Knowledges and Tastes
06/11/2008
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In recent times, food production has been monopolized by "intensive agriculture" which aims to achieve “average tonnage” and a “record harvest”. " However, seeking an abundant harvest at all costs has a price; now more than ever, the production of food depends on oil in the form of fertilizers, pesticides,
the long distances that agricultural produce have to travel to get to our tables and the energy
required by the processing industry.
With the price of oil at over 140 U.S. dollars a barrel, small and medium-sized farms are gaining
ground, precisely those that do not pollute and produce healthier and tastier products, use less machinery,
pesticides and fertilizers and are not so reliant on oil. This process can be encouraged further by
not calculating the cost of food merely in terms of quantity and, instead, considering the nutritional
value of the product itself. Then, the demand for quality food would increase considerably.
Compared to food from "conventional farming" , “organic” fruit and vegetables contain 40% more nutrients.
Also, animals left free to graze produce more meat and dairy products that are richer in betacarotene
and conjugated linoleic acid.
In order to have healthy food and delicious flavour, it is necessary to cultivate good plants on healthy
soil, rich in natural nutrients. Encouraging this type of production has nothing to do with nostalgia for
our grandparents' lifestyle and a lot to do with looking towards the future, the era of free solar energy,
where the waste produced by one species becomes food for another.
Cooks can make a significant contribution to the evolution of the way we eat, both by demanding
ever tastier ingredients and by promoting the acquisition of local and seasonal products. Nevertheless,
this is not enough, it is imperative to support a system in which farms can come together to market
and promote their products under a collective brand, in order to minimize the costs and the environmental
impact. To favour this important change, it is crucial to educate those responsible for the
crops, through Universities and Agricultural Institutes, and help cooks become more aware of the important
role they play when they chose the products they will use in the kitchen.
The future of our agriculture is in the hands of our cooks and of all those who respect food and how
it is prepared.
We never believed the saying "more is better", not because it makes us dependent on oil, but because
it has brought nothing good to our tables.
A truly “succulent” cuisine, inspired by healthy farm traditions, comes form the combination of a healthy
agriculture and correct nutrition. That is the way it has always been and we should be grateful.
The future belongs to gourmets!
Roberta Paccusse
In collaborazione con Italcook Master Italian Cooking :
www.italcook.it
If only food became at bit more organic
Cooks and producers: united to safeguard a healthy nutrition