The Ark of Taste in the World: Presenting Atlases of Latin America Food Heritage ​

with Bruno Morett Figuereido Rosa, Dauro Zocchi and Diego Silva do Santos

After many years of activity, the Ark of Taste project, run by the Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity in collaboration with the University of Gastronomic Sciences, is taking a new and important step. Last year, new publications were produced on the gastronomic heritage of two Latin American countries, hopefully the start of a growing collection of books. Finally we have a physical tool for bringing about real change when it comes to the protection of traditional food heritage around the world.

As Carlo Petrini says: “Recording this material in a book finally gives Slow Food and the communities the power to show local governments and society the effects of the industrial paradigm.”

The first book to be launched was on Peru, followed by one on Brazil. Both are proving very successful at different presentations carried out recently with the support of local Slow Food networks. Now the students involved in producing the books want to talk about their work and debate what gastronomes can do to change local contexts at a round-table discussion for UNISG students, led by UNISG students.