Now that the wonderful 2019 European Region of Gastronomy year has begun in Sibiu, let me explain some words that we frequently use in our relationship with food. I will firstly answer the following questions: What exactly does gastronomy mean? What does Slow Food stand for? Why should we eat locally? On the other hand, what is the New Transylvanian Cuisine? Let us take it gradually and see how all of these matters provide value to us here in Sibiu, in 2019 the Year of the European Gastronomic Region.

I begin by revealing my belief about southern Transylvania: We Live in Paradise! I am not talking about the way we are managed politically or economically, but referring to nature and the specific of our area. If we think about the biological diversity, the richness of natural and cultural resources, as well as the climate or geographic position we all enjoy, I guarantee you here is paradise!

Next, I will explain the term gastronomy. It is formed by the term gaster which means “stomach” and nomos that means “word”, and it has to do with the search of the connection between food and culture, between nature and man. Exactly the study of this relationship is important and valuable to us: what is the story of each dish?

That being said, I think the story of our dishes from paradise is best reflected through the #Slow Food principles. It has begun as an one-off action by a handful of Italian activists in the `80s, against the globalization and fast food. Slow Food is today the biggest international movement, present in 160 countries, militating for population`s access to good, clean and fair food. By good quality food we mean tasty, healthy and organic, that is not harming the environment, that has an accessible price for the consumer and is feasible for the producer.

We therefore talk about the story of our good, clean and fair food in the little paradise which is South Transylvania in 2019. Sounds good, right? To all of this, we add the fact that eating locally usually refers to a 50-70 km radius for the production site, and we suddenly realize that we are covering the Sibiu region. I will return in the following articles with the benefits of local food for our community but also with the trends related to the New Transylvanian Cuisine. Stay tuned!

You can find out more about the Sibiu county HERE.

Guest post by Slow Food Sibiu.