On September 8, 2017, Cusco will host the Gastronomic Forum on the role of gastronomy in revitalizing agriculture and preserving biodiversity and identity.
The Forum will be held at the Coliseo Palacio de la Juventud from 7.30 a.m. and will be attended by distinguished exhibitors from the Peruvian food scene: Gastón Acurio, Mitsuharu Tsumura, Ignacio Medina, Karissa Becerra, Malena Martinez, Sandra Salcedo, Diego Salazar, Javier Masias and various chefs from Generación Con Causa. The Forum is organized by Pacha Lab, Dircetur, Generación Con Causa, La Revolución, Matria, and the Slow Food Peru network will be in attendance as a guest.
During the event, Slow Food will present “El Arca del Gusto en Perú. Productos, saberes e historias del patrimonio gastronómico” [The Ark of Taste in Peru: products, knowledge and history of gastronomic heritage], a publication featuring research into more than 100 products from Peru’s gastronomic heritage, which are cataloged in the Ark of Taste, an international Slow Food project to identify and protect foods with cultural roots that are at risk of disappearing. The aim of the book is to create information, knowledge and awareness of Peru’s food and agricultural heritage, calling on the community not to lose their connection with the land that feeds us and will feed us in the future. The book was produced by Dauro Zocchi, from the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Pollenzo, in collaboration with the Slow Food Peru network.
The invitation to work together is open to all the people of Peru, but with a focus on the culinary world. At a time when Peruvian gastronomy has achieved international recognition, young chefs and gastronomy students are the perfect people to showcase local products with shrewdness and creativity while respecting the “guardians of biodiversity”.
“For all this work to take off, a link with local gastronomy needs to be established, and quickly. The role of chefs, housekeepers, public canteens, government programs, small businesses, universities and cookery schools is vital at this time. Our responsibility is to convey the message and keep it alive, so alliances with networks of producers, chefs, academia, NGOs and the media, are crucial.” says Karla Gabaldoni, who, together with Antonieta Manrique, coordinates the Slow Food network in Peru.
The Cusco Gastronomic Forum will also be an important opportunity to present and promote SISAY – El Florecer de nuestra Tierra, a national conference for young Peruvian farmers that will take place in October 2017.