Slow And Steady

Now in its third edition,Terra Madre,the Italian term for Mother Earth,is a special day celebrated by Slow Food International,an Italy-based non-profit organisation,that has networks in more than 150 countries. Started by Carlo Petrini,founder of the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Italy,Terra Madre Day 2011,will have over 900 events take place worldwide,of which 18 are listed in India.

“Terra Madre Day events highlight the importance of eating locally-produced food and the right of all communities to maintain and build access to good,clean and fair food,” says Paolo Di Croce,general secretary of Slow Food International in Italy. “With India registering the highest number of Terra Madre Day events and celebrations in the entire Asia and Oceania region,this year,the enthusiasm has taken us by surprise,” adds Croce.

With so many new cuisines and cultures coming into India,many have started to see the importance of preserving age-old practices such as grinding spices on stones and cooking on coal sigdis. Ghidiyal will host a potluck in Mumbai for food bloggers,who will bring dishes such as Bhatia-style undiyo (a Gujarati dish) and slow-cooked mutton chops,prepared with locally-sourced ingredients. A number of schools in Tamil Nadu’s Erode district will hold a celebration of traditional,yet increasingly rare dishes with 20,000 participants. The Salwan Public School in Delhi will host an event called Diversity in Our Garden,and harvest all the vegetables grown by the students in the Eco Club.

In Pune,an event called Chef’s Day Out will take a group of local chefs from 5-Star restaurants to spend a day at an organic farm,eating traditional Maharashtrian food in the Gomukh district,40 km from the city. “It is important for us to see how farmers grow their crops,and make ourselves aware of what is available in our neighbourhoods,” says chef Sunit Sharma,the executive chef of Four Point by Sheraton in Pune.

Chef Rajdeep Kapoor,executive chef at Mumbai’s ITC Maratha echoes Sharma’s views. “The hotel has been sourcing ingredients from a 100 km radius and turning all the waste from its kitchens and restaurants into compost. On Terra Madre Day,the hotel’s Peshwa Pavilion will have a buffet spread of local and organic dishes. We always strive to promote diversity in food. On Saturday,we will go one step ahead and educate our guests about the beauty of slow food,” says Kapoor.

Rekha Lulla,the Eco Group in-charge at Salwan Public School in Delhi,hopes that the harvest in their garden will spread awareness beyond the school’s boundaries. “All the harvested vegetables including brinjal,cabbage and carrots will be given to the child who planted the seeds,” she says. “When they give these vegetables to their parents,we hope they will be proud and thus spread the message.”