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SALONE DEL GUSTO
This is the fourth time that we took part in Salone, first under the
umbrella of Food from Britain, then as a Presidia product with the
pilchards. We have also exhibited at Slow Fish in Genoa on a couple of
occasions, just seafood products from around the world ( I could talk to
you about fish for a long time so will leave it now!).
The show opens at 10.30 am. and closes at 11 pm.( a very long and tiring
day). Nearly 30,000 people walk by each day over five days, wanting to
talk, taste, buy… What keeps me going are the people you meet, the old
faces who are there at every show and the new faces, this year , of
course, the oyster fishermen from the Fal Estuary , Tim and Rob and
their mentor Clare from Pesca.
Many of the producers were put up in the brand new Winter Olympic
Village, a short walk from the Lingotto Centre, over the railway station
via a bridge. We were lucky to find a couple of trattorias, outside the
gate, where the staff looked after us very well after a long day’s work.
They understood that we wanted to relax at the end of a working day over
a meal and with a few drinks, so they extended their kitchen times until
midnight to serve us, brilliant!! And, guess what? They were also there
at 9.30 am. to serve us a wonderful cappuccino and pasticeria…
This year, my neighbours were: Tom and his crew from the Perry Pear
Presidia, the Presidia oyster fishermen from Cornwall and the Presidia
Cheddar cheese with James and his father (have you ever tasted Cheddar
with natural blue veins of mould, just beats any cheddar!!). This year
again, we met the monks and producers of yak milk cheese from Tibet with
their co-ordinator Paola . Francisco, from Chile came with fishermen
from Robison’s Crusoe Island and the bottom tip of Chile and other
producers with the blue shell eggs and merken, a spice made with smoked
chillies.
The Sami people were there as well with their reindeer products, Rudolf
smoked, frozen or fresh and his horns worked into the most beautiful
knives handles. Martha from Holland with her traditional goudas. You’ll
never touch a pack from the supermarket again… and then the two Spanish
brothers with products made from the wild black and pink pig from
Northern Spain, near San Sebastian. On their first visit, 2 years ago,
they came with a “maestro cortador” – a master cutter- with two years
training. He spent half an hour every morning preparing his knife to cut
paper thin jamon. Quite amazing!!! In the Pyrennees, on the French side,
are the producers of cured ham from the big black pig. Both have
excellent products. In the pig line, my heart goes to a particular
Hungarian pig who has curly white hair for the first two years. Maybe it
dreams of being a sheep and looks so, so cute. Makes good sausages too…
There are so many wonderful people, all with a serious passion about
what they produce. I hope you will enjoy reading some of their stories
in the regular Slow magazines.
See you at the next Slow Meetings for more stories.
Mithe Howell
The Pilchard Works
NEWLYN TR18 5QH |
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