Amidst the worldwide loss of food diversity and our increasing reliance on a limited number of crops and corporations, there lies an opportunity for ecological and cultural enrichment. Instead of prioritizing bulk over quality, a diverse food culture can serve to nourish both ourselves and our environment. Can we tune the Dutch food system to respond to the dynamics and diversity of our unique delta landscape?
Throughout the past several decades, our approach to food has leaned heavily towards homogenization, diminishing both the variety in our natural environment and in what we consume. Of the roughly six thousand different plants once consumed by human beings just three of these—rice, wheat, and corn—now provide half of all our calories. This trend is not irreversible: there’s a growing awareness of the need to reconnect with the vast array of plants that once graced our plates.
In ‘Eating to Extinction’ (Eten tot het op is) food writer Dan Saladino embarks on a journey across the globe to uncover foods that are on the brink of disappearing forever. His exploration offers a glimmer of hope, highlighting the resilience of our food system and the potential for adaptation to ever changing climates and landscapes.
Speakers
Dan Saladino is a journalist and broadcaster. He makes programmes about food for BBC Radio 4 and BBC World Service. His work has been recognized by the Guild of Food Writers Awards, the Fortnum and Mason Food and Drink Awards, and in America by the James Beard Foundation. Eating to Extinction was awarded the James Cropper Wainwright Prize for Conservation Writing. He lives in Cheltenham, but his roots are Sicilian.
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