Native cuisine = Slow Food

Slow Food has much in common with Wampanoag traditionsDozens of hungry Islanders sat down to enjoy an eclectic potluck at the Chilmark Community Center last Saturday evening, October 22. The theme of the harvest dinner was connecting the modern Slow Food movement to the way food was hunted and gathered and prepared by the native Americans who first inhabited the Island, the Wampanoag people.

Traditional Wampanoag dishes such as venison stew and sea bass with sage stuffing were offered, along with a cornucopia of food grown or foraged on the Island.For the sake of comparison:

Slow FoodSlow Food is an international movement founded by Carlo Petrini in 1986. Promoted as an alternative to fast food, it strives to preserve traditional and regional cuisine and encourages farming of plants, seeds and livestock characteristic of the local ecosystem. It was the first established part of the broader Slow movement. The movement has since expanded globally to over 100,000 members in 132 countries. Its goals of sustainable foods and promotion of local small businesses are paralleled by a political agenda directed against globalization of agricultural products.Comment:  For more on Native food, see Cooking Academy Has Native Culinary Department and The Gathering Place Cookbook.