Campania at its best-Terrafelix 2009

Terrafelix was a fair held December 4-8 at Mostra D’Oltremare. It was a celebration of the great agricultural products that the Campania region has to offer. I took my 9 year old son, David, and I am glad I did. Campania has taken many hits in the past few years so it was heartwarming to visit the stands and talk to the producers of this overlooked region that I call home. And what products! Stands offering assaggi (tastes) of honey, marmalade, olive oil, salamis, cheeses, breads, pastas and (of course) wine. Throughout the fair, there were opportunities to participate in guided ‘tastings’ of all types of food. A favorite of mine (and David’s) was a mozzarella tasting. I found it quite informative as we tried four different latticini, from different areas. Yes, you really can taste the difference between a mozzarella from the Salerno region and one from Caserta. Another stand we stopped at for a bite was the Pesca stand. Here we were offered a plate of potato salad splashed with olive oil, black olives, tomatoes and (real) tuna. Mmmm. I ran into my friend, Vincenzo Di Meo in the Slow Food area. Vincenzo was at his stand representing La Sibilla and a legume called la cicerchia which I am dying to learn more about. Around every corner I not only noticed remarkable products, but I also saw men and women who were proud to present them to the world. In this age of globalization, it is important not to forget the people in our backyard who work hard to give us their best. Products at kilometer zero-meaning, goods that are produced locally are the way to go when you can. That is what I believe Terrafelix wanted to show us and I strongly feel that they did.

Complementi!