For five days from October 23 to 27, an incredible festival took place in Turin - the Salon of Taste and Terra Madre (Salone del Gusto e Terra Madre). All five days I watched with my own eyes what is happening, and now I just can’t wait to share with you even a piece of this holiday and the atmosphere.
The organizers of the Salon of Taste are the association of Slow Food, the administration of the Piedmont region and the city of Turin in cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forestry Policy. Dedicated to the world of food, the Salon of Taste has become one with the international meeting of the Terra Madre network, which for 10 years brings together small producers from around the world.
The Salon of Taste and Terra Madre brought together cooks, farmers, fishermen, scientists, artisans, representatives of the world of wine and gastronomy, food communities of Terra Madre, as well as more than 1000 exhibit products from 130 countries.
The taste shop is an exposition from all over the world and in more detail in all regions of Italy, where manufacturers who adhere to the approaches of farming organic and biological farms presented their best products and drinks. But this is not just food that satisfies our hunger, but this is a whole philosophy when people are engaged in the work of their whole life, passing on skills from generation to generation and are sincerely proud of it. Italians have it in their blood. How passionately they talk about wine, describing it with incredible epithets: delicate, sophisticated, melodious, melodic!
The Romans and the Lazio region recreated the atmosphere of the Roman Empire, and literally for 2 hours the guests of the salon were able to immerse themselves in this atmosphere, learn the basics of Roman cuisine and taste dishes according to recipes over 1500 years old. The dishes were very simple, but at the same time interesting in combination and execution. The classic lunch began with a snack that consisted of homemade eggs, a sourdough bread with raisins and wildflowers to add a subtle aroma, as well as black olives and bruschetta with cheese cream and garlic. All this was served with homemade unfiltered wine, thick and pungent, with a very strong, bright aroma of sweet berries and as if spices, but it tastes very soft and delicate. The main meal of the Romans was a soup made from lentils. A rich lentil cream soup with a slice of ripe sheep’s cheese was served in a bread loaf, which also served as a dish. If you wanted to diversify drinks, you could treat yourself to a very light beer. The Roman dinner ended with a dessert - pumpkin porridge, homogeneous, creamy, with a rich smell of pumpkin and honey. The dishes were simple but incredibly tasty.
The excitement is always with the Sicilians. The famous cannoli, macaroons and granite did not leave anyone indifferent!
Apulia surprised me with interesting workshops on cooking Apulian pasta. The real Apulian mistress demonstrated her skill and shared secrets.
Calabria and its famous hot pepper peperoncino will make anyone feel the Calabrian cuisine. Calabrians so insisted on tasting their peperoncino pasta that I agreed. Still, you need to be prepared for a fierce burning taste.
The incredibly smiling cheesemaker from Campania demonstrated the process of making real mozzarella di buffalo.
The Taste Shop sends you on a journey in five minutes from a piedmont to Puglia, or from Lombardy to Sardinia. The festival is not just an exhibition of regional specialties, it is an acquaintance with incredible people, an opportunity to acquire and share knowledge and experience, and taste several dishes of different cuisines in one day. Start the morning with a cup of espresso and a slice of hazelnut pie from Piedmont, enjoy a black risotto from Milan for lunch, and enjoy caponata from Sicily in the evening.
