I would be remiss to not share with you all what I think is one of the most important food events of all time. If you love food and drink, particularly Italian food and drink, don’t miss out on Salone del Gusto 2016, from 22 to 26 September in Turin. Salone del Gusto is a biannual event created by Slow Food, dedicated to gastronomy. I have been to the one two years ago in Turin as well as Asio Gusto three years ago in Korea (their first Asian Salone del Gusto) and both were extraordinary. Farmers and food producers from all over the world came to proudly show their products. Biodiversity is always a theme with Slow Food so not only will you see hundreds of varieties of foods such as apples and pumpkins but also rare foods which are dying out. Each nation is represented, ranging from Norwegians showing the different types of salt cod to Africans demonstrating how to make chocolate from fresh cocoa fruit.
In previous years the event happened in pavilions in the Lingotto with two pavilions dedicated to Italian food with producers divided into regions. This year is a bit special as it is the 30-year anniversary of Slow Food so Salone del Gusto is happening all over Turin at symbolic locations. 5,000 delegates representing five continents will be demonstrating flavours from around the world at Valentino Park, along the banks of the river Po, in Piazza San Carlo, Via Roma and Piazzale Valdo Fusi. And the event is free! Street food can be sampled at Murazzi (promenade of the River Po) and Piazza Vittorio.
Just visiting the producers and sampling the food is enough to fill a week but there are also food, beer and wine tastings, forums and conferences bringing together food producers on important topics such as sustainable seafood, cooking classes, historical tours and much more. Some events require a ticket so be sure to check out the schedule here: http://www.salonedelgusto.com/en/ There are also more than 50 Terre Madre Forums on the relationship between food and the planet. Check out the schedule here to attend: http://www.salonedelgusto.com
If you can make it to Turin, go to Salone del Gusto. You won’t regret it. See my post on Salone del Gusto 2014 here. And on Asio Gusto (Korea) here. And one of the talks I went to on food diversity and sustainability. And on my favourite farmer I met at Asio Gusto.
For those of you who are new to Turin, let me take you on a few gastronomic highlights of my mother-in-law’s home town:
Pane (Bread):
Antipasti (Starters):
Primi (First courses):
Secondi (Main courses):
Dolci (Desserts):
Bevande (Drinks):
To take home:
For more information on Torino and Piemonte such as additional traditional dishes, what to see and more, click here. For more Piedmontese recipes, click here.
