Known around the globe for the biennial Terra Madre Salone del Gusto gathering in Turin, Italy, Slow Food’s Terra Madre (Mother Earth) global gathering gears up for its inaugural regional Asia and the Pacific event from Nov. 19 to 23 in Bacolod City, Negros Occidental.

“The first edition of Terra Madre Asia & Pacific (TMAP) marks an exciting new chapter for the global Slow Food movement,” said Paolo Di Croce, general director, Slow Food. “This gathering celebrates the shared products and traditions that unite Asian and Pacific communities, while showing how food can connect people, pass on knowledge, inspire solutions, and help safeguard the planet for future generations. Starting with the next edition, the event will be held every two years, a milestone for our movement and for the Philippines. It also offers a unique opportunity to strengthen our global network through the creation of a new Slow Food Hub for Asia and the Pacific, and the launch of strategic initiatives such as Slow Food Travel.”

The theme is From Soil to Sea: A Slow Food Journey Through Tastes and Traditions, with dedicated spaces including Foodways Exhibition, Education Pavilion, Slow Food Coffee Coalition, House of Slow Food and Community Kitchen. The event will be augmented with public talks and conferences featuring farmers, Indigenous leaders, cooks and policy makers.

The Terra Madre Kitchen and Taste Workshops will offer visitors opportunities for guided tastings, cooking demonstrations and chef collaborations.

The Slow Drinks, Market and Street Food areas will showcase local ingredients and samples of Ark of Taste endangered heritage ingredients — all sustainably produced, with unique taste profiles, and featuring food products from the Negros Occidental and Western Visayas areas. Foods include batuan (Garcinia binucao), kadyos (pigeon pea), criollo cacao (heirloom cacao), artisanal muscovado sugar, and traditional salts such as tultul and budbud.

Be sure to visit Foodways Exhibition’s interactive displays and storytelling, focusing on regional staples such as rice, taro, spices and soy; and the Education Pavilion, where programs for children and adults focus on fostering an understanding of biodiversity through taste education and sensory experiences.