For complete details with links visit: https://www.slowfood.com/press-releases/terra-madre-americas-warms-up/
The first edition of Terra Madre Americas, organized by Slow Food and Visit Sacramento, offers an international program where visitors will have the possibility of attending lectures, workshops and tastings. The main topics at the heart of the event will be coffee, wine and staple foods from Latin American countries, which represent the richness of their biodiversity and culture and became commoties. This international event explores the interconnectedness of food with various aspects of our lives and environment, including the climate crisis, social justice, and education within the food and beverage system, through the lens of specific topics. This first edition represents the foretaste of what Terra Madre Americas is going to be in the coming years, where the whole continent and many communities will be actively involved.
Spotlight on Coffee
The Slow Food Coffee Coalition, an international, open, and collaborative network that unites everyone involved in the coffee supply chain, presents a rich program where passionate and experts can test their knowledge and taste new flavors.
At the Barista class visitors cover the theoretical knowledge behind coffee, the origins, the roasting process, and of course, practice the hands-on elements. The class is run by Francesco Impallomeni from Nordic Roasting and is focused on espresso and espresso-based drinks and looks to both professional and simple coffee lovers. At the end of the class, the trainees will gain both a theoretical and practical understanding of espresso brewing as well as basic latte art skills. The class will be run everyday and is free upon registration. https://visitsacramento.ticketspice.com/terra-madre-americas
The Trends in Specialty coffee lecture presents a birds-eye view of the emerging trends in the specialty coffee industry, from cold brew to automation, and from new post-harvest processing methods to new ways to analyze coffee flavor. Mario Fernandez and Peter Giuliano will run it everyday and is free upon registration. https://visitsacramento.ticketspice.com/terra-madre-americas
The Coffee Value Assessment is a new system to evaluate coffee, proposed by the Specialty Coffee Association, which looks at all the different attributes in a green coffee, to discover which attributes are valuable to the assessor. In this workshop, visitors will learn about the system and will practice the sensory assessments in a tasting. Mario Fernadez, Technical Officer, Specialty Coffee Association; Peter Giuliano, Executive Director at Coffee Science Foundation and Chief Research Officer SCA will run it. The workshop will be on Friday and Saturday and is free upon registration. https://visitsacramento.ticketspice.com/terra-madre-americas
In the Collaborative Coffee, Silvia Rota and Emanuele Dughera from the Slow Food Coffee Coalition, will explore the Participatory Guarantee System lecture, discovering alternative approaches to ensuring the quality of coffee while fostering inclusivity and active participation. The Participatory Guarantee Systems (PGS), a grassroots certification methods that engage various stakeholders across the supply chain will be presented. The lecture runs on Sunday and is free upon registration. https://visitsacramento.ticketspice.com/terra-madre-americas
Spotlight on Latin America biocultural territories
In a Taste Workshop focusing on Brazilian açaí, the cook Maria do Socorro Almeida Nascimento will share her knowledge about açai, from its origins to the challenges communities are dealing with to continue preserving this product, including best practices. The açaí berry originates from the Amazon region, primarily found near rivers and streams in the estuary of the Amazon River. By the 1980s, it was recognized as a superfood, and urbanization in the 1990s expanded its consumption to cities. Açaí is crucial for the health and sustenance of both rural and urban populations in the Amazon, serving as a staple food. However, its transformation into a commodity has led to issues such as poor working conditions and exploitation of labor, particularly in the harvesting process. Visitors will have the opportunity to taste the “Essencia do ver-o-peso” during the first event dedicated to açaí, and “Entre as matas e os rios” during the second one, both açaí-based dishes. The Taste Workshop will run on Friday and Sunday. Ticketed event. https://visitsacramento.ticketspice.com/terra-madre-americas
