Slow Food Revolution: A New Culture for Eating and Living

by Carlo Petrini, Gigi Padovani

Founded in Italy in 1986 by charismatic Italian gourmand Carlo Petrini, Slow Food has grown into a phenomenally successful movement against the uniformity and compromised quality of fast food and supermarket chains. With nearly 85,000 members in 45 countries around the world, Slow Food has developed from a small, grassroots group into the most influential gastronomic movement in the world. Known as the "WWF of endangered food and wine," Slow Food not only focuses on a slower, more natural and organic lifestyle that complements nature, but also works to preserve dying culinary traditions, conserve natural biodiversity, and protect fading agricultural practices threatened in this age of mass consumerism. The book takes the reader on a gastronomic journey through the practices and traditions of the world's ethnic cuisines, from the artisanal cheeses of Italy to the oysters of Cape May and the native American turkey. It includes testimonies from Slow Food representatives—such as Alice Waters of Chez Panisse—illustrating exactly what they are doing—and what still needs to be done—to preserve them.

Genres: Food, Nonfiction, Food and Drink, Sustainability

312 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Carlo Petrini, an Italian sociologist, is the founder of the international movement Slow Food (1989).

Reviews

[Elif · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great book to learn the roots of the Slow Food revolution.

English: https://elifthereader.com/books/slow-...
Türkçe: http://kitaplikkedisi.com/kitaplar/sl...

[Robert Hudder · Rating 3 out of 5]

A journalist does some work and pieces interviews together about the history and future of slow food. Additional information is included on the presidia and resources. Probably needs to be updated.

[özgür çimen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Konuya ilgisi olanların edinmesi gereken bir kitap lakin çevirisinin daha iyi yapılabileceğini düşünüyorum.

[Melissa · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is not a book worth reading, especially in 2019. The translation is very difficult to follow, most chapters read like a list of committees and organizations that were constantly being formed, reformed, merged, etc. If you must read it, at least skip ahead to chapter 4 or later, so that you skip a lot of the preamble and actually reach a point where they were taking action and making some sort of change. The end of the book features stories and information about some of the "rare" foods that Slow Food is trying to protect, and the book would have been much better served to just focus on that. Still, if that's what you're interested in, just read Dan Barber's Third Plate for a better written version of that. Seriously don't bother with this.

[molly]

Honestly? I got to page 12. That's how bad the writing and/or translation was. I'm interested in the Slow Food movement, but will find out information from a source that can actually write. There were so many organization and individual names listed by page 5 that I wanted to throw the damn thing across the room. Plus, the authors can't keep a train of thought going for more than a paragraph at a time.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Of all the Slow Food publications, this one is the best to understand how Slow Food came about. However, I don't know if it's the translation from Italian to English or just Petrini's writing style, but the writing is dense. A lot of detail as well. Really worth the read for those interested in the topic or those who are interested in social revolutions, but others might not find it at all interesting.

[Erika · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everyone who knows me knows how much I enjoy a slow cooked home meal or just good food in general. I grew up eating at the dinner table every night even if only one parent was present and only hot dog macaroni concoction. If its made with love that's all that really matters. I believe in the Slow Food Revolution.

[Katherine · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was a history of the Slow Food movement, complete with many many many specific details about the political origins of Slow Food and its development to the global organization promoting heirlooom foods and breeds. I skimmed the last two thirds of the book. Trying to finish it was keeping me from reading.

[Hande · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was constructed as a chronological timeline of events that led to the establishment of the movement, with little anecdotes dispersed in between. If you want to know more about the revolution and the philosophy behind it (rather than Italian legislation and politics), begin from the end and read the testimonials by local farmers, fishermen, winemakers from around the world.

[Linds_e · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, I can't exactly call this read. I more like flipped through it. I love food books and I love books about food politics, but I found this one to be kind of boring/pretentious. I might check it out again sometime to give it another try but it is due today.

[Tara · Rating 3 out of 5]

The language and material was hard to get through some times; it wasn't an easy bedtime book. However, the information was fascinating! Reading through the Presidia in the back was particularly interesting.

[Michele · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bible for the movement - but definitely more or a history book than an engrossing read

[Tara]

For some reason, even though I am so interested in the topic, I can not deal with reading this book.

[John · Rating 1 out of 5]

If you're looking for Slow Food inspiration, then this is not the book for you. If you have a passing interest in the politics in Italy a few decades ago, it might be.

[John Portelli]

The man behind Slow Food himself recounts his life through the years and how this evolved