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| Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity |
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24/02/2009 |
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The Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity in Morocco
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From February 27 to March 2 Piero Sardo, President of the Slow Food Foundation, Michela Lenta, the coordinator for work carried out in Morocco by Slow Food, and Paola Nano, journalist and manager of the Slow Food Press Office, will travel to Agadir and Rabat for a series of meetings aimed at promoting the role and work of Slow Food in this country. One important event will be the annual Almond Festival of Tafraoute, at which Slow Food will have a stand. At the festival, Piera Sardo will meet with Aziz Akhannouch, Morocco's Minister of Agriculture and Fish. A conference will be held to talk about the work Slow Food is doing in support of small-scale producers and for the preservation of food biodiversity.
Monday, March 2nd they will be in Rabat, where they will give a lecture on the Slow Food Movement at the Agdal Cultural Center.
The trip will also provide the opportunity to meet with the women\'s cooperative of the Argan Oil Presidium in Agadir. Together with the producers they will discuss the production protocol and the proposal to become a member of Slow Food through a project-based enrollment.
Also in March, a group of students from the University of Gastronomic Science will participate in a ten-day field study in Morocco. During the trip the students will have the chance to learn about the production of some well-made local products (artisan cheese producers, breeders of Sardi sheep, and organic mint growers), meet the producers and the processors of the Argan Oil and Taliouine Saffron, while being hosted by the producers\' families.
The Argan Oil Presidium is supported by a Cooperation Project of the Piedmont Regional Authority
The Foundation Projects in Morocco
Argan Oil Presidium
The Argan tree grows exclusively on Morocco’s southern coast, and the oil produced from its nuts is a fundamental ingredient in Berber kitchen. In Berber culture, women have always been responsible for the production of Argan oil, and the know-how of chipping apart the seeds, extracting the kernels and pressing the oil is passed from mother to daughter. Argan oil is intensely golden, and has a hazelnut flavor and a light toasted aroma. In the Berber kitchen, a few drops are added to every couscous dish, and the oil is mixed with honey and almonds for a traditional spread, amlou beldi.
Production area: Agadir, Taroudant, Ait Baha, Essaouira, Chtouka and Tiznit Provinces
Technical partner: Olio Roi and Organic Oils (Italy)
Presidium supported by: Piedmont Regional Authority
Taliouine Saffron Presidium
In the heart of a bare plateau at the edge of the Argan forest, Taliouine (in South West Morocco) is famous for its excellent saffron. Cultivated at an altitude between 1200 and 2400 meters in a very dry zone, Taliuouine saffron has a high concentration of safranal and intense aroma, with characteristic floral notes. The whole families work to gather the flowers which grow in small fields dug out of the rocky land, and then continue the processing work in the courtyards of their houses, sipping saffron-flavored tea.
Production area: Taliouine, Taroudant Province
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