Where in the World Does Our Food Come From?

We created this Taste-of-Life-inspired event with the Scott Arboretum of Swarthmore College in Swarthmore, PA. Undergraduate students and community members enjoyed an evening trying delicious foods from around the world, while learning about where the ingredients originated and how to conserve these foods and flavors into the future.

Learning goals for the event included the following:

• Our food was domesticated from wild relatives in particular geographic regions (also known as primary regions of diversity).
• In these primary regions of diversity, the diversity of traditional crop varieties and related wild plants is especially high.
• Current areas of crop consumption often differ from those crops’ primary regions of diversity.
• This is exemplified by the fact that contemporary/modern culturally important dishes are often mixtures of foods native to, and not native to, the geographic area associated with that culture.
• In order to support human nutrition, cultural expression, and biodiversity, we must conserve the diversity of crops and related wild plants in primary regions of diversity.

Check out some learning materials and photos from the event below, and get in touch if you're interested in hosting a similar event in the future!