Slow Food or the slow food movement is an initiative that encourages people around the globe to reduce their consumption of fast food, and instead focus on locally sourced foods that are prepared and eaten more consciously. The focus is on nutrition, preserving local culture, traditions, food habits and celebrating the act itself of preparing and eating food.
History
This movement goes way back to the 1980s and began with the opening of the world famous Fast food chain McDonald’s in Rome, Italy. In the year 1989, the fast food chain opened their first restaurant near the historic Piazza de Spagna in Rome, which led to a group protest against the globalization of fast food. The intention of the protestors was to conserve and protect their local food producers, while emphasising the importance of taking pleasure in the experience of good food and wine.
Philosophy
The Slow Food movement is based on the philosophy of “good, clean and fair food.” It is strong belief with this movement that food should be a pleasure to all the senses and should be savoured and relished, instead of being a means to fill a hungry belly. Food is meant to be enjoyed and it should be grown in an eco- conscious way that preserves local biodiversity and provides fair compensation to those who grow it.
Lifestyle
Slow Food is not a far fetched idea. It is a lifestyle that can be incorporated into all our daily lives. But what can we do? We can start by being more aware of the sources from which our food comes from. If possible, we can buy natural ingredients that are made without preserves or are processed and put into tins and cans. We can get try and get grass-fed meat and free-range poultry from our local sellers. To adopt this lifestyle it is important to have awareness and be cautious at an individual level.
Native Tongue Mantra
In an era of industrialization of food and its resources, Native Tongue endeavours to walk on the principles of slow food. We wish to celebrate and shine a spotlight on indigenous produce of the land and celebrate the unique ingredients it has to offer. Most of our produce is sustainably sourced from small local businesses and farmers. We believe in giving farmers their due and make sure they get the credit they deserve. Our process of stone grinding the nuts, slow fermentation of mustard, maceration of fruits are all keeping in tradition with the ancient culinary wisdom.
Because we have adopted plastic-free packaging and since we are have hand-made products, our carbon footprint is substantially reduced. Apart from using seasonal produce and plastic free packaging, each jar or bottle is artisanal and is created with time, love and patience, ingredients we believe are essential for a well-rounded gastronomic experience. Our range is an ode to the food heritage of this land, one we wish to carry forward for a long time to come.