Tempi di Recupero Week

The 24th of November marked the end of the “Tempi di Recupero week” – an initiative aimed at promoting sustainability as a daily gesture. Too often, we discard ingredients and products that could be enhanced in a sustainable way thanks to old and new techniques. The aim of this call to act was to use knowledge and creativity to make the best from products we use daily, with the specific intent to stimulate good daily practices that can enrich everyone’s life through the improvement and enhancement of what we bring to the table. How can we do this? These three simple icons were designed to tell us.

From the Adzora – historically known for taking care of the family and for preserving traditional recipes – to the Chef, the symbol of Italian hospitality, the Tempi di Recupero Week saw different actors join forces and share their passion and love for ingredients. Those involved in the initiative had the chance to share their zero-waste ideas using surplus food, leftovers from the day before, wonky vegetables, fish and meat scraps…

Each participant could join the call to action by preparing, for one or more days, a dish or an entire menu using food that would have otherwise be wasted. Once confirmed the minimum membership fee for the project, “Tempi di Recupero” provided each participant with a template to create the menu, in order to make it recognizable, the geolocation on their website and access to a virtual network of chefs and individuals who had joined.

The result was a series of curious and creative recipes from all over the world. One of our favourite ones came from “Il Marin”- a restaurant in Genoa – that designed a whole menu called “Cod from Head to Tail” and consisted of 5 courses made with cod in its interiety. Even as a dessert!

Tavernas, trattorias, pizzerias, starred restaurants joined the initiatives, but also ice cream shops, which responded enthusiastically with traditional flavours like “zuppa inglese” and “tiramisu” or using products at their end life such as stale bread and bruised fruit.

The “Tempi di Recupero Week” had supporter all over the world: Lima, Guayaquil, Mexico City, Barcellona, Copenaghen and Bali are just a few examples. Of the 180 participants, 148 were Italian, while the rest came from other European countries, North America (9), South America (2) and Asia (2). The initiative was developed with the aim of creating greater awareness and spreading the message as far as possible.

A portion of the proceeds of the “Tempi di Recupero Week” was donated to Food for Soul and to Food for Change, the Slow Food’s campaign to propose solutions that strengthen clean local economies, fair supply chains and protect the products that are part of our heritage.

Our mission is to make sure that you feel empowered to do your part in building a more sustainable and ethical world. What is your idea of food recovery? Take a look at the website of the initiative www.tempidirecupero.it and find out how you can get involved!