The Slow Food project, now a multi-national organization, sprouted from humble seeds planted in the hearts of a few Italians. It began with a group of young people from Bra, a city in the Piedmont region, who were connected with ARCI (Associatione Ricreativa Culturale Italiana). Their commitment to culture and intense social activism drew attention to the destructive effects of industrialism in the mid 1970s.[1] In 1980, the group went on to form the Free and Praiseworthy Association of the Friends of Barolo (the famous red wine native to the nearby Langhe region). Their aim was to “create awareness of local products and awaken people’s attention to food and wine and the right way to enjoy them.”[2] The group encouraged a new kind of tourism based on culinary explorations, organized tasting courses and set up networks to distribute specialty goods by mail order.[3] In July of 1986, 62 founding members came together to form an organization called Arcigola, a newly autonomous offshoot of ARCI that would be solely interested in the culture of food and wine. In the next 3 years, membership in Arcigola quickly grew to about 8000 as ardent curiosity was fostered by publications, restaurant and wine reviews, organized tastings and trips.[4] People began to defend their own culinary traditions as well as their right to a relaxed, convivial enjoyment of cuisine. The organization’s name was later changed to “Slow Food”, inspired by the group’s direct opposition to the undesirable spread of fast food in Italy, and the demonstrations against the opening of McDonald’s across from the Spanish Steps in Rome.[5]
The Slow Food movement gained international support when delegates from the original 15 countries met on November 9, 1989 and endorsed the official manifesto (below), written by Folco Portinari.
The Slow Food Manifesto[6]
Our century, which began and has developed under the insignia of industrial civilization, first invented the machine and then took it as its life model.
We are enslaved by speed and have all succumbed to the same insidious virus: Fast Life, which disrupts our habits, pervades the privacy of our homes and forces us to eat Fast Foods.
To be worthy of the name, Homo Sapiens should rid himself of speed before it reduces him to a species in danger of extinction.
A firm defense of quiet material pleasure is the only way to oppose the universal folly of Fast Life.
May suitable doses of guaranteed sensual pleasure and slow, long-lasting enjoyment preserve us from the contagion of the multitude who mistake frenzy for efficiency.
Our defense should begin at the table with Slow Food. Let us rediscover the flavors and savors of regional cooking and banish the degrading effects of Fast Food.
In the name of productivity, Fast Life has changed our way of being and threatens our environment and our landscapes. So Slow Food is now the only truly progressive answer.
That is what real culture is all about: developing taste rather than demeaning it. And what better way to set about this than an international exchange of experiences, knowledge, projects?
Slow Food guarantees a better future.
Slow Food is an idea that needs plenty of qualified supporters who can help turn this (slow) motion into an international movement, with the little snail as its symbol.
At the heart of Slow Food is the concept of the territory, “the combination of natural factors (soil, water, slope, height above sea level, vegetation, microclimate) and human ones (tradition and practice of cultivation) that gives a unique character to each small agricultural locality and the food grown, raised, made, and cooked there.”[7] To completely appreciate a food, one must take time to become intimately engaged with its territory, build relationships with its artisans, and enter into a state of “serene conviviality” in which nuances of flavour and texture may reconfirm the food’s special place in the culinary world.[8] The story behind the product must be made equally important as the product itself if society is to grasp its true authenticity and gain a sense of complete satisfaction from eating it. Therefore, when a food, such as mozzarella cheese, is made from generic pasteurized cow’s milk and can be produced in factories all over the world with equal ease and same results, it is unavoidably bland, and utterly unexceptional.[9] The worldwide popularization of such banal products has bankrupted society’s sensory experience of food and lowered expectations to dangerous depths.[10] Fast food culture, which celebrates uniformity, industrialization and brand recognition, is now thankfully being opposed; Slow Food instead celebrates biodiversity, small-scale producers and regional distinctions – essential qualities that are increasingly difficult to find and preserve.
