June 24, 2012 — rio

During the Sustainable Development summit in Rio last week, the Slowfood movement had set up markets in different parts of Rio.

I visited the one in Tijuca, an area reached through the luxurious forests of Rio, where houses nest in what seems like a rainforest gone mad.
The Slowfood market gave people a chance to buy vegetables and fruit free from pesticides (a big problem in Brazil), as well as giving lessons in composting and how to use original ingredients such as manioc for cooking. One of the Brazilian Slowfood members talked about the colonization through taste – when the Portuguese had introduced wheat and many local ingredients was forgotten.
A manioc pancake with goats cheese, served with iced hibiscus tea, and followed by tiny, local bananas was food heaven!

Slowfood founder Carlo Petrini talked about how food should be good, clean and fair, and this ticked all three boxes.

More on slowfood: www.slowfood.com

Stina