Slow Food Negros:
Heritage Food Stays Afloat

Without sounding biblical, the Ark of Taste of Slow Food International is a repository of heritage food ingredients created to preserve them against extinction. According to a press release from Slow Food Negros, there are several Negrense ingredients registered in the ark, among them, the Darag Chicken (our native chicken), Adlai, Batwan, Marang, Kadios, Warty Pig, and Criolla Cacao.

Slow Food Negros takes inspiration from Slow Food International, an organization founded by Italian Carlos Petrini in the late 1980s. Its website shares, “Slow Food is a global, grassroots organization, founded in 1989 to prevent the disappearance of local food cultures and traditions, counteract the rise of fast life and combat people’s dwindling interest in the food they eat, where it comes from and how our food choices affect the world around us.” (www.slowfood.com)



From Oct. 30, 2020, to April 2021, the slow food movement will celebrate the Terra Salone del Gusto in Turin, Italy. The press release said, advocates from 160 countries come together in this biennial event to learn from talks as well as exhibits. Times have changed but the commitment remains. Notwithstanding the pandemic, many topics reminiscent of long-held traditions will be revisited in virtual talks, including preserving food sources, seeds endemic to particular places, and traditional farming practices. Reena Gamboa, Slow Food Negros president, says, “I am a farmer myself, and I do realize the importance of taking care of earth’s blessings and going back to the basics. Food production is taken for granted and farmers always get the least attention in this world of digitalization and information technology.”



 

That’s about to change. This time Terra Madre will be on YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram running talks and events, exploring traditional food possibilities under the theme, “Our Food, Our Planet, Our Future”.

In step with the times the press release said, “…preservation of local food cultures and traditions is important not only for historical and sociological purposes but also for a balanced local biodiversity and food security in our nation. This COVID pandemic is an opportunity to open the eyes of our fellow Filipinos in nurturing plants and animals that are indigenous to our country.”