The Basic Principles of Local Food

The gastronomic culture is very well developed today. To taste the traditional dishes of different peoples of the world, it is not necessary to go far. Therefore, bright signs calling to try Japanese, European, Chinese, Armenian, Greek and other cuisines do not bother anyone. But if you come across a restaurant of the local food movement on your way, be sure to ask: “What’s that?”. What kind of kitchen is this?

It turned out that this complex word hides a fairly simple theory of nutrition. He has his own principles and methods of cooking, which this article is devoted to.

The history of local food

The term “locavores— – in turn, is the result of the merger of the English “local” — “local” and the Latin “vorare” – “is”. The definition itself is not even 20 years old, it appeared only in 2005. The word has become so actively used in the dictionary of gourmets, lovers of healthy food and just people who respect everything new and interesting that in 2007 it was listed in the Oxford English Dictionary and recognized as the most popular word of the year.

Locavores is nothing more than eating “local” products grown nearby. This applies to vegetables, fruits, berries, eggs, as well as dairy and meat products. Some adherents of the theory even use local wood for grilling, and kitchen utensils are carefully selected, also taking into account the regional principle. But how “local” the product should be is a controversial issue.

• Locavore-conservatives believe that “local” can be called products grown or produced no more than 100 miles from home.
• Modern locavore has expanded to the borders of the region, and for some – and the country.

To illustrate this, let me give you an example. If suddenly we want to at least try locusts, what kind of animal it is, then there are two ways: either eat everything that is grown in your garden, or give preference to domestic products (no bananas, pineapples and other imported fruits, and meat and fish from the store will have to be checked for the country of production).

Maybe the regional division of products has its own logic?! The longer the product is transported, the more likely it is that it is “stuffed” with chemicals.

Therefore, many people choose, for example, domestic apples, despite the nearby shiny imported ones.

In the United States, it’s easier to determine whether a product is local or not. They have a concept of product miles, according to which “local” is a product produced no further than 640 km (397 mi). In Russia, a similar idea was put forward by the famous agronomist A. T. Bolotov in the 19th century. He called for the consumption of his group’s products. And in Canada, locavores came to the masses in 2000, when two journalists, A. Smith and J. McKinnon, conducted an experiment. For a month they ate what “did not go” beyond 100 miles. As their experience has shown, even in the age of nanotechnology, genetic engineering and other scientific discoveries, eating “the old-fashioned way” is not only possible, but also tasty and healthy.

Interestingly: the aforementioned journalists have published a number of articles and books about local residents. Among the most popular:

1. “The 100-mile diet. The Year of Local Food”;
2. “Abundance: Eating Locally on a 100-mile diet”;
3. “A lot. One man, one woman and a tumultuous year of local food”.

The basic principles of locavores

The first Principle — regional

The most important and directly derived from the names. Here it is important to determine how far you will “push” the acceptable boundaries. This is an individual garden, 200 km (124 mi), geographical boundaries of the region or country. And won’t you give yourself a little indulgence and eat overseas food from time to time? A small number of them are produced by locavore kitchen.

The second Principle – seasonality

Only what corresponds to the season should appear on the table in raw or boiled form. Mid-January is not the time to harvest strawberries, so you do not need to look for it in the supermarket. Tomatoes and cucumbers too early? So they should not be, because its season has not yet come (this applies to raw vegetables, not empty ones).

The principle of seasonality comes from the fact that summer fruits and vegetables are brought from other countries in winter. The so-called transport trail remains on them. This implies mandatory chemical treatment. Moreover, fruits and vegetables are harvested unripe for export. It’s not good. And the risk that genetic engineers had a hand in these products is higher than in the case of those that grew up in your country at the time.

• Autumn products-pumpkin, pears, apples, plums, nuts.
• Winter products-radish, beets, homemade pickles, jams, compotes, dried fruits.
• Spring products-salad, radish, greens.
• Summer products-vegetables, fruits, berries directly from the garden.

This is just an approximate list, it will be different for each region.

The third principle is the preservation of the environment

Locavore advocates for the preservation of the environment as follows. When transporting local products, much less transport is required, and, accordingly, fuel. Less fuel means less harmful emissions into the atmosphere.

The fourth principle is the use of natural products

Again, locavores is categorically against pesticides, preservatives and other chemicals, as well as genetic engineering.

The fifth principle is the support of domestic producers

As a rule, locavore chooses trusted farmers, if not from their city, and all purchases are made from them, ignoring the mass market. Well, or at least visit agricultural markets, asking sellers and paying attention to what we would not think to ask. And as for the recipes, the adherents of Lake Worth are guided by the traditional cuisine of their country.

Locavore projects in different countries of the world

One of the first restaurants of “local” cuisine was opened in 2000 in the USA by Dan Barrier, an expert in the field of gastronomy. It was called “Blue Hill”. Looking at this successful experience, restaurateurs began to develop their business very rapidly. Here are some striking examples.

• Restaurant Noma, Denmark

A unique place for connoisseurs of local cuisine. The interior is quite modest, but the kitchen, judging by the reviews of visitors, is on the level. This restaurant offers culinary experiments using typical Scandinavian ingredients.

• The restaurant “Cranberries and turnips”, Ukraine

The restaurant’s menu is focused on national Ukrainian cuisine. Here you can find 6 types of soup, various versions of chicken in Kiev, goat cheese cheesecake, jelly, ox meat pate and much more. But all products are united by their origin. This is strictly monitored by the founder Victoria Parkhomenko.

• The Restaurant Faviken, Sweden

The restaurant is 600 km (373 mi) from Stockholm. Magnus Nilsson, its founder, chose this place for a reason. Only at a certain distance from the capital, you can quickly get products from farmers without long transportation.

• Deli “FoodfromtheSky”, UK

The grocery store and Thornton’s Budgens company have recently launched this project. The essence is simple: on the roof of the building there is a vegetable garden, herbs and vegetables that are offered to customers. And, it should be noted, it is quite successful.

• Culinary resort Ninety Acres, United States

The restaurant is good, the deli is also not bad, but in general the culinary resort is excellent! All restaurants in the area offer fresh organic produce from their own farms located in the immediate vicinity.

• Restaurant “mark and the lion”, Russia

A restaurant in the Tula region offers its visitors a small, but delicious and familiar set of dishes. The creators update it four times a year, according to the season. They actively cooperate with local farmers, and the territory has its own greenhouse in which greens, vegetables, salads, etc. are grown.

Of course, it was not without ardent opponents of locavores. One famous chef is against a “closed” kitchen. They are supporters of the fact that gastronomy is a concept on a global scale. That is, that you need to try everything. And how do you feel about the ideas of locavores?