4 gastronomic congresses in Latin America to taste, learn and travel
Find here a list of the most renowned encounters in Latin American gastronomy that no culinary enthusiast can miss
Latin American cuisine is experiencing a very interesting and important awakening for the region in both cultural and economic terms. Much of the responsibility of this new empowering perspective lies in the creation of specialized committees that have driven the development of meetings and congresses around the theme of gastronomy in the region. These are some of the best for gastronomy enthusiasts:
Gastronomic Congress of Popayán, Colombia
gastronomico.org.co/el-congreso/
One of the oldest gastronomic congresses in Latin America that this year is going through its sixteenth edition, and as its website reports, has managed to increase its attendance from 500 to 20,000 people since its first edition. Organized by the Gastronomic Corporation of Popayán, its objectives are to encourage "a broad sense of belonging" to the Colombian culinary heritage, and bring together the industry around the academic debate on the gastronomic practices of the country, the region and the world. The congress has activities such as conferences, workshops, school meetings and tastings. In addition, every year he has a guest of honor, around which dissertations are held and samples are held. The host city, the capital of the Colombian region of Cauca, thanks to the management of the Corporation, was designated in 2005 the first city of gastronomy within the UNESCO Creative Cities network.
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Ñam Santiago, Chile
It is four days of the month of March that take place between seminars, experiential sessions and unique dinners that aim to connect the diner with what he eats, with the planet and with his own body. Under the slogan "We are what we eat" this cooking festival has taken the hill of Santa Lucia in Santiago de Chile to, as it puts its Web page: "fill it with edible activity". The Ñam Pro, as the festival's academic program has been named, has four blocks (creativity, meat, vegetables and sea) to which chefs from all over the world are invited to share their knowledge in technical demonstration days. Those who attend will receive a diploma at the end of which they will record what they have learned in the modules. Another possibility offered by the Ñam Pro is to form a group to take "specialized and participatory" cooking classes of three hours. In addition, the Ñam has a day dedicated to sommelier professionals and room service, during which they receive training in customer service.
Mistura, Peru
The annual gastronomic fair that takes place in Lima, Peru, between the months of August and November, changed the horizon of the Peruvian and Latin American cuisine. The event, organized by the Peruvian Gastronomy Society, founded by chef Gastón Acurio, celebrates and promotes the diversity of flavors on which the extensive cuisine of the Inca country is built. Mistura is concerned to bring together in one place all the actors of the Peruvian gastronomic chain: from small agricultural producers and artisanal fishermen from coastal, mountain and jungle regions, students and chefs, to diners and the governmental sector. There are formulated and consolidated projects such as the "Andean diet", which promotes Peruvian biodiversity and healthy nutrition within the country through the consumption of their own products. Mistura is a pioneer in the region with initiatives such as the support and promotion of gastronomic artisans, dedicated to the conservation of techniques and traditional inputs of the Peruvian cuisine. Talks, tastings, book launches, conferences, the Great Market and even a zone of bars, where it is possible to taste the novelties in local cocktails, make this a fair that goes several steps beyond the exhibition of flavors.
World Forum of Mexican Gastronomy, Mexico
Organized by the Conservatory of Mexican Gastronomic Culture, this forum, which already has six versions, is aimed at strengthening the Mexican food tradition. Through a complete and extensive academic program, it has dedicated itself to disseminating the culinary values of its territory, emphasizing topics that promote innovation and gastronomic research and the reinforcement of the relations between cooking, economy, agriculture and means of production. The carefully chosen themes, such as the one called "Mexican Cuisine in North America", are a reflection of a real interest and judicious work that aims to continue expanding the already strong and recognized gastronomic tradition of the Aztec country. Exhibitions, workshops, panels and tastings, book presentations, talks, business meetings, and conferences are some of the activities that are carried out during the four days in which it takes place.
Latin American Post | Isabel Pradilla S
Translated from "4 congresos gastronómicos en Latinoamérica para degustar, aprender y viajar"
