The Ark of Taste is an international catalogue of endangered
heritage foods
Heritage Foods Limited (commonly known as Heritage Foods) is one of the largest private sector dairy enterprises in Southern India.
History
The Heritage Group was founded in 1992 by Telugu Desam Party Chief and former Chief Minister of Andhr ...
which is maintained by the global
Slow Food
Slow Food is an organization that promotes local food and traditional cooking. It was founded by Carlo Petrini in Italy in 1986 and has since spread worldwide. Promoted as an alternative to fast food, it strives to preserve traditional and regi ...
movement. The Ark is designed to preserve at-risk foods that are
sustainably produced, unique in
taste
The gustatory system or sense of taste is the sensory system that is partially responsible for the perception of taste (flavor). Taste is the perception produced or stimulated when a substance in the mouth reacts chemically with taste receptor ...
, and part of a distinct
ecoregion
An ecoregion (ecological region) or ecozone (ecological zone) is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than a bioregion, which in turn is smaller than a biogeographic realm. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of l ...
. Contrary to the most literal definition of plant and animal
conservation
Conservation is the preservation or efficient use of resources, or the conservation of various quantities under physical laws.
Conservation may also refer to:
Environment and natural resources
* Nature conservation, the protection and managem ...
, the Ark of Taste aims to maintain edibles in its purview by actively encouraging their cultivation for consumption. By doing so, Slow Food hopes to promote the growing and eating of foods which are sustainable and preserve
biodiversity
Biodiversity or biological diversity is the variety and variability of life on Earth. Biodiversity is a measure of variation at the genetic (''genetic variability''), species (''species diversity''), and ecosystem (''ecosystem diversity'') l ...
in the human food chain.
Foods included in the list are intended to be "culturally or historically linked to a specific region, locality, ethnicity or traditional production practice", in addition to being rare. Which foods meet these criteria is decided by an adjudicating committee made up of members of the Slow Food nonprofit organization; all candidates go through a formal nomination process which includes tastings and identification of producers within the region.
Since the foundation of the Ark in 1996, 5312 products (September 2021) from over 130 countries have been included and growing daily.
The list includes not only prepared foods and food products, but also a great many
livestock
Livestock are the domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to provide labor and produce diversified products for consumption such as meat, eggs, milk, fur, leather, and wool. The term is sometimes used to refer solely to animals ...
breeds, as well as vegetable and fruit
cultivar
A cultivar is a type of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and when propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue culture, ...
s. All foods in the catalogue are accompanied by a list of resources for those wishing to grow or buy them.
A selected list of Ark of Taste foods
Ark of Taste foods in Italy
The sources for the Italian section, unless other specified, are the lists selectable from "Ark of Taste", Fondazione Slow Food per la Biodiversità.
Ark of Taste foods in the United States
Ark of Taste foods throughout the world
See also
*
Biodiversity
Biodiversity or biological diversity is the variety and variability of life on Earth. Biodiversity is a measure of variation at the genetic (''genetic variability''), species (''species diversity''), and ecosystem (''ecosystem diversity'') l ...
*
Heirloom plant
An heirloom plant, heirloom variety, heritage fruit (Australia and New Zealand), or heirloom vegetable (especially in Ireland and the UK) is an old cultivar of a plant used for food that is grown and maintained by gardeners and farmers, particular ...
*
Local food
Local food is food that is produced within a short distance of where it is consumed, often accompanied by a social structure and supply chain different from the large-scale supermarket system.
Local food (or "locavore") movements aim to co ...
*
List of food origins
Some foods have always been common in every continent, such as many seafood and plants. Examples of these are honey, ants, mussels, crabs and coconuts. Nikolai Vavilov initially identified the centers of origin for eight crop plants, subdividing t ...
*
Rare breed (agriculture)
In modern agriculture, a rare breed is a breed of poultry or livestock that has a very small breeding population, usually from a few hundred to a few thousand. Because of their small numbers, rare breeds may have a threatened conservation status ...
*
Slow Food
Slow Food is an organization that promotes local food and traditional cooking. It was founded by Carlo Petrini in Italy in 1986 and has since spread worldwide. Promoted as an alternative to fast food, it strives to preserve traditional and regi ...
Similar organizations
*
The Livestock Conservancy
The Livestock Conservancy, formerly known as the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy (ALBC) and prior to that, the American Minor Breeds Conservancy, is a nonprofit organization focused on preserving and promoting rare breeds, also known as "h ...
*
Rare Breeds Survival Trust
The Rare Breeds Survival Trust is a conservation charity whose purpose is to secure the continued existence and viability of the native farm animal genetic resources (FAnGR) of the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1973 by Joe Henson to prese ...
References
Further reading
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* {{cite book , title=Renewing America’s Food Traditions: Saving and Savoring the Continent’s Most Endangered Foods , last=Nabhan , first=Gary Paul , publisher=Chelsea Green Publishing , isbn=978-1-933392-89-9 , year=2008
External links
Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversitythe Ark of Tasteon localharvest.org
Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity - Ark of Taste at Google Cultural Institute
Slow Food
Sustainable agriculture
Food politics
Projects established in 1996