Slow Food....Arriving all the time..Soon

Slow Food started in Italy by founding member Carlo Petrini and became an  international not-for-profit organization with a manifesto in 09 November 1989. It was founded to counteract the disappearance of local food traditions, oppose fast food and increase awareness of where our food comes from and how our choices affect the rest of the planet. it is based in Bra, Italy and has almost 100,000 members in 132 countries. Slow Food Australia – Slow Food’s first national association in the southern hemisphere – has 42 convivia (branches) all across Australia.

Parts of the manifesto read "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 defence of quiet material pleasure is the only way to oppose the universal folly of fast life.", "Our defence should begin at the table with Slow Food. Let us rediscover the flavors and savours of regional cooking and banish the degrading effects of fast food."

One of the movement's great initiatives is the Ark of Taste, an international catalogue of heritage foods in danger of extinction. The Ark is designed to preserve at-risk foods that are sustainably produced, unique in taste, and are part of a distinct ecoregion. Foods included in the list are intended to be "culturally or historically linked to a specific region, locality, ethnicity or traditional production practice". Since the foundation of the Ark in 1996, 800 products, breeds and cultivars from over 50 countries have been included, four from Australia: Bull Boar Sausages, Bunya Nuts, Leatherwood Honey and Ligurian Bee Honey, the last one exclusively available from supermarket chain Aldi and is delicious! The Italian bee was introduced to Australia in 1862 and now the only surviving colony is on Kangaroo Island.

An Australian Slow Food campaign is currently being run to allow Australia cheesemakers to use raw milk rather than the pasteurised and  sanitised milk allowed now. Really hope they succeed so sign up at their website and change the world one bite at a time!