Slow food celebrates birthday with global local feasts

Slow Food Celebrates the Sixth Edition of Terra Madre Day on its 25th Birthday on December 10

This year, Terra Madre Day is even celebrated in the International Space Station – Italian astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti, who recently left for a six month mission for the European Space Agency, celebrated the day on board the International Space Station with the Terra Madre Day flag, as well as with a cyber soup produced by Argotec that contains four Slow Food Presidia legumes.

Even before she left Earth she expressed excitement about the products by saying that "food means culture and a connection with the territory." In her video message she says "today I would like to join you in celebrating an event of which I fully share the spirit, which is the Terra Madre Day. I have a passion for good food and healthy food, and good nutritional habits are very dear to me and important both for us humans and for the environment for our Planet Earth". She went on by pointing out that "[she] would like to dispel the myth that cutting edge science and technology are worlds apart from traditional food"

On December 10, 2014, the international Slow Food network celebrates the rich heritage of food diversity from around the world in a series of events including meetings and debates, picnics and dinners, film screenings, farm visits and much more.

Held every year since 2009 on Slow Food’s birthday, the day is an important opportunity for all those who believe in the Slow Food philosophy to promote a sustainable alternative food system to their communities and local decision makers. The global movement invites everyone to join in to celebrate local culinary traditions, as well as to educate members of every community on the importance of preserving local food products and sustainable, fair and local alternatives to the industrialized model of our current global food system.

Click here  to view all registered events across the world for 2014.

In Australia, Slow Food Mildura celebrates Terra Madre Day with a twilight cruise along the Murray River. Young chefs from leading Mildura restaurants are being challenged to create dishes for a menu with produce from local farmers using regional and indigenous ingredients.

The iconic Australian river fish, the Murray Cod will feature on the menu coinciding with Slow Food Mildura’s recent nomination of the endangered species to the Ark of Taste. Slow Food Mildura aims to preserve the tradition of eating the mighty Murray Cod by applauding restaurants, which have the fish grace their menus and by introducing chefs to producers.

In Bangladesh, people from the Magura food community and the convivium members are participating in an event, which includes a demonstration followed by a discussion about the effects of chemical agriculture on nature, agricultural diversity and human health. Alternative initiatives worldwide, local practices and prospects for local food will be presented. The event also involves a cooking competition, recognizing sustainable practitioners who maintain local food diversity. The event is a cross-generational meeting involving elderly people who can share their experiences, as well as young farmers who will share their initiatives for protecting farmers’ rights and more. The event concludes with a performance on how to resist GM seeds, junk food and climate change effects.

In Brazil, Slow Food Rio organizes an event against food waste, saving and cooking with food that would otherwise be thrown away and using street market leftovers.

On the Ivory Coast, The local Chigata Convivium organizes a radio discussion on the consumption of local products. The radio transmission will be broadcast on a local radio station and allow listeners to intervene.

In Sweden, the convivium Slow Food i Skåne nordost celebrates this year´s Terra Madre Day by showing some short films related to food and agriculture at an organic food shop, accompanied by locally produced organic sweets and fair trade coffee. Locally produced vegetables and sausages can be bought directly from farmers.

In Uganda, an event will be held at the WASU farm in the municipality of Mukono to demonstrate how locally grown varieties of vegetables, fruits, cereals, spices and vines contribute to increased security and the generation of income. The event will also show how to create and manage family and school gardens. The purpose is to raise awareness about the value of indigenous foods for a healthy population, as well as enhance the biodiversity of plants and animals in the area.

In the USA there will be the 11th Annual Tuna Canning Extravaganza. Local hook and line caught albacore tuna is a regional delicacy. Sharing all the tasks and the finished product, community members cut, pack and pressure-cook the fish in glass jars. A weekend-long process, participants learn about pressure canning, seafood and local fisheries.

Find out more at http://www.slowfood.com   

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