The Ukrainian Slow Food Network will be at Terra Madre with 16 delegates, including chefs, producers, activists, young people and educators: a living example of how food can be a bridge to peace. Together, our Slow Food Communities in Ukraine show how, through inclusion and exchange, we can cultivate a better future together.
Organized by Slow Food, the Piedmont Region and the City of Turin, the 14th edition of Terra Madre Salone del Gusto will take place in Parco Dora, Turin, from September 22-26, 2022.
Terra Madre is the largest gathering of the Slow Food network, and aims to design a different future for food, a future that takes shape through the daily choices of individuals, in the collective efforts of communities, and in the policies of both public and private institutions. Over 3000 delegates from 130 countries and more than 600 exhibitors will take part in the event.
Here is a taste of the activities the Ukrainian delegates will be involved in, including tastings, meetings and conferences.
Conferences
In the Gino Strada Arena, on Thursday, September 22 at 3 p.m. we talk about why the Ukrainian grain crisis affects Africa. The crisis triggered by the global pandemic and war in Ukraine has undermined the food sovereignty of entire countries, particularly the poorest. A solution to break out of this vicious cycle exists, and it is to return to consolidating and enhancing local production systems. There are already many positive examples, starting with the cereal sector: local communities that cultivate indigenous wheat varieties, producing quality flours, bread and pasta. These are not “niche” realities. They are beacons in the night, and they show the way forward.
The Slow Food fundraising campaign to support Ukraine
Against all hope, the war in Ukraine continues. A ceasefire seems like a distant possibility and, as in all wars, civilians are paying the highest price. Millions of people have left their homes to escape the fighting. Millions more are trapped in bombarded areas; others are not able to leave, and others have decided to stay and defend their lives, their homes, their animals. Among these there are lots of members of the Slow Food network in Ukraine: even in times of war, farmers have not abandoned their fields and continue to work in extreme conditions, risking their lives to take care of their animals, their crops and the communities.
Slow Food has mobilized its network to support them, and will continue to stand by them.
This will be the focus of the conference Together for Slow Food communities in Ukraine, on September 24 at 3.30 p.m. in the Kyoto Hall of the Environment Park, an opportunity to discuss the achievements of the Slow Food campaign so far, and its goals going forward.
UNISG events: the Ark of Taste Atlas in Ukraine
Since its inception in 1996, Slow Food’s international Ark of Taste project has laid the foundations for the protection and promotion of endangered food heritage. On September 25 at 4 p.m. researchers from the University of Gastronomic Sciences (UNISG) present the results of their latest research in the country at the Ark of Taste Atlas in Ukraine.
In this meeting, they discuss some key issues related to the future trajectories of the revival of Ukraine’s gastronomic heritage, which risks being erased by the war. The book is the result of food scouting research conducted, before the outbreak of the conflict, by UNISG in collaboration with the Ca’ ‘Foscari University of Venice and Slow Food Ukraine, as part of the European project ERC DiGe – Ethnobotany of divided generations in the context of centralization.
Dinner Date: The Roots of Ukrainian Cuisine
Much more than a Dinner Date, The Roots of Ukrainian Cuisine is the last of five dinners at Eataly Lingotto. We meet Yurii Kovryzhenko, an ambassador of Ukrainian cuisine who has reinvigorated the country’s gastronomic scene by revisiting traditional dishes. For over 20 years he’s been using local, traditional products, from vegetables and tubers to dairy products, giving his dishes a strong personality with the addition of black pepper, horseradish, thyme, mustard and other spices. In this Dinner Date he showcases strongly-traditional dishes, uniting the best practices of modern cuisine with typical Ukrainian products. The proceeds of this Dinner Date will be donated to our fundraising campaign Together for Slow Food Communities to help small-scale farmers in Ukraine.
RegenerActions
Another part of the Terra Madre event program is the RegenerActions: suggestions, ideas and solutions to regenerate our food through simple actions or recipes you can make at home.
