For the first time in Relais & Chateaux history, the association unites to add local, endangered products to Slow Food’s Ark of Taste; the chefs are saving near-extinct foods in their respective terroir to ensure the preservation of culinary heritage, which will culminate into the Food for Change campaign, celebrated in partnership with Slow Food from 7-10 October.
Created in 1996, Slow Food’s Ark of Taste is an online catalogue of over 5500 foods (plant varieties, animal breeds and traditional processed products such as cheeses, cured meats, breads, sweets, etc.) from small-scale quality production.
The Ark of Taste is an authority on biodiversity charting edible history, and it creates an invaluable connection between small producers, chefs, academics, consumers and policymakers. As an international reference, it preserves culinary heritage and biodiversity for the future of our food systems.
To date, Slow Food has already approved 39 products from Relais & Châteaux properties in 21 countries, with the objective to achieve 99 new nominations by October when this milestone will be celebrated through a joint campaign called Food for Change. The nominations must undergo a strict evaluation process through 20 technical committees, Slow Food’s Content and Projects Hub and the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Pollenzo before being approved to the Ark of Taste.
Kumatiya is one of the 39 products that has already been approved to the Ark of Taste. Nominated by Maitre de Maison, Miss Megha Verma of Relais & Châteaux SUJÁN Jawai, this small, thorny deciduous tree has several common names including gum acacia. Kumatiya trees produce pods, each one containing a row of three shiny, flat seeds used as food by the people in Rajasthan. These seeds are used in culinary delicacies as well as glues, cosmetics and textiles.
Furthermore, the kumatiya trees are an important component of the traditional agroforestry system as they can fix nitrogen and improve soil fertility. But the trees are at risk because farmers tend to cut them down in an effort to shift to conventional agriculture. Owner & VP of Relais & Châteaux, Jaisal Singh explains: “This is an essential ingredient in one of Rajasthan’s most popular and most delicious dishes; Ker Kumatiya Sangri, a mélange of three indigenous desert ingredients that make this a delicacy which gives you a true flavor of the local terroir.”
The Food for Change campaign 2021:
In order to protect and preserve these Ark of Taste products, many need to be rediscovered and put back on the table, and producers need to be supported and have their stories told. So from 7-10 October, Relais & Châteaux chefs will raise awareness of the near-extinct foods that they nominated and explain to their guests and followers why biodiversity and culinary heritage matter as well as how to protect and cook the ingredients.
On the other hand, some Ark of Taste products are endangered wild species, which either need to be consumed less or not at all in order to allow the species to rest and regenerate. Overall the goal is to raise awareness of how to protect these products on a case-by-case basis.
Agricultural biodiversity and small–scale, family-based food production systems are in danger throughout the world due to industrialization, genetic erosion, changing consumption patterns, climate change, the abandonment of rural areas, migration, and conflict. Through our food choices we can collectively influence how food is cultivated, produced and distributed, and change the world as a result. Relais & Châteaux members, most often located in remote areas, are all committed towards making a better world through cuisine and hospitality as pledged at UNESCO in 2014.
In cooking local and seasonal produce (<50km / 30mi), increasing demand for heirloom varieties, eliminating meat from industrial livestock production and focusing on a plant-forward approach, chefs significantly reduce each plate’s carbon footprint and support farmers that raise heritage livestock breeds or save heirloom vegetable seeds. Through Food for Change, Relais & Châteaux and Slow Food hope to inspire people around the world to be more mindful about our food system, which is responsible for 30% of greenhouse gas emissions.
“Biodiversity is not only genetic, but also cultural; it comes from and belongs to the heritage and traditions of the entire planet,” comments Slow Food president Carlo Petrini. “With the industrialization of our food system, we risk losing both the hundreds of corn varieties and the savoir-faire of a small village’s cheese producer.”
For Olivier Roellinger, Vice President of Relais & Châteaux, “What’s the point of eating the same food or drinking the same wine in every country around the world? Relais & Châteaux properties represent the diversity of cuisines; they are guardians of biodiversity, sharing all that is good and beautiful in this world.”
This initiative reflects the ongoing partnership – now in its 5th year – between Relais & Châteaux and Slow Food, which will culminate in the 4th annual Food for Change campaign from 7-10 October 2021.
