Slow Food Great China is Coming to Italy for Terra Madre Salone del Gusto

A delegation of about 30 people is set to take part in Terra Madre Salone del Gusto, the most important international event dedicated to food culture.

Organized by Slow Food in collaboration with the Region of Piedmont and the City of Turin, the 12th edition of Terra Madre Salone del Gusto will be held in Turin, Italy, from September 20 to 24, 2018. Over 5,000 delegates from 140 countries, over 800 exhibitors, 300 Slow Food Presidia, and 500 Terra Madre food communities will gather in Turin.

Slow Food Great China delegation will include family farmers, producers, academics, chefs, activists in the Slow Food Youth Network (SFYN), and students who will bring their competences and knowledge to the numerous activities that will be offered during this 5-day event. More than ever before, the focus of this 12^th edition will be on people and the change everyone can bring. Qun Sun, member of the Slow Food International Executive Committee, speaking about the event says, “I am extremely proud to be part of the international network that is Slow Food, and to represent a delegation that will take part in Terra Madre Salone del Gusto 2018. Food for change is the theme of this 12th edition and I am sure that, through exchange and dialogue with people who differ in culture, language, and customs, every one of us will return home richer and with new enthusiasm for pursuing our activities and striving for a better future for our planet.”

An area of the International Market will showcase products from the Ark of Taste in China. The Terra Madre Kitchens where, testing a new format, best of world gastronomy will be brought together in one venue, will be one of the novelties of this year. Chefs from four continents will prepare authentic dishes from each country, using products from their home lands with creativity and passion. Here the public will have the opportunity to taste also the flavors of Chinese tradition.

Among the influential figures who have confirmed their presence so far are:

Wen Tiejun: well-known expert of agrarian issue and policy advisor, professor Tiejun has initiated the rural reconstruction movement in contemporary China, particularly promoting agroecology, sustainability, and rural regeneration. He is deeply involved in defending the livelihoods of small peasantry in his whole life, and is presently serving on several boards related to these themes.

Zhang Lanying: professor Zhang is a scholar and a leader of regional regeneration for the sustainable development based on the idea of “ecological civilization”. She has achieved many projects such as sustainable agriculture, environmental education, health and participatory community regeneration. In the past ten years, she has been a trainer for young and farmers leaders at Liang Shuming Rural Reconstruction Center, member of the larger rural reconstruction movement in China.

Much awaited is also a delegation for the Liang Shumin Rural Reconstruction Center, initiated by professor Wen Tiejun and other activists to address the crisis they saw in the Chinese countryside at the start of the 21st century. A few small-scale farmers and producers part of this network will come to Turin.

Slow Food Great China is working on a new program so-called Slow Villages, aiming at enhancing the agricultural economy and local products in Chinese rural realities. Slow Food Freespace, its pilot project, was presented on May 25 at the Venice Architecture Biennale at the presence of Stefano Boeri and Carlo Petrini. “The construction of slow village aims to maintain fair and reasonable pricing of agricultural products and increase farmers’ incomes so as to curb the trend of further hollowing of rural areas”, says Carlo Petrini, founder and president of the Slow Food movement. The Terra Madre Forum Villages Standing Strong Against Depopulation (September 22 at 1:00 p.m. – Torino, Lingotto Fiere) will see the presence of Carlo Petrini, of professor Wen Tiejun who will present what has been done so far in China, and a delegation from Slow Food Carinthia, Austria, where the project has also been recently approved.

During the Taste Workshop China: The Kingdom of Mapo Tofu (September 20 at 7:00 p.m. – Torino, Lingotto Fiere) a chef from the city of Chengdu, in collaboration with Ling Aichih from Turin’s Zheng Yang restaurant, will prepare together fresh tofu for the visitors. It is said that during the Tongzhi period of the Qing Dynasty, at the Wanfu Bridge on the north gate of Chengdu, capital of Sichuan, there was a small restaurant. The owner, Mrs. Chen, was known for her tofu, cooked with minced beef, chili, pepper, soy sauce and other ingredients. Her tofu was spicy and delicious, very popular among locals. At that time, the dish still had no name but, because of the ephelids on Mrs. Chen’s face, people began to call it “mapo tofu” (from ma, pock-marked, and po, old woman). Today mapo tofu is famous in all of China and beyond.

Taste Workshops and Cooking Schools are paid events and can be purchased online; the Terra Madre thematic Forums are presented by delegates of the network and are open to the public as long as seats are available. Click here for the list of available events, which is constantly updated.

Qun Sun – Member of Slow Food International Executive Committee

[email protected]

Terra Madre Salone del Gusto 2018 Press Office

Slow Food, +39 329 83 212 85 [email protected] – Twitter: @SlowFoodPress

Region of Piedmont, +39 011 432 2549 – [email protected]

City of Turin, +39 011 011 21976 – +39 342 1100131 – [email protected]

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Terra Madre Salone del Gusto is an event organized by the City of Turin, Slow Food, and the Region of Piedmont in collaboration with MIPAAF (Italy’s Ministry for Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policies). It has been made possible thanks to its many sponsors, including the Official Partners, GLEvents-Lingotto Fiere, IREN, Lavazza, Lurisia, Parmigiano Reggiano, Pastificio Di Martino and Quality Beer Academy; with the support of Compagnia di San Paolo, Fondazione CRT-Cassa di Risparmio di Torino, Associazione delle Fondazioni di Origine Bancaria del Piemonte, and Coldiretti; and with the contribution of IFAD, the European Union, and CIA (Confederazione Italiana Agricoltori).

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.