Spanish Food Biodiversity at Terra Madre Salone del Gusto

A delegation of about 80 people is set to take part in the most important international event dedicated to food culture and tradition.

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.

The Slow Food España delegation includes family farmers, producers, academics, chefs, activists in the Slow Food Youth Network (SFYN), and students. Alberto Lopez de Ipiña Samaniego, Slow Food International Councillor for Spain and leader of the Añana Salt Presidium, will be in Turin as well. Speaking about Terra Madre Salone del Gusto, Alberto 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 of ideas and dialogue with people who differ in culture, language, and customs, every one of us will return home richer and with new enthusiasm to strive for a better future for our planet.”

Two Slow Food Presidia products will be on sale at the International Market, located in the Lingotto Fiere and Oval: Jiloca Saffron, locally known as oro de los pobres, will be showcased by two producers, José Antonio Esteban Sánchez and José Maria Plumed Allueva, members of the Asociación de Productores de Azafrán de Jiloca in Monreal del Campo in Teruel; and Añana Salt, from the Añana salt valley in the Basque province of Álava. An area of the International Market will be dedicated to the Terra Madre Kitchens where chefs from four continents will prepare authentic dishes, using products from their home countries with. From Spain, chef and member of Slow Food Compostela Pablo Viñas will give to the public the opportunity to taste a meat dish prepared with typical Galician products.

This year, the beating heart of Terra Madre Salone del Gusto will be the #foodforchange thematic areas, dedicated to five major themes that Slow Food has identified: Slow Meat, Slow Fish, Seeds, Food and Health, and Bees and Insects. Delegates from Spain will be involved in several events – here are the major highlights:

• Within the Slow Meat thematic area, Eduardo Urarte Egurcegui, a herder from the Basque Country, will take part in the Terra Madre Forum Resistant Shepherds (September 22 at 11:00 a.m. – Torino Lingotto Fiere), during which delegates will explore the world of pastoralism, a traditional practice that must not be relegated to the past or considered folkloric, and that persists, despite the many difficulties that herders have finding fair remuneration.
• Within the Food and Health thematic area, Aitor Buendía Pérez, presenter of La Ruta Slow radio program, will take part in the Terra Madre Forum Salt: A History of Flavor (September 23 at 2:00 p.m. – Torino Lingotto Fiere), during which differences between traditional salts, obtained with natural methods, and refined and bleached cooking salts will be discussed. Yelel Cañas Formiconi works as a chef in Valencia, at Kiaora Bio Cocina. He always takes care that the concept of health is accompanied by that of social equity and environmental justice. His dishes, in other words, are not only healthy for the individual, but also for the community and the environment. In the kitchen, Yelel gives ample space to wild herbs and other foods of plant origin, which he often ferments. At Terra Madre Salone del Gusto, he will take part in the Taste Workshop entitled Spain: Variations of Gazpacho (September 21 at 7:00 p.m. – Torino Lingotto Fiere), within the Food and Health thematic area, presenting some variations on gazpacho, the cold vegetable soup typical of Andalusia.
• Within the Slow Fish thematic area, Yelel Cañas Formiconi will lead the Taste Workshop Spain: Algae, Vegetables of the Sea (September 23 at 11:00 a.m. – Torino Lingotto Fiere), together with the two founders (Alberto and Sergio) of Mar de Ardora, a young and dynamic company that presents a range of algae products made with respect for the environment and biodiversity. The public will taste some varieties of Galician seaweed, dehydrated or canned, to be eaten directly or sautéed, in salads, canapés, fillings, as empanadas, and in combination with fish dishes. Also within the Slow Fish thematic area, Dr. Antonio García Allut (a professor at the Universidad de La Coruña who focuses on small-scale fisheries with a systemic, bottom-up approach, promoting the sustainability of traditional fishing in Galicia; and chairman of the Lonxanet Foundation for Sustainable Fishing) will take part in the Terra Madre Forums Stop Ocean Grabbing: Managing the Ocean Together (September 22 at 2:00 p.m. – Torino Lingotto Fiere) and Marine Protected Areas: Solution or Problem? (September 23 at 11:00 a.m. – Torino Lingotto Fiere).

Another highlight of this 12^th edition will be the Terra Madre Arena, a stage for Slow Food’s different networks to come together and explore the crucial issues that the international movement has been working on for years. In particular, this space will give voice to migrants, indigenous peoples, and youth. Five students from the Universidad de Extremadura, together with Francesco Sottile, professor and agronomist, will take part in the Terra Madre Forum The Power of a Local Biodiversity Map: Discover Your Regional Food Secrets! (September 22 at 4:30 p.m. – Oval – SFYN Booth), presenting the project that they have been working on in recent years, which set out to map the agro-biodiversity of the Extremadura region.

Finally, at Eataly Torino Lingotto the public will have the chance to meet one of the most creative chefs in Catalunya, Artur Martínez, whose restaurant in Terrassa, Barcelona, has a Michelin star. A minimalist always searching for the clearest and most defined flavors, Arthur has his alter ego in Marc Ribas, his right hand and the presenter of the Catalan version of 4 Ristoranti, the famous television program. Together they form an unbeatable pair, capable of moving from the most classic tapas to extraordinary avant-garde dishes. The dinner date Arthur Martínez and Marc Ribas: Catalunya Rocks! is set for September 22 at 8.30 p.m. at Sala dei 200 (Eataly Torino Lingotto, Via Nizza, 224).

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.

Alberto Lopez de Ipiña Samaniego – International Councillor for Spain

[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]

To request press accreditation, please click here.

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.