Gastronomy is not rocket science. It is simply the study of food and culture, and the art of preparing and serving appetising food. Sustainable gastronomy, therefore, is not only about cooking meals and not leaving leftovers, it is so much more. Sustainable gastronomy is about shopping locally and committing to buying from local suppliers who use sustainable agriculture techniques. It is about reducing energy when growing and preparing food.
Why Is It Important?
With the unending consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic on the world, it is important that we support local suppliers. With a growing population, supporting farmers is essential for a sustainable future.
The World Sustainable Gastronomy Day (June 18) is observed to raise awareness as regards:
- The Cooking Profession: In India by and large, cooking is not even seen as a profession. Cooks need to be accorded dignity and their profession taken seriosly.
- Clean Energy: Practices such as using gas or electricity instead of coal in restaurants should be more-widely acceptable.
- Generating Awareness: More people must learn about sustainable gastronomy.
- Food Wastage: We must resolve to do our bit by pledging zero food wastage. Nearly 1.3 billion tons of food is wasted. This means that not only does all this food get wasted, but also the seeds, water, feed, labour and money that are required to produce it. If at all you have surplus produce, you should deposit it to a food bank near you.
- Home gardening: One doesn’t require a garden for gardening. We can grow small plants such as coriander, basil or turmeric at home. One can even try hydroponics on their terrace. Hydroponics is a method of horticulture and subset of hydroculture, in which a plant is grown without soil. Instead, mineral content is used as a solute in water.
Sustainable gastronomy is a step towards zero hunger and a sustainable future.