Most of us are on a guilt trip that we tend to ignore right before devouring that greasy cheeseburger. However, the word is at crossroads when it comes to fast food culture and obesity, and now movements that challenge junk food have sprung up everywhere. Notable among these is the Slow Foods programme, started by Carlo Petrini in 1986 in Bra, Italy, who was in Delhi recently to talk about nutrition and cooking. “Slow Foods works to reinforce diversity. It asserts the importance of local cuisine and stresses the role of cooks,” stressed Petrini, 59, who’s also worked as a food journalist in Italy. According to Petrini, there is no creativity in a Mc Donald’s burger since they follow same standards across the globe. “There is no localization of the produce since the standards are just the same. Its nutritional value is a disaster,” he said. He has organised numerous seminars stressing on the importance of the slow foods movement. The group’s most recent initiative was at Terra Madre in Turin in October 2006. It was over here that Petrini formed a community of over 1,000 cooks from across the globe.
“Most of the knowledge that the best cooks possess comes from their mothers and are all locally developed,” he explained. Petrini’s grandfather worked as a farmer. He recalled the teachings of his father. He said, “I was taught how food was linked to the soil and the importance of respect to the rhythms of the soil.”
When it comes to Indian food, Petrini has a lot to say. “I love the flavours here. There is an extraordinary marriage of spices that change from village to village. I especially like the “daal” and the various pulses, which one can have with bread. In Kerala, I tried various dishes with coconut and pepper,” he smiled.
