Slow Food terminology

Ark of Taste

Project to rediscover, catalog, describe and publicize forgotten foods. it was created to point out the existence of these products, draw attention to the risk of their extinction within a few generations, and invite everyone to take action to help protect them.

convivium (plural convivia)

A local Slow Food chapter. Found all over the world, Slow Food convivia organize events and activities at the local level, ranging from simple dinners and tastings, where members come together to share the everyday joys of food; visits to local producers and farms, conferences and discussions, film festivals and taste education courses for both children and adults. Convivia are the backbone of Slow Food, made possible through the members, who volunteer their time and energy.

convivium leader

The elected leader of a convivium.

co-producer

A conscious consumer who goes beyond the passive role of consuming and takes an interest in those who produce our food, how they produce it and the problems they face in doing so. In actively supporting food producers, we become part of the production process. The term co-producer was coined by Slow Food to highlight how collectively our consumer choices can bring great change to how food is cultivated, produced and distributed.

eco-gastronomy

A recognition of the strong connections between plate and planet, and the fact that our food choices have a major impact on the health of the environment and society.

food communities

A group of small-scale producers and others, united by the production of a particular food and closely linked to a geographic area. Food community members are involved in small-scale and sustainable production of quality products. Coined by Slow Food in 2004 at the first Terra Madre meeting, the term reflects a new idea of local economy based on food, agriculture, tradition and culture.

good, clean and fair

The three tenets of Slow Food’s philosophy food and food production:

• GOOD: a fresh and flavorsome seasonal diet that satisfies the senses and is part of our local culture;
• CLEAN: food production and consumption that does not harm the environment, animal welfare or our health;
• FAIR: accessible prices for consumers and fair conditions and pay for small-scale producers.

neo-gastronomy

Neo or ‘new’ gastronomy is a concept of gastronomy as a multidisciplinary approach to food that recognizes the strong connections between plate, planet, people and culture. The term was coined to correspond with the evolution of the Slow Food movement, which began with an initial aim to defend good food, gastronomic pleasure and a slower pace of life (eno-gastronomy), and then logically broadened its sights to embrace issues such as the quality of life and the health of the planet that we live on (eco-gastronomy).

neo-gastronome

A person with a responsible, comprehensive approach to food, combining an interest in food and wine culture with a desire to defend the environment and food biodiversity, and considers eating as not only a biological necessity, but also a convivial pleasure to be shared with others. A neo-gastronome is aware that their food choices have a direct effect on the market, and therefore food production; and that everyday choices can be made for the benefit of our palate, the environment and society.

Slow Food Community

A Slow Food community is a group of people who share the values of the international Slow Food movement (reasserted in the Chengdu Declaration), starting from its primary principle: that everyone has a right to good, clean and fair food and that Slow Food will not give up the fight until every last person on the planet has access to it. Made up of at least 10 people (the exact number will vary depending on the area), it represents the basic nucleus of the Slow Food network, similar to the convivia. A community is formed for a specific purpose (for example to protect and promote a local food, to create a food garden, to launch an education project, etc.) linked to Slow Food’s general aims, and works in a specific area, in dialog with the rest of the local and regional network. At the same time, it undertakes to make the international network stronger by supporting it in various ways.

taste education

Slow Food’s approach to food education based on the reawakening and training of the senses and the study of all aspects of food and its production.