On September 24 at 5 p.m., for example, we will discover heirloom grains and natural breads from Ukraine and beyond. With crusts that range from as dark as coffee to bright yellow, these fragrant and intense, naturally leavened breads all have one thing in common: they’re made with heirloom grain flours. Bakers of different nationalities – Ukrainian, Austrian and Italian – offer their take on their local flours and show us their different forms, flavors and aromas.
At the ”Slow Food in Ukraine” stand, located in the heart of Parco Dora, visitors can meet the producers of traditional products (e.g. mead wine sykera, spice merudia, ritual breads, Kyiv dry jam, etc.) that are popular along the gastronomic tourist itineraries “Wine and Taste Roads of Ukraine” and which are included in the first Atlas of Ark of Taste in Ukraine. The tasting of products nominated to the Ark of Taste will be held on September 25 at 5.15 p.m. with the participation of food artisans and researchers involved in the DiGe project. The program also includes meetings and discussions with leaders of Slow Food communities and producers from Bessarabia, Transcarpathia and Central Ukraine, in particular regarding the reconstruction of the country after the conflict; lectures and presentations, for example “Ukrainian karavay bread as a cultural code for the nation” and photo sessions in national Ukrainian costumes.
Meet the delegates
Beyond the official program, many other delegates from Ukraine will be present at Terra Madre Salone del Gusto, including producers, activists, youth, cooks, educators:
- Julia Pitenko, leader of Slow Food Ukraine. She is the creator of Together for Slow Food communities in Ukraine, the fundraising campaign supporting members of the Slow food Network.
- Olena Motuzenko, academic of the Kyiv Slow Food Community and consultant for the Ark of Taste in Ukraine, she created the “Wine and Taste Roads” and she formed the expert group on the development of wine and food tourism as a tool for the enhancement of local communities, according to the principles of Slow Travel. She’s part of the working group on biodiversity.
- Julia Pitenko, leader of Slow Food Ukraine. She is the creator of Together for Slow Food communities in Ukraine, the fundraising campaign supporting members of the Slow food Network.
- Sofiia Pitenko, member of the Slow Food Youth Network
- Maryna Bulatskaya, creator of “Bottega delle tradizioni”, a project of support and development of small Ukrainian producers. They select the best farm products throughout the country, so that local residents can buy them at their local supermarket.
- Valeriya Bondarenko, leader of a Slow Food community, founder of the Slavuta creative association and creator of the volunteer project “Echoes of destruction”, the general director of the enogastronomic tourism network Wine and Taste Route of Ukraine.
- Larysa Tytykalo, cheesemaker and leader of the Slow Food Convivium “Safeguarding the gastronomic legacy of Southern Bessarabia”, she produces goat cheese bryndza and a traditional condiment: dried bryndza mixed with herbs.
- Myroslava Golonych, pastry chef and member of the Terra Madre Indigenous Peoples Network.
- Olga Diakova, communicator and influencer; she has made publications in international and Ukrainian national media and social impact programs with authorities.
- Natalia Kravchuk, a producer of a Ukrainian drinking honey called Sykera.
- Irina Polshakova, wine cellar owner from Bessarabia, where she introduces the visitors to traditional Bessarabian cuisine and winemaking, using only local products and wines.
- Olena Tovsta, goat breeder and cheesemaker.
- Natalia Ruseva, meat producer from Bolgrad. Natalia uses only indigenous breeds of animals and local spices in her products. She organizes festivals and holidays that are a connection of customs, traditions and food culture of the indigenous population in the region.
- Yurii Kovryzhenko, Slow Food Alliance chef. He is one of the initiators of Slow Food Cooks’ Alliance and he is also a famous TV presenter. He stays in the UK now and fundraises for Ukraine.
- Kateryna Prykhodko, cheesemaker. She makes goat cheeses and she was a delegate to Cheese 2019. She moved to Italy in March 2022 and now she produces solidarity cheeses at Fontegranne factory in the Marche region. Now she is collaborating with local Slow Food on fundraising initiatives.
The participation of the Ukrainian delegation at Terra Madre Salone del Gusto 2022 is made possible by Slow Food and the Together for Slow Food Communities fundraising campaign