The Menu for Terra Madre Day 2017 is serving solutions to tackle climate change

09 Dec 2017 | English

Each year on Slow Food’s anniversary, December 10, the global Slow Food network celebrates Terra Madre Day to promote local eating, agricultural biodiversity and sustainable food production.

This year’s Terra Madre Day calls special attention to the Menu for Change campaign, which highlights the relationship between food and climate change: starting from food, we can and must make a difference. Slow Food supports and promotes solutions to mitigate the impact of food on the climate by working to protect biodiversity, encourage food and environmental education, raise awareness among all actors and to try to influence politics at all levels.

Carlo Petrini, president and founder of Slow Food International, affirms: “Every year, on December 10, we celebrate Terra Madre Day. There is no better occasion to join our campaign raising awareness to climate change. It’s a duty for all of us: starting with our individual behavior, especially with our food habits, we can make a difference to the devastating process provoked by greenhouse gases. Let’s start with our own daily menu, with our own local situations and celebrate our annual party in the right way.”

Many communities are sharing photos and stories of their events on Facebook. Below is a short summary of this year’s celebrations worldwide so far:

ALBANIA

Several activities are taking place in this country. An event in Cerrik is dedicated to Ballegjere Fish, in order to raise awareness of its importance for traditional Albanian cuisine; during the event chefs from the Slow Food Alliance cook using this fish for kids from local schools. There is also an event dedicated to local oils that will take place in Shirgjan.

AUSTRALIA

Slow Food Canberra is organizing an event called Terra Madre Luncheon, which is co-hosted by Shoalhaven, Canberra and Saddleback Slow Food. The menu features local products and small scale producers from the area.

BULGARIA

Slow Food is organizing a dinner in Sofia on December 11 called The Tastes of the Ground. On December 12, another event will focus on different local varieties of apples, such as the Kurtovka apple and the Buhavitza apple, both on board of the Ark of Taste.

ETHIOPIA

Slow Food is organizing the third edition of a monthly Organic Farmers Market in Addis Abeba aiming to promote ecological and sustainable food production. Besides products from the Slow Food network, there will be culinary products from the Awramba Community Farmers Coop, Black Seed oil, and cheese produced from local Arsi cows.

FRANCE

Chef Pierre Lecoutre prepared a dinner in his restaurant L’Oseille in Paris on December 9 dedicated to the international campaign “Menu for Change“.

GERMANY

Several activities are taking place in Germany to celebrate Terra Madre Day: in Überlingen (Baden-Württemberg) there is a local market with local products and live music, in Rechtmehring (Bavaria) Slow Food is organizing an excursion to the Simsseer Weidefleisch cooperative.

 INDONESIA

Slow Food is organizing the 3-day event “Pisang” Presidia Parade Party, in Ibu Dapoer from December 9 to 11.  The event will offer several local and sustainable meals, visits to Bubrah Gayam local street market and to the Presidia producers of the Heritage Yogyakarta Banana Varieties.

 ITALY

Several activities will take place in the country. To quote a few: a multiethnic gastronomic and cultural exchange between Slow Food Cerrado in Brazil and Slow Food Basso Mantovano in Italy at Bozzoletto di Viadana (Lombardy); two Earth Markets (Lentini – Sicily – and Piano di Sorrento – Campania) and a tasting of local products in Noventa di Piave (Veneto).

 JAPAN

On December 9, chef Okuda cooked a dinner in Komono (Mie Prefecture) themed “Menu for Change” using local and seasonal ingredients. Chef Okuda is the protagonist of the documentary Reviving Recipes by Watanabe Satoshi, in which he talks about how his life brought him to save the gastronomic heritage of Yamato province, thanks to the help of its young people.

KENYA

All Slow Food Communities in the country are organizing activities around local food which is respectful of the environment. On December 8, Slow Food Kenya organized the Seed and Food in Gitare in collaboration with Seed Savers, to teach people about seeds and biodiversity preservation as key to mitigating the impacts of climate change; and also to teach the participants about the growing struggle for corporate control of the African food system starting from seeds and the push for industrial agriculture by multinationals.

MOROCCO

Slow Food is launching a new school garden in Sidi Boulanoir village (province of Tiznit, Souss-Massa region). There will be a tasting of local products and a discussion about Slow Fish campaign and the importance of preserving the sea. The local community is part of the Terra Madre Community of the Aglou Artisan Fishers and Cooks.

