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Slow Food. Canada.
Two things you know very well, yet together they might be a bit mysterious. Your neighbours to the North are fighting the same fights, pursuing the same goals, dreaming the same dreams – only, in a slightly different climate. From the Maritimes to British Columbia, through Québec, Ontario and the Prairies, and all the way up to Yukon, our convivia are putting their heart and souls into promoting food that is good, clean and fair.
“The Slow Food movement in Canada is about buying from local farms, growing food at home, cooking, sharing with friends and family.”
We too are blessed to have such biodiversity in our country, rich soils and generous seas. In fact, the First Nations were very well aware of the incredible opportunities the territory gave them 10,000 years ago. On Canada’s West Coast, for example, the pristine fish and the shellfish are unmatched anywhere, and our food communities are working very hard to protect some of the species that have been living there for millennia. The Okanagan Sockeye Salmon is a very good example, if you’re interested, we strongly suggest you read about it on the Canadian Ark of Taste website.
Slow Food in Canada is also about multiculturalism. Immigration from around the globe helps define our culinary heritage – our history says a lot about the way we eat. Each region possesses its own distinct cultural differences and geographic diversity that continues to influence what we grow, what we fish, what we hunt, and how we cook and eat it.
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Canada is a vast country – this creates huge challenges in connecting this generation and the next from one province to another in realizing where their food comes from. Luckily, we have incredibly dedicated members, chefs and supporters integrating Slow Food values in their work and their businesses, helping educate those who live in cities and do not have this proximity to food. Part of the solution, according to many, is to rebuild a connection between cities and rural areas, between urban development and the sustainable production of food.
Like the United States, Slow Food in Canada also embraces the importance of pleasure associated with food, family and sustenance. It’s not difficult to see why our diverse multiculturalism emphasizes amazing foods from coast to coast: we are a country that boasts Cod from Newfoundland, wild blueberries from eastern Canada, Quebec maple syrup, amazing artisanal cheeses from Ontario, GMO-free extra virgin Canola oil from the Prairies, native species like Bison and Pickerel from our north, not to mention defining foods like Nova Scotia Lobster and British Columbia Salmon.
In the end, the Slow Food movement in Canada is about buying from local farms, growing food at home, cooking, sharing with friends and family. From the land and sea to our tables, we’re one food community from coast to coast celebrating Good, Clean and Fair food for all.
Yours Slowly,
Slow Food in Canada
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To learn more about Slow Food in Canada, watch the 15-minute documentary released on Terra Madre Day, 2014.
