Where are you from? I’m Canadian. Canada is a country that is 150 years old, first discovered by an English explorer called John Cabot in 1497.
Well, except for the Vikings who had arrived 500 years previous and taught the English how to salt cod in order to sustain their crews on the long Atlantic voyages. And, of course, the Native Americans who had inhabited the land for some 50,000 years before that, and who showed the Vikings where to find the cod.
500 years of colonization have had a devastating effect on our First Nations communities, eroding traditions and cultures that we are now trying to reclaim so that communities can rediscover their connection to the environment and traditional food sources.
Since the time of the first European contact, we have seen our population increase through various waves of immigrants. Canada is one of the most diverse countries in the world. My ancestors were Irish, and the Pennsylvania dutch, and the Polish peasantry. The only thing they all had in common were that they were farmers
Only 32% of Canadians consider their ethnic origin to actually be Canadian. 25% of our population is foreign born. While most of our early settlers were definitely European in origin, today 60% of new Canadians immigrate from Asia. We consider ourselves a culture of cultures and that is reflected in the snapshot of the foods that you might find available throughout the country.
For example, it wouldn’t be unusual to find curry in the interiors of British Columbia thanks to Punjabi farmers who have settled in the region.
The Ukrainian and central European populations who came to till the great plains brought a version of pierogi with them which is typically made with cheddar thanks to our British influence.
I lived in Toronto's East Chinatown for 20 years. Toronto’s Chinese population is so large that we have three distinct Chinatowns where you can find every version of Chinese cuisine from what some might identify as ‘authentic’ (who hates that word BTW?) to more modern versions, adapted to sensitive western palates with unique dishes such as chop suey, chicken balls and fortune cookies (which, incidentally, were appropriated from the Japanese).
I currently live in Berlin which is the Slavic name given to the region by its original settlers. When I host visitors, they usually want to eat a ‘typical’ German meal of schnitzel. I often oblige, (who doesn’t love fried meat?!) but the schnitzel is, in fact, Austrian. A more typical dish of northern Europe might be pickled herring or Konigsberger Klopse (veal meatballs cooked in cream).
Sense of place
If someone asks you where you’re from. How would you define your sense of place?
Terroir defines a “sense of place” as something primarily geological. It’s about the environmental landscape and what can be cultivated. The concept, which developed through viticulture, says we should be able to taste a distinct sense of place when drinking wine or eating foods from a specific region. But this is only one part of the story.
The geography of food also seeks to understand where things are found and why they are present in those places. It is the human impact of what we grow, farm and fish, and why. Humans settled in agriculturally rich areas and along shorelines in order to survive. If we examine cultural anthropology through the food that we eat and our rituals around it, we tell the story of our history, politics, religions, social & economic systems, trade partnerships and migration.
Four points on trade
Lüneburg was one of the wealthiest and most important towns of the Hanseatic League in the 12th century. The Hanseatic League was the first global trade federation which created an economic union for the protection and prosperity of the region. If you've ever flown Lufthansa, it is named after this union. Some of the most important trading goods during this time were foodstuffs and Lüneburg was important because it had a monopoly on salt during this period. Salt was important as Northern Europe fast converted to Christianity and the communities around the Baltic Sea used it as a means to cure the widely available herring and mackerel which was needed during long religious fasts when meat was not permitted. Even after Protestant reforms, the tradition of curing and pickling fish remained part of cultural tradition.
Lübeck, a small German coastal town became the capital of both the Hanseatic League and of marzipan. It was the gateway inland from the Baltic Sea onto many mainland trade routes including The Old Salt Road, The Amber Route and, of course, The Silk Road. Spices and wheat became a mainstay of the European diet thanks to these connections. These trade routes were central to the economic, cultural, political, and religious interactions between the East amd the West for 2000 years.
In 1491 Christopher Columbus ‘discovered’ the new world – indelibly changing what we eat and what we think of as native, local ingredients. Coffee, chocolate and sugar abounded. What would the Italians be without the tomato? What would the Irish be without the potato?
The Portugese national dish of Baccalau comes from the coast of Canada and came about in exchange for molasses and rum from the Caribean. Without marine exploration, this would never have been possible because when we travel we take our ingredients, our recipes and traditions with us. When we study the history and culture of a society we appreciate where we came from and where we can go. Food is a tool that gives us a portal into culture, it is its own language that carries with it many years of transition and evolution, just like our humanity. It is a tool of knowledge and awareness.
Let’s consider the wine culture of Cyprus
Cyprus is a country that has almost 5000 years of wine history. It is the oldest wine producing country in Europe and yet, how many people have ever tried a glass of Xynisteri? On this small island, religion and politics have had a huge impact on the winemaking.
The island’s most famous wine is a sweet, honey-like juice called Commandaria which was the favoured wine of John the Braveheart, King of England in the 11th century. The King used a place called Limassol as his island stronghold for troops as they tried to recapture the Holy Land from Muslims. This wine continues to be a favorite amongst British tourists who visit Cyprus today and who are familiar with it as a result of 80 years of occupation.