NETHERLANDS

The Slow Food Chefs Alliance is organizing the event Doomsday Drink-In in Utrecht from 2pm to 8pm. The event will be a drink-in, with snacks served by chefs from the Slow Food Youth Network (SFYN). There will be available several local drinks, such as wines, spirits, as well as coffee and tea and any local specialties brought by the audience: it will be a way of tasting different of artisanal local drinks.

POLAND

Slow Food Dolny Śląsk is organizing an event in Wroclaw called eduBIESIADA dedicated to the campaign “Menu for Change“. Each participant is invited to bring is own dish prepared with local products and to discuss several issues, among which local Slow Food activities, the project around the Eagle Polish Bean, on board of the Ark of Taste, and issues which connect food and health. In addition, the Slow Food Convivium in Warsaw will organize a breakfast in which local quality products from Mazovia will be served.

ROMANIA

Slow Food is organizing an event in Iasi called Gustă Slow de Terra Madre Day. The event will be dedicate to healthy food, prepared with respect for regional biodiversity and for the environment.

RUSSIA

On December 6, chef Igor Grishechkin from the Slow Food Chefs Alliance in Russia organized an event in Saint Petersburg dedicated to Terra Madre Day and the international campaign “Menu for Change”. Slow Food OKA is organizing a local festival in Pushchino (Tula region, Zaokskij district) with the collaboration of chefs Mikhail Lukashonok (member of Slow Food Chefs Alliance) and Vitaly Ivanov (candidate for the Slow Food Chefs Alliance) at the local farmers’ market LavkaLavka.

SIERRA LEONE

Slow Food is organizing an event for the community of the Kenema Kola Nut presidium in Darlu.  There will be a workshop aimed at young people to raise awareness of local products and a social lunch to strength the links between Kola producers and Kola community members.

SLOVENIA

Slow Food Styria is organizing in Koper an event called Dan Matere zemlje. There will be a short workshop on harvesting crops, and a tasting of local products, among which cracklings and Laški rizling wine.

SPAIN

Slow Food Compostela is organizing a lunch in Nave de Vidan (Galicia) in order to celebrate Terra Madre Day with local and seasonal products. Producers, farmers, chefs and consumers are invited to attend.

SOUTH AFRICA

Four chefs of the Slow Food Alliance will cook in Johannesburg using only products on board of the Slow Food Ark of Taste. There are also several activities around the city focusing on local food and climate change.

TUNISIA

Slow Food has recently launched the second Tunisian Presidium: the traditional fishery methods of Kerkennah. On December 10, the local network is organizing an event in Ouled in which there will be a discussion about the impact of climate change on local products, description of local food heritage, folkloristic shows and tastings of Couscoussi Ghallah, a traditional local dish.

TURKEY

Slow Food is organizing an event in Ocaklar called Toprak Ana Şöleni. The event is dedicated to the international campaign “Menu for Change” and there will be a tasting of local products.

UK

Slow Food Anglia is organizing an event in Norwich, which will have an Italian extra virgin olive oils tasting and a tasting of several local East Anglian cheeses, all produced by Slow Food members in the UK and in Italy.

USA

Slow Food Vermont will be showing the documentary Deeply Rooted in Burlington, exploring the life and work of Louisiana farmer John Coykendall. For nearly four decades, John Coykendall’s passion has been preserving farm heritage—the seeds and stories—in Southeastern Louisiana.  Chef Doug Paine, Slow Food Snail of Approval awardee, will prepare free red beans and rice for a cozy, delicious screening. Slow Food Atlanta is also organizing a free event called Terra Madre Day Potluck in which everyone is welcomed to join and to bring a local plate to share.

For further information please contact:

Slow Food International Press Office

Paola Nano, Giulia Capaldi

[email protected] – Twitter: @SlowFoodPress

Slow Food is a global grassroots organization that envisions a world in which all people can access and enjoy food that is good for them, good for those who grow it and good for the planet. Slow Food involves over a million activists, chefs, experts, youth, farmers, fishers and academics in over 160 countries. Among them, a network of around 100,000 Slow Food members are linked to 1,500 local chapters worldwide, contributing through their membership fee, as well as the events and campaigns they organize. As part of the network, more than 2,400 Terra Madre food communities practice small-scale and sustainable production of quality food around the world

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