Competitive global markets and demands from major distributors are forcing a general shift from traditional varieties to foreign monocultures and single breeds with higher potential yields. Not only has this practice wiped out 300 000 indigenous species in the last hundred years, but it has left farmers extremely vulnerable to agricultural disaster. [11] Even for those willing to take a risk, however, the initial benefits of using large-scale agricultural industries are short-lived: without maintaining biodiversity and the complexity of ecosystems, it is impossible for the planet to adapt to any long-term environmental changes. [12]
In 1996, in an effort to curb this potential biological crisis, and to prevent the further loss of local heritage, Slow Food held its first Salone del Gusto event to showcase endangered products and promote informed appreciation. This Slow Food festival signalled a shift in the political strategy of such food fairs. As described by Petrini – it “turned its back on the usual kind of exhibition (the tired formula of a wind and food fair, half small retail and half folklore) and focused instead on the territory, its products, and its artisans brought face to face with consumers.”[13] The event educated people through tasting seminars and talks about local heritage and helped cultivate a new interest in low-yield/high-quality foods. Now held every two years, the Salone instils a desire for the public to pay slightly higher (fair) prices for superior flavours, creates new opportunities for marketing, and thus makes the small-scale commercial sale of foodstuffs a financially-viable venture.[14]
The first Salone del Gusto of 1996 also launched the initial discussions of forming “Un’Arca del Gusto per salvare il pianeta dei sapori” (An Ark of Taste to save the planet of flavours).[15] On June 29 of the following year, Slow Food published the following Manifesto dell’Arca:
“To protect the small purveyors of fine food from the deluge of industrial standardization; to ensure the survival of endangered animal breeds, cheeses, cold cuts, edible herbs – both wild and cultivated – cereals, and fruit; to promulgate taste education; to make a stand against obsessive worrying about hygienic matters, which kills the specific character of many kinds of production; to protect the right to pleasure.”[16]
A scientific committee was formed to oversee the selection of foods to be “brought onboard” the Ark. The five requirements were that
1) they must be of excellent quality
2) they must be either indigenous or long-adapted to a particular territory, or else made from local ingredients following traditional practices
3) they must be linked to the environment, socio-economy and history of a territory
4) they must be available only in small quantities, produced by small firms
5) they must be at risk of extinction[17]
The foods that make it onto the Ark then receive a two-level treatment – scientific and social. On the scientific level, researchers, zoologists and historians examine the products and document them thoroughly. On the social level, the list of endangered foods is compiled, circulated and analyzed, and its products are then publically promoted in commercial markets and in restaurants.[18] In other words, the Ark preserves the heritage and memory of foods, makes people aware of what culinary pleasures they are in danger of losing, and gives them the opportunity to savour - and thus save them.
The huge response to the Salone del Gusto opened people’s eyes to the amazing market potential of accessing large numbers of small businesses. Slow Food’s Presidia project, launched in 1999, was built on the idea that “if Ark products can have an economic impact, they can be saved from extinction.”[19] The Presidia are organizations for the protection of biodiversity – essentially, the operational arm of the Ark of Taste.[20] Often funded by regional tourism boards, cooperatives of producers or agricultural councils interested in local promotion, each Presidium sets out to safeguard their assigned product (or issue) by making it known, important and accessible to people.[21] Media coverage and publications are used to spotlight endangered foods, scarce resources and dying cultures – boosting awareness, and in the case of edibles, increasing demand for the products. Networks are then created through which farmers and producers can be connected to the growing population of culturally-aware consumers.[22]
There are currently over 130 active Presidia in Italy and more than 19 working internationally.[23] Confronted with a variety of conditions and obstacles, each Presidium must be adaptable and creative in its approach. In Italy, for example, about 1 300 000 rounds of PDO Asiago cheese are produced each year – a good cheese, and generally well-liked, but not exceptional. Asiago Stravecchio, however, is an extraordinary variety (made only from the milk obtained from the mountain-pasturing Rendena cows and aged for a minimum of 18 months) but only about 10 000 rounds of it are produced yearly.[24] The challenges for that Presidium are to convince people of the superior flavour of the cheese without negating the qualities of the more common Asiago, and to persuade herders to continue their traditional alpine milking practices, continue breeding the traditional Rendena cattle, and commit to amply aging their cheese.[25]
The strategies of Presidia in underdeveloped countries, however, have a markedly different focus. Often involved in community development and facility upgrades, they seek to support the culture and socio-economy from below, rather than merely giving superficial charity donations. The goal and future of such Presidia “will be to recuperate and make known traditional knowledges, so that they become motors of development and prosperity.”[26] Without overexposing and thus depleting the treasuries of culinary heritage in third world countries, Slow Food is actively seeking to enrich the daily lives of their local farmers and producers, as well as to delight enlightened consumers.
[1] Petrini, 1
[2] Petrini, 4
[3] Petrini, 4
[4] Petrini, 7
[5] Petrini, 8
[6] Petrini, xxiii
[7] Petrini, 8
[8] Petrini, 59
[9] Petrini, 89
[10] Petrini, 88
[11] Petrini, 87
[12] Petrini, 87
[13] Pterini, 59
[14] Petrini, 60
[15] Petrini, 85
[16] Petrini, 91
[17] Petrini, 91
[18] Petrini, 91
[19] http://www.slowfoodfoundation.com/eng/presidi/lista.lasso
[20] http://www.slowfoodfoundation.com/eng/presidi/rapporto.lasso
[21] http://www.slowfoodfoundation.com/eng/presidi/finanziamento.lasso
[22] Petrini, 97
[23] Petrini, 98
[24] Petrini, 94
[25] Petrini, 94
[26] Petrini, 98
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