What do Gaspe Flint Corn, the Harrison Cider Apple, the Cayuga Duck and the Fish Pepper all have in common? Well, according to the book “Renewing America’s Food Traditions-Saving and Savoring the Continent’s Most Endangered Foods” we are in danger of losing these foods from our collective plates. According to this book, edited by Gary Paul Nabhan, we are in jeopardy of losing hundreds of local foods, and thus, losing a significant part of our American culinary heritage.

Written by members of RAFT (Renewing America’s Food Traditions) this book highlights a number of those foods we are in danger of losing. From wild plants and animals to Native American crops and domesticated animals, America’s culinary heritage is disappearing at an alarming rate. There are many reasons for the potential loss of these foods. Dwindling habitat and over harvesting are endangering wild populations, while changing tastes have contributed to the decline of many domesticated crops. One of the biggest culprits though is our modern food transportation system. Crops that don’t travel well or suffer significant loss of flavor soon after picking just aren’t profitable for farmers anymore. Many of these crops and animals are losing out to modern hybrids that grow more quickly, produce greater yields, or demand less care.

Luckily, for the foods showcased in this book, there is still time left to save them from becoming just a memory. If you have a garden plot I urge you to seek out the seeds of some of these plants and experiment with growing them and using the crops they produce. Support your local farmers, especially those trying to save some of these heirloom foods from extinction. It is not a wholly selfless act you will be committing. Once you try some of these heirloom foods you will find they taste so much better than most of the stuff you can buy at the local grocery store. That’s because these foods were bred for flavor, not bred for traits that made them easily transportable for thousands of miles. It is up to us to decide whether these foods remain an important part of our culinary heritage, or whether we allow them to disappear from our plates forever.

Be Sociable, Share!

• 

Related posts:

1. Getting to Know Your Food
2. ChefTalk Foodie Food Eyes Photo Competition