting at various Scottish food festivals. I have also visited her on her farm, Western Lawrenceton in Forres, where she farms cattle, hens and sheep with her husband Nick. Pam produces excellent raw milk cheeses, personally fighting against a British system that doesn’t want anything to do with raw milk (currently there are only three farms producing it!). This friendship brought me to the idea of traveling to Scotland with members from my convivium in Italy, Slow Food Monza - Brianza.
Everything came together magically, and in mid-June 16 of our members visited Pam’s farm and sealed the bond between the two convivia. We had a fantastic experience visiting rural Scotland and the Shetland Islands, and the people we met made an unforgettable impression, as we have documented on our website.
Our next meeting will be in October in Turin, when Pam will attend Terra Madre and ‘repay’ our visit.

Claudio Riva
Slow Food Monza-Brianza, Italy.
claudio.riva@tin.it

Strength in Unity

It isn't easy to describe Slow Food Scandicci's twinning experiences in just a few lines, as this means I must leave out some of the best memories of our trips to France, Hungary and Transylvania. Our international activity started in 2001 with a trip to Sète in France, where one of our young members was working at Montpellier University. Since then, we have participated in a series of exchanges and trips.
After adopting the Mangalica sausage Presidium, we traveled to Kiskunsag, Hungary in 2005 where we met Olga and her distinctive hairy pigs. Our Hungarian friends have since established a convivium and we have kept in close contact. We returned to France in 2006, to visit the convivium and arrange for a French producer to attend our some of our important events.
Other experiences and prospects? The Lolland-Falster Islands convivium from Denmark have come to visit us in Tuscany and we have hosted the Hungarian Szetmar convivium twice - a community of producers of plum compote from Penyige. Following a fantastic trip in Romania, we were able to return the hospitality of the community of Saxon Village Preserves (Transylvania) after the last edition of Terra Madre Tuscany.

Mauro Bagni
Slow Food Scandicci
convivium@slowscan.it

The influence of indigenous culture on regional gastronomy in Latin America

Influencia de las culturas indígenas en la gastronomía regional latinoamericana is the title of an ethno-gastronomic seminar we organized in Punta del Diablo, (Rocha, Uruguay) to defend and promote indigenous America culinary traditions. The four-day event (June 26-29) was packed with activities: educational workshops, theme dinners featuring native cooks and a visit to the cerritos (ancient indigenous burial sites) which are a precious reminder of the region’s heritage. Indigenous Quechuas (Bolivia), Peruvians, Guaranì and Charrua, helped by anthropological studies, described the culinary traditions of their regions and confirmed the connections linking North and South America. The links between these distant regions can be seen through products such as the potato, corn, the Butià palm and cacao.
One of the workshops was specifically dedicated to the International Year of the Potato. The meeting provided an opportunity to learn about ancestral methods used in Peru and Bolivia to dehydrate different varieties of potato, and then to taste them. Each activity began with evocative native ceremonies which involved thanking Pachamama (Mother Earth or Mother Universe) for allowing us to use her seeds.
The event was organized with support from bodies such as the Uruguay Potato Growers Associatio (Ansepa), the Uruguay National Tourist Board and the local Rocha tourist authority. The enthusiasm, participation and interest created by the event mean that our convivium will have to organize another edition of the seminar next year!

Elizabeth Rodriguez
Punta del Diablo convivium leader, Rocha, Uruguay.
camaronalegre@hotmail.com

Celebrate our first anniversary with us!

Slow Food Chisinau was created a year ago by a group of enthusiasts of traditional Moldavian food together with local producers. ‘This first year in Slow Food has been a continuous revelation, a constant discovery of gastronomy and ecological methods of production’, says convivium leader Tatiana Lazar. Coming into contact with the local organic vegetable growers and fruit producers who will attend Terra Madre 2008 has been very inspiring for the convivium.
The young convivium has already launched a number of projects and initiatives. On the occasion of Great Lent, Moldavian members organized special events featuring fasting dishes - food reflecting the ancient traditions of the Lent fast. They are currently organizing a tour for British Slow Food members to discover the distinctive features of Moldavian gastronomy and the history of Moldavian wine production. Another long-term project is to collect and publish ancient and traditional recipes from across the country, accompanied by a description of the customs and local dialect usages associated with them. Chisinau members recently discovered that cornbread is prepared in many different ways and that the traditional dough takes a different name according to the region, due to the various crusades and invasions which had a profound influence on the country’s food habits in the past. Nowadays, Moldavians are unlikely to know that most of their favorite dishes have Greek, Spanish or Turkish origins. For this reason Slow Food Chisinau is trying to involve the public in contributing recipes which may have been handed down from parents, grandparents or friends.