300 years of Ottaman rule in Cyprus suppressed winemaking as it was frowned upon to drink and subject to heavy taxes. People made wine at home and then hid it in order to avoid paying such taxes, then they started to use any excess in foods such as Loukanika, a wine sausage; and Stifado – a beef stew cooked with red wine. Both are still considered landmarks of traditional Cypriot cuisine today.
The ongoing conflict in Cyprus between the Greeks and the Turks has meant much political instability. 30 years of rural depopulation has resulted in four big companies gaining control of the majority of the island’s viticulture, producing cheap bulk exports based on international varietals such as Sauvignon Blanc.
In 1992, the EU invested in agricultural grants to support small scale, ecologically minded producers who were focused on native varietals. This investment was important to the stability of Cyprus as their wine is the most important export product after tourism. Fostering the growth of native varietals is critical because:
a) that’s their terroir
b) it will provide the highest yield
c) the world doesn’t need more Sav Blanc - it needs us to drink Xynisteri!
Let’s look at Olive Oil….
Food can also tell the story of identity and rural preservation.
Tuscan and Italian olive oil is likely the most revered olive oil in the world and was brought to mainland Europe by the Etruscans from the Levant.
But Portugal, France, Croatia, Montenegro, Albania, Greece, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Egypt, Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco are all also olive producing countries as well as countries which, through various empires in the Mediterranean basin, have an overlapping history. Typically though, they don’t spring to mind when you think about olive oil in the Mediterranean.
Terroir is currently working with the Tunisian Agency for Promotion and Investments in Agriculture. They want food leaders such as ourselves to know they have small scale, terroir-driven producers looking for economic opportunities and business development in the EU and it’s their mission to build an identity and a way to create economic stability for rural businesses.
Tunisia produces three native olives that are considered a world class quality product, but 80% of its oil is sold in bulk to Italy and Spain. Selling products as commodities in this way, on any market, relies on a stable demand and makes rural economies vulnerable to market fluctuations. If small scale, quality producers can diversify their product markets it ensures they get a better price for their products and protects their local economies. When rural producers can’t make enough money they move to the cities and then to other countries.
When people complain about foreigners taking away their country’s jobs they should instead be considering how we provide opportunities for rural workers so that they can stay gainfully employed in their own countries? A lot of this can be done through supporting their industries, and supporting their agricultural products.
We have an opportunity to become the leaders of a healthy, resilient, sustainable food system through education, awareness and cultural exchange. Food is a universal language that tells the story of our existence. When we understand our past and our relationship to each other it builds empathy and understanding which holds up our global food community.
With the challenges of climate change and radicalized populations, the food system is one of the most critical ways to connect and advocate for an alternative system which supports opportunities for marginalised producers and products as well as a sustainable future for food and farming economies.
Food on the Edge is an example of convening a community of people with inspiring and thoughtful conversations. It’s about sharing knowledge and building bridges. The United Nations calls the gathering of like-minded individuals for the betterment of a system a ‘fraternity of societies’. Together we can create a better future.
One of the best ways we can support environmental stewardship and reduce climate change is through our food system. There are six corporations currently in control of 90 % of the global food supply, and that most likely won’t change.
At a local level we can increase support and stability for regional producers though, allowing them to sustain a resilient livelihood. Through investing in small scale, ecologically-based food production, you support a reduction in greenhouse gases and carbon emissions; create financial opportunities for producers helping to build resiliency; and foster strong relationships between rural and urban communities.
Building community is about taking collective action and generating solutions to common problems. It ensures the well being of communities from economic, social and environmental perspectives – the three pillars of sustainability.
We should continue to support forums like FOTE and to meet in person. To interact, deliberate, reflect and pursue common goals. We also need to go out and meet our producers, not just in our own countries but also when we travel, so that we can consider different challenges and solutions and improve our own systems.
Photo: Rebecca Hoffmann
Application
A month ago we took a group of chefs, butchers and food leaders to a pig farm in Denmark called HinsholmGrisen. I met the farm’s owners, Poul and Carla, through a chef friend in Copenhagen, several years ago.
Denmark is the largest producer of pork in Europe. Much of it is exported to Germany to make cheap sausages. The system often raises pigs in less than desirable conditions and so the purpose of our Terroir Tour was to look at an alternative farming model - one where pigs were raised in the most humane way possible on a regenerative farm.
I'm not proposing that this is a revolutionary idea but rather, that we need to continue to explore new ideas and opportunities to evolve our food and farming models.
Photo: David Griffin
Bringing people around a table
Terroir’s work involves putting food on the table for people, providing hospitality and entertainment. Bringing people together to share a meal is one of the oldest diplomatic tools we have. Connecting with people has a transformative effect, it fosters tolerance and understanding, so much so that governments employ it as a matter of state; to arrange agreements, to create policy.
Food is a powerful tool with which to unite people – it is a common language.
Gastrodiplomacy is about using food history, knowledge and expertise as a tool for diplomacy to create good food ambassadors. It is a way of using food as portal to examine the culture of a region. Food cultures then build an understanding of shared histories which transcend borders.
When there are no borders, we cultivate extra opportunities between our societies and have a direct connection to the natural world. When we’re connected we can support sustainable livelihoods for our producers. And by using our relationship with food as a magnifying glass into our pasts, we can use it as a tool to look at future possibilities.
