Several hundred food lovers will gather in Kenmare, Co Kerry, this week for one of the biggest ever "Slow Food" events in the State.
The Slow Food movement, which began in Italy in the late 1980s as an antidote to fast food and to "the fast-food way of life", now has 70,000 members, mainly in the US, Italy and Germany. It aims to protect and promote regional foods and to resist the homogenisation and standardising of foods and tastes.
There are Slow Food branches in Kerry, east and west Cork, Kilkenny, Wexford, south Dublin and Wicklow and Dún Laoghaire. The movement in Ireland has outgrown its food producer or food artisan base, explained Ms Mairéad Robinson, food writer and founder of the movement in Kerry. It now includes chefs, shopkeepers and those who espouse the Slow Food philosophy.
It was partly a recognition that fast food was a symptom of a culture losing its diversity. Obesity and the over-processing of foods were all tied in to the fast-food, fast-eating culture, she added.
A marquee will be set up in the grounds of the Kenmare Park Hotel to showcase products next weekend. The programme includes themed dinners in Kenmare's top restaurants as well as excursions to food producers in Kerry and west Cork.
Wine importers Febvre, partners of Slow Food Ireland, will introduce small wine producers from Europe.