A special note on Presidia at Salone Del Gusto.

As in the past, this year also saw Salone Del Gusto showcasing Slow Food’s most important project in support of small-scale producers: the Presidia. The Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity strengthens communities of small-scale producers, protects traditional foods and promotes geographic areas, creating new economic models and putting them into practice around the world. Its main projects are the Presidia, the Earth Markets and the Ark of Taste. Scattered all over the 3 Pavillion Marketplace, divided by geographic area, over 200 stands and identified by the color orange were displayed cheeses, cured meats, breads, sweets, vegetables, fruits, grains and honeys protected by Slow Food. The Slow Food Presidia are concrete examples of a model for agriculture based on quality, the safeguarding of traditional knowledge and sustainability. From the Alps to the Andes, from the Sahara desert to the Tibetan highlands, the Presidia bring producers together and give them the support they need to promote their product and access new markets.

Here are some that caught my eye.

The Mormanno Lentil stall

It reminded me of Masoor,.

Close look!

Orbassano Red Celery
The story of red celery began with the introduction of a purple celery from France in the 17th century which gradually acclimatized to the environment in market gardens near Turin. With its distinctive red base and almond flavour, it was a common product at vegetable markets in Turin then abandoned and risked disappearing due to its demanding cultivation requirements and
lower profitability compared to other varieties. Now only a few growers in the area between Stupinigi and Orbassano continue to produce it, and sell at the farm or local markets.

Nnow protected by a Slow Food Presidium: the Caprauna turnip, which takes its name from a mountain village at an altitude of about 900 meters in the Valle Tanaro, on the border between Piedmont and Liguria. The proximity of the sea and the high altitude ensure optimal growth, a sweet, delicate flavour and an unusual yellowish white in colour.

Hunchback Cardoon - Cultivated in the sandy soil along the Belbo River, these cardoons are trained into a unique “hunchback” shape. Once the plants are tall and vigorous, the cardaroli, or cardoon growers, bend the plants over and cover them with soil. As they seek to find sunlight, the plants swell and curve and the stems lose all their chlorophyll, becoming white and tender. The Nizza Monferrato hunchback cardoon is the only cardoon that can be eaten raw, and is a classic accompaniment to one of Piedmont’s greatest
dishes, bagna cauda, a warm sauce of olive oil, garlic and anchovies.

In 1277 the herders of Castelmagno paid rent for their pastures to the Marquis of Saluzzo in cheese. Today, the Castelmagno found on the market is made primarily in dairies, but there are still several farmers who produce it in the mountains according to traditional methods. The complex and ancient technique calls for the curd to be broken into large walnut-sized lumps which are then tied up in a cloth and left to hang before being cut again into cubes, crumbled into fine pieces, mixed with coarse salt and put into molds.

Salone Del Gusto Italian Pavilions - AKA Italian Food Porn!

Salone del Gusto is a food lovers dream world and should be on the calender of everyone around the world who cares deeply about food. The Salone del Gusto runs in parallel to Terra Madre, and has now come to be two halves of a complete whole. A strong network of relationships is created here on behalf of food that proves that it is sustainable and yet bring pleasure, perhaps more so by its sustainable nature! The Salone del Gusto is educational, because it is about learning, knowing, comparing and discovering, but always in the name of a right to responsible and fully shared pleasure. A festival, celebrating what we eat and the people who make it. The whole of Italy came together in Pavilions 2 and 3, with large signs indicating the home areas of the exhibitors, who presented their specialties alongside the Slow Food Presidia. One could wander through this 'marketplace' sampling cured meats, cheeses, preserves, chocolates, spirits, pasta, seafood and much more, discovering the flavors of all of Italy's regional cuisines under this one roof.

It was overwhelming, as you can see below....

Various Salumi on display.

Salamis flavoured with oregano, chillies and peppercorns.

Chillies in all their fiery splendour at an antipasti stall.

Pickled pleasures!

Nduja Sausages and spreads.

Fresh, flavoured and smoked Ricotta Cheeses

Smoked Ricotta up close.

Considered one of the most famous, Calabrian foods, Nduja is a soft, spicy, spreadable salami that originates from Spilinga, the name 'nduja' comes from the french word "andouille", which means "sausage". Nduja is made with pork meat, a bit of fat, salt and a lot of red pepper and is extremely spicy and often considered an aphrodisiac due to its firepower. They say it is also great for the heart but I didn't need justification to try it!

Nduja up close and personal!

Italian Chikki!

I am not sure if this was a traditional cheese, it sounded as if the cheese maker had created it himself.

I just loved how it looked.

I was really surprised at the sheer AMOUNT of chilli I saw all over! This stall had a killer Garlic Chilli spread I tried.

Cheese PLEASE

Cant ever get enough can we, this is the Fondata.

More meat!

Closer look!

Tarfuto - diamonds of the culinary world!

Worth their weight in GOLD!

Originating from Brazil, these confections date back to the time of the Benedictine monks and  nuns, who had considerable influence in the history and culture of the Troina regione. Made of  flour, sugar, yeast, lard, water and ammonia, these cylindrical pastry cases are approximately 15 cm in length and come filled filled with custard of various kinds, throughout the year but are most popular during the Carnival and Easter.

Pastry filled with custard

One of my favourite ingredients - Sun Dried tomatoes. Chop them, steep in hot extra virgin olive oil, add salt, chopped parsley and toss with chopped garlic and hot pasta. Tomato Heaven!

Pecorino Cheese stall, Pecorino is the name given to all Italian cheeses made from sheep's milk. Different regions have different Pecorino variants, eg. Pecorina Romano is the name given to cheeses from the Rome area, Pecorino Sardo is from Sardinia, Pecorino Siciliano from Sicily and my favourite because it is speckled with peppercorns. This Cheese maker hade a range of diffenernt ones, produced in small batches from milk from sheep that live in the Terminillo and Lazio regions and feed on organic feed and pasture grass, since 1940, the cheese is produced according to methods used by shepherds from time immemorial. He had me try them all, spearing off choice cuts from the "First Sale", fresh and delicate cheese prior to aging, the " Seasoned Pecorino " matured in cellars upto 1100 meters above sea level and the " Pecorino Aged in Cave" that had been aged in a cave, a process that imparted a hauntingly unique flavor. The impromptu tasting session concluded with a charming and rather flattering invitation to have coffe later. Italian men! SIGH! They can make a girl feel on top of the world!

And this rather special fresh Pecorino studded with tender pistachios, almost had me accepting!

Picante pleasures!

Funghi Porcini, my favourite mushroom. There is nothing like fresh porcini, large meaty slichtly citrussy musrooms, they are delicious. Dried porcini have terrific mushroomy aroma that adds wondrous flavour to stews and sauces and produces one of the finest risotto flavours I have ever tried.

Pretty Squashes...

Single flora honeys

Cheese Oppulence, thats one pillar of Comte, another of Parmiggiano Regiano - note the rind with the stamp? and a roof of Gorgonzola!!

Parmiggiano Regiano again - and yes that is a curtain of small salamis behind him!

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A pretty display of the Lombardy regions foods.

Grana Padano flavoured crackers.

Sea Salt

More Salt

Tomatoes being strung up.