During Mexico corn Taste Workshop Jesus Roberto Poot Yah, a Mexican farmer, together with Monica Orduña Sosa, member of the Slow Food Cooks’ Alliance in Mexico, will explore corn in all its intricacies, delving into its origins and examining the hurdles that farmers encounter in cultivating this crop, but also best practices related to Milpa cultivating system. The omnipresence of corn profoundly impacts our lives. Originating in Mexico 7,000-10,000 years ago, it forms the core of the Mesoamerican diet, intertwining with beans and squash in the traditional milpa system. Corporate control erodes biodiversity, ancestral knowledge, and economic autonomy, heightening inequality. In response, the Slow Food Milpa System Presidium in Chiapas preserves corn diversity, supports traditional farming, and markets milpa-based tostadas, fostering cultural and economic resilience. During the first event chef Monica Orduña Sosa will prepare a taste called Toasted Corn Freshness, while during the second one she will prepare another corn-based dish, “Picaditas Milpa”. The Workshop runs on Friday and Saturday. Ticketed event. https://visitsacramento.ticketspice.com/terra-madre-americas
In the Colombia panela Taste Workshop, visitors will address the topic of sugarcane with Leidy Casimiro Rodríguez, a Cuban agroecological farmer, who will explain the origins of the product, its properties, but also the challenges that farmers face every day, ending with some best practices that can be adopted. Sugar, emblematic of indulgence and festivity, carries weighty social implications, yet its production poses significant health, environmental, and social concerns. Reevaluating its societal role is imperative, with its historical and production contexts serving as crucial points of reflection. From its ancient Asian origins to its colonial-era exploitation in the Caribbean, sugar’s trajectory prompts profound considerations of its multifaceted impact. Embracing agroecological approaches offers a pathway towards cultural preservation and sustainable alternatives. During this time of introduction to the world of sugarcane, Eduardo Martinez Cañas, member of the Slow Food Cooks’ Alliance in Bogotá, Colombia, will prepare on the spot a dish with panela, an unrefined whole cane sugar, a fish with steam from viche, the Colombian sugarcane distillate, to complete the journey with a tasting activity. The workshop runs on Friday. Ticketed event. https://visitsacramento.ticketspice.com/terra-madre-americas
In the Chilean quinoa Taste Workshop, Andrea Carolina Oyarzo Mansilla, a Chilean quinoa farmer will discuss quinoa in all its nuances, from its origins to the challenges farmers face in growing this product. Additionally, we will also address the topic of good practices that can be implemented.
High in protein, fiber, and minerals, quinoa is hailed as a superfood. However, of over 6,000 varieties, only three dominate the international market. Global demand has led to significant impacts on traditional production regions. Despite its cultural significance, quinoa faced a decline in popularity during colonization, though it remained cherished by indigenous communities. By the late 20th century, scientific validation of its nutritional properties sparked global interest, transforming it from a local delicacy to a globally sought-after food. In this context, the Slow Food network in the Andean region promotes traditional quinoa recipes, preserving cultural heritage and encouraging sustainable cultivation practices. In addition to this discussion, during the first event there will be a tasting of K’ispiñas de quinua (ancestral Andean cookie), an andean salted cracker steamed on a bed of straw, while during the second one there will be a sampling session of Cookie dough with real quinoa mousse, sweet red quinoa cookies, which will be cooked by Maria Ruth Gutiérrez Vargas, from Bolivia, on the spot. The workshop will run on Saturday and Sunday. Ticketed event. https://visitsacramento.ticketspice.com/terra-madre-americas
Furthermore, attendees can enjoy a sampling session featuring “Delight of Cupuaçu”, prepared with cocoa on-site during the product unveiling. During this event there will be a tasting of Delight of Cupuaçu, a dish with typical Brazilian ingredients, including cocoa, prepared by Slow Food cook Patricia Ellen Rodrigues Nicolau, from Rio de Janeiro. The roots of chocolate trace back to the Amazon, where indigenous farmers toil to cultivate cocoa. From Mesoamerican temples to European delicacies, cocoa’s journey reshaped culinary landscapes. However, behind its allure lies a troubling truth: cocoa’s farmers are often underpaid and endure harsh conditions. Ethical cocoa production, such as the Cabruca Cocoa Slow Food Presidium in South of Bahia, Brazil, aims to empower farmers, preserve biodiversity, and create sustainable, fair-trade chocolate.
