The Constitutional Charter of the Mediterranean Cuisines' Conservatory

Introduction

A lot of different peoples lived along the Mediterranean coasts. They belonged to different cultures and ethnic groups.

The Mediterranean environment gave them those natural resources they needed, which were and are alike along the total length of the Mediterranean coastline, thus helping the development of their civilisations. Thanks to these people’s voyages and trades, the way each of them employed these resources was known to all the people of the area.

The preparation of the different dishes and the preservation of food have been very much influenced by this century-long cultural exchanges, that’s why the Mediterranean Cuisines do exists: they are not a bunch of identical recipes but they mean the use of the lands’ resources: these lands feature a number of similar environmental and climatic characteristics.

Olive oil, vines, cereals, white meat and fish, legumes have been the main ingredients of all Mediterranean cuisines for centuries. Tomatoes, beans, potatoes, peppers entered the Mediterranean cuisine during the XVII century. They perfectly fit into the Mediterranean cuisine and are not part of the wide range of Mediterranean dishes, preserved food and products.

The Mediterranean Cuisines are, thus, the knowledge of the Mediterranean peoples. They have been gathering this knowledge for centuries and they properly transformed the resources of their environment to nourish themselves and enjoy this excellent food.

The Globalisation process is now threatening this delicate balance, because it is standardising the different cultures and their characteristics by substituting them with consumption, fast food and megastores.

This is the way things are going now: television programmes are showing the American-way-of-life as the only possible lifestyle, the many different laws and rules on the agro-food products are hindering the small farmers, thus paving the way for the big food industries: these latter are standardising our daily meals.

The Mediterranean Cuisines’ Conservatory

It is aiming at changing things: it wants to fight against the lack of food culture and information, which is affecting the majority of people.

More information is needed, consumers have to be taught to be awake to a new kind of consumption: a responsible consumption.

The conservatory wants to protect and let people know about the ancient knowledge, techniques and traditions linked to the agro-food sector, which is all Mediterranean peoples’ heritage.

The Mediterranean Cuisines’ countries

These are those countries looking over the Mediterranean Sea.

Not the whole country though.

France, Italy and Spain of course, but just a number of their regions.

The Provence and Languedoc regions in France, but Normandy is not a Mediterranean region.

Liguria, and not Alto Adige, in Italy.

The Catalan region, and not the Galizia region.

This means that this conservatory is concerned with the gastronomic traditions and knowledge of the peoples living along the Mediterranean coastlines and in their inlands, since their gastronomic cultures are likely to have been influenced by these same traditions and knowledge.

Each one of the conservatory’s seats is deciding the limits of its Mediterranean area, keeping in mind the deep meaning of the conservatory’s action though.

The Mediterranean Cuisines’ Conservatory: what is it?

It is an association of people, public and private institutions and resources, whose headquarters are in Arles and seats are located in all the Mediterranean countries, which have accepted the principles and ideas listed in its charter.

It is concerned with the creation of an archive including the agro-food cultures, knowledge, techniques and recipes of the Mediterranean cuisines. It wants to protect, develop and widespread and cultivate all those products, but also those dishes that are typical of these lands and linked to the territories by many environmental and historical links.

The Conservatory’s aims

The Conservatory has a two-fold object:

the cultural object
the educational object
These are deeply linked to its very existence and work.

Its cultural object

The Conservatory wants to promote research on the knowledge, traditions techniques and habits that are linked to the preparation of products and dishes and passed on by those, who are still linked to their lands.

The gathered information and documentation are organised and then circulated and publicised by means of all the most effective communication means. It reaches many different groups of people: consumers, experts working in the agro-food, restaurant and hotel sectors, university researchers and all those bodies working in the food sector.

The way the Conservatory works to reach its objects

Each one of the seats of the Conservatory has its own cultural objects that are linked to the activities of the seat and to the seat itself. Each seat is developing research and increasing the Quality of the products. It is in charge of circulating the ancient knowledge. The data research, elaboration, filing and experimentation are developing a wide range of different, strong and culturally noteworthy knowledge.

