The “Slow Food” Movement

The foundation of Slow Food in 1986, by journalist Carlo Petrini, is based on a well-known anecdote. On the occasion of the opening of the first fast food restaurant in Rome’s historic district, in the nearby offices newspaper Il manifesto, organized an open-air banquet. Slow Food grew was officially launched in 1989, at the Opera Comique in Paris, and it called itself “International Movement for the Preservation of the Right to Enjoyment.” Today it is an international association (Carlo Petrini is still president) whose headquarter is in Bra, a town 30 miles south of Turin, in the Piedmont region (north-west of Italy), and today it counts more than 100,000 members worldwide.

The main purpose of the  movement is to promote regional cuisines and food cultures, but it also advocates for the preservation of biodiversity and rural farming.

In Italy, the movement is distributed in the territory into several associations, that help maintain products and production methods that are threatened with extinction.

The Salone del Gusto is a food fair  takes place every other year in Turin, and it is the largest gastronomic fair trade in the world. The Terra Madre congress, takes place at the same time, and brings together farmers, fishermen, shepherds, scientists and gastronomes from all over the world, a clear sign that, after two decades, the goals of Slow Food are now widely known to the public.

Thanks to the Slow Food movement, The University of Gastronomic Sciences was opened in 2004. The professionals that come out of the University are (among the others) communications specialist, multimedia opinion makers, journalists in wine and gastronomic sectors, marketing specialists for outstanding food products.

The UNISG is open to students from all over the world, with both Italian and English as official languages. Admission is limited to sixty openings per year.

Slow food means slow eating, but also, before that, slow cooking. Why not start then with a basic Italian salad, or with a ring cake?

Related Websites

• Slow Food Movement is a Natural for Wisconsin B&Bs « Wisconsin Bed …
• Biodiversity benefits medicine, humans | Adventures in Conservation
• PRC thanks public for input on Saturday delivery – postalnews blog

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Tagged as: italian food, italian salad, ring cake, slow food movement