The Workshop runs on Saturday. Ticketed event. https://visitsacramento.ticketspice.com/terra-madre-americas
During the Taste Workshop Brazil cocoa and Colombian viche Leidy Casimiro Rodríguez, farmers from Cuba will talk about agroecological farms with a focus on sugarcane the challenges that farmers face every day to bring good, clean and fair food to everyone’s table and the topic of adopting good practices in food systems.
The presentation will be accompanied by a delicious tasting of cocoa and sugarcane, cooked on the spot by Eduardo Martinez Cañas, from Colombia, and Patricia Ellen Rodrigues Nicolau, from Brazil : chicken with corn and panela sauce, which will represent sugarcane, and a chocolate soufflé, representing cocoa. The workshop runs on Sunday. Ticketed event. https://visitsacramento.ticketspice.com/terra-madre-americas
Spotlight on Food and Health
The Food and Health area is an exhibit where visitors can discover the connections between human and planetary health. Through interactive experiences, visitors can find answers and take home good practices to improve their nutrition, support animal welfare, and protect the environment. In the Play Slow corner children and families visiting the event can take part in fun, educational activities focused on food, senses, and even a little horticulture. Slow Food educators will be leading these experiences.
This dedicated space for young children allows them to explore food through their senses and ask questions about where it comes from, how it’s produced, and who produces it.
Participation in these activities is free, and no reservations are required.
Spotlight on Wine
During the Everyday Wines Masterclass visitors can explore California wines from lesser-known varieties originally from France, Italy, Portugal and Spain that have taken root here. They will discover a Portuguese white, a lightly sparkling Mourvedre from El Dorado, a red blend from Amador County, Sangiovese from biodynamic vines in Lodi, a low alcohol Italian red blend, and heritage Cinsault from historic vines in this masterclass. The Masterclass runs on Saturday. Ticketed event. https://visitsacramento.ticketspice.com/terra-madre-americas
The Masterclass Latin America: land of great wines and great differences – masterclass visitors explore the fascinating enology of Latin America, which now expresses very high quality peaks. All combined with sustainable agriculture and organic and biodynamic agronomic practices. It will also be a ride through different techniques and disparate grape varieties, so we can enjoy a broad fresco of what is happening in the Latin American wine world, which may yet hold many surprises in store. The Masterclass runs on Saturday. Ticketed event. https://visitsacramento.ticketspice.com/terra-madre-americas
The Slow Wine goes local Masterclass explores the region of “Superior California” encompassing Lodi, the Sierra Nevada Foothills, the California Delta and Yolo County, home to a wealth of old vine vineyards and the Slow Wine producers who cherish them. Selected wines tell the story of these terroirs and showcase the talents of the makers whose efforts have preserved their heritage. The region favors heat-loving varieties including Cinsault, Syrah and Zinfandel but there are surprises like Albarino around every corner. The Masterclass runs on Sunday.Ticketed event. https://visitsacramento.ticketspice.com/terra-madre-americas
The Growing Great Grapes: Amador County’s Legendary Shake Ridge Ranch Masterclass presents how California’s best winemakers and emerging vintners alike come to Sutter Creek to get great grapes. Since 2005, winemakers–from Napa’s top tiers to fledgling natural vintners–have coveted the 14 varieties legendary vineyardist Anne Kraemer meticulously grows in Amador County in the Sierra foothills from Barbera, Grenache and Syrah to Tempranillo and Zinfandel. The Masterclass runs on Sunday. Ticketed event. https://visitsacramento.ticketspice.com/terra-madre-americas
On May 20th, the event will move to Mulvaney’s B&L for a day exclusively dedicated to food & wine industry professionals who will have the opportunity to meet more than 30 wineries from the United States and Central and South America, all of which are participating in the Slow Wine Coalition.
More on Terra madre Americas on
https://www.slowfood.com/events/terra-madre-americas/
https://www.visitsacramento.com/terra-madre-americas/
Tickets available here: https://visitsacramento.ticketspice.com/terra-madre-americas
Practical information: from May 17 – 19, 2024 | 10 am – 6 pm
Sacramento Memorial Auditorium