Tatiana Lazar
Slow Food Chisinau convivium leader, Moldavia.
slowfoodchisinau@gmail.com

Slow Food Nation... Come to the table!

The newly launched Slow Food Nation website provides all the details on the first edition of this unprecedented event - the biggest celebration of American food to date. To be held in San Francisco from August 29 to September 1, Slow Food Nation aims to highlight the close link between what we put on our plates and the health of the planet through workshops, film screenings, dinners, excursions, tours and a musical festival.
Slow Food Nation brings together local citizens and visitors, small farmers and food artisans, political leaders, environmentalists and experts, community educators and artists. Participants will be able to draw inspiration from the arguments proposing a new and more sustainable food system; taste delicious food across the 20,000 square meter venue; meet small farmers and producers in the market surrounding an urban produce garden (a 5000 square meter food garden, recently planted in the town center); and learn from experts during lectures and workshops.

A large number of special activities are being held concurrently with the event. For example, Larry Martin, leader of the Slow Food Russian River convivium (Northern California), is organizing a food and wine trail for Slow Food members and convivium leaders to some of the most spectacular locations in California, focusing on the state's products and gastronomic specialties.

For further information on Slow Food Nation visit the site

For information about the the trail organized by Larry Martin, write to:
susan@foodandwinetrails.com

Terra Madre Earth workshops underway!

The program for the Terra Madre 2008 Earth Workshops is online and for the first time, discussion on these themes is already underway, through online forums!
Each Earth Workshop has an accompanying online forum which can be accessed from the program webpage and clicking on the Participate in the Forum button next to each heading.
The forums have been designed to encourage wide participation in an international discussion about Terra Madre themes in the lead up to the event. The online forums are open to everyone - not just those attending Terra Madre 2008 in Turin!

Farm Fresh

In the upper left-hand corner of the United States, just north of the multicultural food city of Seattle, UNISG master alumna Dana Zemel is helping to connect the people of her home town with locally produced foods. As part of the non-profit organization Growing Washington, Dana manages the downtown Local Food Exchange in her native city of Bellingham, WA. ‘For me, this is about making quality food available to residents in this area. We have amazing fruits and vegetables being produced in Whatcom and Skagit County that taste wonderful, and I want it to make it easy for people to buy this fresh, local food throughout the week.’
Located on Bellingham’s main street, the farm stand is open six days a week and sells a wide variety of vegetables, fruits, herbs, and locally produced dairy products. In addition, the Growing Washington network, includes restaurant sales, a farm-to-cafeteria project, Community Supported Agriculture initiatives, farming education, a food bank farm, and farm coalition programs. The Food Exchange is putting the benefits of a gastronomic education into practice - connecting consumers with the value of local products through the simple act of eating. And on the conviviality front, Dana not only came back from Italy with a passion for good food, she also brought back a husband, marrying Danilo Miglietta from Puglia earlier this year, who she met during her time studying in Parma.

For further information about the University of Gastronomic Sciences, click here.

Community Supported Agriculture is a relatively new economic model for agriculture—it began to develop in the United States in the second half of the 1980s—where consumers invest directly in a farm, becoming ‘shareholders’ and sharing the risks and benefits of food production. Members in a CSA scheme pay the costs of agricultural production in advance and in exchange receive a regular supply of seasonal fruit and vegetables, grown using organic methods, and/or high-quality meat.

Madame la pomme de terre

Following the National Day of the Potato celebrated by Slow Food France on September 15, 2007, French convivia have collaborated with CNIPT (National Interprofessional Committee for the Potato) and Le Cordon Bleu cooking school to publish Madame la pomme de terre, a small guide to potatoes. The publication records and publicizes recipes from Slow Food members across the country, utilizing as many different varieties of potato as possible, and highlighting their quality and diversity. It is an embodiment of the Slow Food spirit, inspired by a desire to defend biodiversity and share a pleasure in taste. The recipes have been published in an inviting package that includes a small poster with interesting images and information.