Phase 1

The research methodology is developed in the same way in all seats. These latter aim at achieving a set of results that can be easily compared with each other.

They are identifying the typical products and recipes and they are listing them by means of a bibliographic research and inquiries that are carried out locally.

Phase 2

The filing of the data stemming from the research is carried out in the same way in all seats. The total of these data is available for all the seats to be consulted.

Phase 3

Each one of the conservatory’s seats is organising and managing the circulation of those specific knowledge and techniques for the manufacturing of typical products and dishes, for the development of the typical cultivations and for all those initiatives aiming at involving the experts of the agro-food sector. Each seat works according to the peculiarities of its own land and the socio-economic conditions of its own area.

Its educational object

The knowledge and traditions linked to food have been passed on from one generation to the next one within families. The socio-cultural changes that have been affecting the rural world in the latest 30 years and have led the small family-run farms to close down are the reason why these traditions and knowledge have not been passed on any more. That’ s why the professional training is now very important and has a new role, that is substituting the passing on of traditions and knowledge that was made by families.

The Conservatory and its seats organise the passing on of the knowledge relating to the production of raw materials, to their links to their lands, to the use of these raw materials to prepare typical food, many different products and dishes, which belong to a special area and are typical of this area.

This knowledge that has been acquired thanks to the researches made, is then circulated y each of the seats of the Conservatory according to the specific conditions and situations of each area.

Getting to further objects

Tourism

Agriculture and its places

Food and gastronomic education

The Quality of the restaurant and hotel sector

The Conservatory of the Mediterranean cuisines is aiming at cultural and educational objectives and is contributing to face a very wide range of issues that are linked to new development and economic comeback of the typical gastronomic traditions.

Tourism

All those products and dishes that are linked to their own lands and are typical of those areas can be promoted properly and can, thus, be turned into tourist attractions. They can also attract tourists, who care for the cultures of the places they are visiting and for the belonging of those specific products and dishes to that area.

Agriculture and its places

All raw materials and ingredients used to prepared preserved food, specific products or dishes can be animal or vegetable ingredients, they can be cultivated or volunteer ingredients, they belong to their specific history and places, they are linked to many different techniques and knowledge and they had to be used that way.

This means that a specific product or dish can be protected only if the way the land, where they are produced, is used is protected. This special use has been strengthened thanks to the works done by people over the centuries. This means that protecting and promoting the typical products and dishes means also protecting the typical products and cultivations and preventing the process of genetic erosion from happening. This process is due to today’s market, which is polluted by the use of fertilisers and pesticides. What is important is protecting this kind of cuisine that is based on typical products and dishes and is likely to develop a wide market for all those agricultural sectors still linked to their own lands. This kind of cuisine can also lead to important economic developments. This means that, thanks to this situation, the inlands of these specific areas will not be abandoned any more but will be used again.

Food and gastronomic education

The data gathered through the researches and the constant efforts of the Conservatory as for the development of a new awareness in the sector of consumption are contrasting with the standardisation of the food industry. The aim of the Conservatory is increasing and improving the knowledge of those principles dealing with a good and healthy diet but is also improving the knowledge of those important issues, such as the gastronomic culture and a better quality of life and the opportunity of enjoying good food and an excellent bottle of wine!

The restaurant Quality

Restaurants and hotels are the most important customers of the Conservatory and participants to its activities. The work that is being done with these experts of the sector is of the greatest importance. Each one of the seats of the Conservatory has to get these experts involved and organise the circulation of the knowledge and traditions that are directly linked to them; the circulation of knowledge is not only linked to them but also dedicated to them.

Each one of the seats organises educational exhibitions: the organisation of these exhibitions is carried out by cooperating with all those restaurants and hotels that are offering their customers their areas’ typical cuisines and dishes. They are also working for the innovative and tentative use of typical products and dishes: these have been deliberately rediscovered and promoted by the sector.

All these activities are increasing the value and quality of this sector.