Resources for Heirloom Foods: Slow Food USA

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I discussed Heirloom and Heritage foods in a previous post.  Now I would like to share one resource that will give you the opportunity to sample some of these amazing foods for yourself.


Slow Food USA
Slow Food USA is a chapter of Slow Food International.  Slow Food was created by Italian, Carlo Petrini in 1986.  Its mission is to be everything Fast Food is not.  His website states: We believe that everyone has a fundamental right to the pleasure of good food and consequently the responsibility to protect the heritage of food, tradition and culture that make this pleasure possible.  At first, Petrini was just trying to resist the building of a McDonald's at the Spanish Steps in Rome.  This eventually turned into an international non-profit organization of over 100,000 members with chapters in 132 countries.

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The international website is huge.  It is well done with really great information.  The Slow Food USA site is also done really well.  The three pages I want to direct you to are these:

US Ark of Taste.  From this page: The US Ark of Taste profiles over 200 rare regional foods, and is a tool that helps farmers, ranchers, fishers, chefs, retail grocers, educators and consumers celebrate our country's diverse biological, cultural and culinary heritage.  Be sure to click on the links in the right-hand column to get more information on these amazing foods


Local Chapters.  This page has an interactive map that allows you to locate farmers who raise foods that are consistent with the Slow Food Mission.

Slow Food USA Blog.  This is updated a few times a month with some interesting and fun posts.


Here are some links to Carlo Petrini's books on Slow Food.  I have not read these... yet!  They are on my to-read list.

Slow Food(The Case For Taste)

Slow Food Nation: Why Our Food Should Be Good, Clean, And Fair