For further information, contact:
slowfood.bastille@wanadoo.fr

To purchase the book, write to the publisher Galanga - mention that you are a Slow Food member to receive a special discount.

The price is right!

Hundreds of German milk producers recently went on strike for several weeks to protest against reduced milk prices, stopping milk deliveries until the retail market agreed to pay 40 eurocents per liter. In the German federal state of Hessen, 130 Slow Food member milk producers and members of the Uppländer Bauernmolkerei cooperative supported the strike action and stopped milk sales for four days even though their organic milk (of very high quality) commands a premium price of 50 eurocents per liter. Instead, they produced 14 tonnes of butter and 24 tonnes of milk powder, which was then donated on June 24 to representatives of the charity Médecins Sans Frontières.
Otto Geisel, President of Slow Food Germany stated: “All milk producers can learn something from their Uppländer colleagues – that the best solution is to create cooperatives to produce and sell milk independently and at the same time providing better products”.

Learning about... the market

In June, a delegation of Latvian producers representing Slow Food Riga, together with Latvian local authorities, visited Montevarchi to learn about the Mercatale – the pilot Earth Market project in Tuscany – with the aim of learning how the Berga Bazar in Riga could also become an Earth Market and join the international Slow Food market network.
It is not the first time that Martins Ritins, an eclectic, internationally famous chef and Riga convivium leader, for three years, has attempted to develop a market supporting a short chain and local products. He tried in 2001 but the total lack of support from local authorities was a decisive factor leading to its closure in 2003.
But, Martins did not give up and in 2007 decided to try again with a new initiative: the Berga Bazar. Situated in one of the most exclusive parts of Riga, this market brings together 30 local producers selling their own produce. The Earth Markets experience has shown that the involvement of public bodies is essential for the success of these initiatives. Martins himself recognized that ‘though this new market has much stronger foundations, it risks failing if institutions are not involved. Only Slow Food can persuade the local authority to support us’.
The visit was a success and the Riga City Council representative agreed to back a partnership between Riga institutions and the City of Montevarchi to support the Berga Bazar.

The German Ark

On July 13, the attractive open-air museum of Beuren, near Esslingen in Germany, in collaboration with the Slow Food Stuttgart convivium hosted a day dedicated to Ark of Taste products. “Filder Spitzkraut cabbage and other regional specialties” was the name of the event. It explored the culinary past and future through products of the Slow Food Ark of Taste, a project set up to defend and develop small-scale agrifood products at risk of extinction.
The products, from all parts of Germany, were presented, tasted and sold at stands set up in a former sheepfold. They included Ostheimer Baked Pork Terrine with Liver, Champagner Bratbirne Pear Spumante and wine from high altitude German vines.

The Karmeliter market in Vienna

On Saturday June 14, a Slow Food ‘corner’ was inaugurated at the Karmeliter market in Vienna. The official presentation was made by Sandra Frauenberger, Councilor for Consumer Affairs at the Vienna City Council, Vienna convivium leader Barbara Van Melle, and Wachau_plus convivium leader Robert Paget, also a well-known cheesemaker and Terra Madre delegate.
Every Saturday the Karmeliter market will include four producers of organic vegetables, Alpine salmon (Alpenlachs), wood-oven baked organic bread, small pastries, cheese, cured meats and jams, selected by Slow Food Vienn. In addition, Taste Workshops will be held every Saturday on topics such as Alpine salmon, oils, soft fruit, figs, fruit, beans, tomatoes, peppers, melon and cheese. The Slow Food area has been set up in order to offer examples of good, clean and fair food products and to encourage consumers to become co-producers and develop a relationship with producers and a more discerning approach to their purchasing decisions.



• New Convivia

The following convivia have recently joined the Slow Food network:

Río Negro – Argentina
Província do Paraná - Brazil
Sabor Selvagem – Brazil
Paldang – South Korea
Skopje – Macedonia
Alentejo – Portugal
Sierra Sur de Jaén – Spain
Valles Oriental – Spain
Pamir – Tagikistan
Avoyelles – USA
Knoxville– USA
Southwest Florida – USA